Northernmost (Subarctic) and deepest record of Paleodictyon: paleoecological and biological implications

Paleodictyon is one of the most iconic and widespread of trace fossils in the geological record. However, modern examples are less well known and restricted to deep-sea settings at relatively low latitudes. Here, we report the distribution of Paleodictyon at six abyssal sites near the Aleutian Trenc...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2023-05, Vol.13 (1), p.7181-7181, Article 7181
Main Authors: Miguez-Salas, Olmo, Rodríguez-Tovar, Francisco J., Ekdale, Allan A., Kaiser, Stefanie, Brandt, Angelika, Gooday, Andrew J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
631/158/856
704/106/2738
704/106/829
704/158/2462
704/158/852
Cameras
Deep sea
Eutrophic environments
Eutrophication
Fossils
Humanities and Social Sciences
Latitude
Morphology
multidisciplinary
Museums
Paleoecology
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Trace fossils
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Paleodictyon is one of the most iconic and widespread of trace fossils in the geological record. However, modern examples are less well known and restricted to deep-sea settings at relatively low latitudes. Here, we report the distribution of Paleodictyon at six abyssal sites near the Aleutian Trench. This study reveals for the first time the presence of Paleodictyon at Subarctic latitudes (51°–53°N) and at depths over 4500 m, although the traces were not observed at stations deeper than 5000 m suggesting that there is some bathymetric constraint for the trace maker. Two small Paleodictyon morphotypes were recognized (average mesh size of 1.81 cm), one having a central hexagonal pattern, the other being characterized by a non-hexagonal pattern. Within the study area, Paleodictyon shows no apparent correlation with local environmental parameters. Finally, based on a worldwide morphological comparison, we conclude that the new Paleodictyon specimens represent distinct ichnospecies that are associated with the relatively eutrophic conditions in this region. Their smaller size may reflect this more eutrophic setting in which sufficient food can be obtained from a smaller area in order to satisfy the energetic requirements of the tracemakers. If so, then Paleodictyon size may provide some assistance when interpreting paleoenvironmental conditions.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-023-34050-w