Soft‐bodied fossils are not simply rotten carcasses: Toward a holistic understanding of exceptional fossil preservation
Exceptionally preserved fossils are the product of complex interplays of biological and geological processes including burial, autolysis and microbial decay, authigenic mineralization, diagenesis, metamorphism, and finally weathering and exhumation. Determining which tissues are preserved and how bi...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2017
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| _version_ | 1797105204301135872 |
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| author | Parry, LA Smithwick, F Nordén, KK Saitta, ET Lozano-Fernandez, J Tanner, AR Caron, J-B Edgecombe, GD Briggs, DEG Vinther, J |
| author_facet | Parry, LA Smithwick, F Nordén, KK Saitta, ET Lozano-Fernandez, J Tanner, AR Caron, J-B Edgecombe, GD Briggs, DEG Vinther, J |
| author_sort | Parry, LA |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Exceptionally preserved fossils are the product of complex interplays of biological and geological processes including burial, autolysis and microbial decay, authigenic mineralization, diagenesis, metamorphism, and finally weathering and exhumation. Determining which tissues are preserved and how biases affect their preservation pathways is important for interpreting fossils in phylogenetic, ecological, and evolutionary frameworks. Although laboratory decay experiments reveal important aspects of fossilization, applying the results directly to the interpretation of exceptionally preserved fossils may overlook the impact of other key processes that remove or preserve morphological information. Investigations of fossils preserving non‐biomineralized tissues suggest that certain structures that are decay resistant (e.g., the notochord) are rarely preserved (even where carbonaceous components survive), and decay‐prone structures (e.g., nervous systems) can fossilize, albeit rarely. As we review here, decay resistance is an imperfect indicator of fossilization potential, and a suite of biological and geological processes account for the features preserved in exceptional fossils. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:44:08Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:fa4d5947-6254-4ce0-9cb3-ca4f27837db5 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:44:08Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:fa4d5947-6254-4ce0-9cb3-ca4f27837db52022-03-27T13:04:41ZSoft‐bodied fossils are not simply rotten carcasses: Toward a holistic understanding of exceptional fossil preservationJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:fa4d5947-6254-4ce0-9cb3-ca4f27837db5EnglishSymplectic ElementsWiley2017Parry, LASmithwick, FNordén, KKSaitta, ETLozano-Fernandez, JTanner, ARCaron, J-BEdgecombe, GDBriggs, DEGVinther, JExceptionally preserved fossils are the product of complex interplays of biological and geological processes including burial, autolysis and microbial decay, authigenic mineralization, diagenesis, metamorphism, and finally weathering and exhumation. Determining which tissues are preserved and how biases affect their preservation pathways is important for interpreting fossils in phylogenetic, ecological, and evolutionary frameworks. Although laboratory decay experiments reveal important aspects of fossilization, applying the results directly to the interpretation of exceptionally preserved fossils may overlook the impact of other key processes that remove or preserve morphological information. Investigations of fossils preserving non‐biomineralized tissues suggest that certain structures that are decay resistant (e.g., the notochord) are rarely preserved (even where carbonaceous components survive), and decay‐prone structures (e.g., nervous systems) can fossilize, albeit rarely. As we review here, decay resistance is an imperfect indicator of fossilization potential, and a suite of biological and geological processes account for the features preserved in exceptional fossils. |
| spellingShingle | Parry, LA Smithwick, F Nordén, KK Saitta, ET Lozano-Fernandez, J Tanner, AR Caron, J-B Edgecombe, GD Briggs, DEG Vinther, J Soft‐bodied fossils are not simply rotten carcasses: Toward a holistic understanding of exceptional fossil preservation |
| title | Soft‐bodied fossils are not simply rotten carcasses: Toward a holistic understanding of exceptional fossil preservation |
| title_full | Soft‐bodied fossils are not simply rotten carcasses: Toward a holistic understanding of exceptional fossil preservation |
| title_fullStr | Soft‐bodied fossils are not simply rotten carcasses: Toward a holistic understanding of exceptional fossil preservation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soft‐bodied fossils are not simply rotten carcasses: Toward a holistic understanding of exceptional fossil preservation |
| title_short | Soft‐bodied fossils are not simply rotten carcasses: Toward a holistic understanding of exceptional fossil preservation |
| title_sort | soft bodied fossils are not simply rotten carcasses toward a holistic understanding of exceptional fossil preservation |
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