Sanagasta Geological Park (La Rioja, Argentina): Conservation actions and tourism management

El patrimonio geológico‐paleontológico, representa un componente en el que se puede basar la actividad turística de un territorio. El objetivo de este estudio es exponer cómo las políticas creadas en todos los niveles de gobiernos afectan directa o indirectamente en el desarrollo sostenible de la actividad turística en áreas naturales protegidas (ANP) con patrimonio paleontológico. El área de análisis es el Parque de Dinosaurios contenido dentro del Parque Geológico Sanagasta (PGS), La Rioja, Argentina, ANP con un uso turístico fundado en los hallazgos paleontológicos. Método: revisión analítica y crítica de las políticas dedicadas a la conservación, protección y posterior desarrollo turístico en torno a estos sitios. Algunos resultados son: normativa carente de reglamentación que operativicen la gestión para lograr la participación de los actores relacionados con el turismo en unidades de conservación. Se considera necesario lograr un manejo compartido (publico‐privado‐comunidad‐ Estado) en pos de lograr una gestión turística adecuada.The geological‐paleontological heritage of a region represents a component on which tourist activ‐ ity can be based. The objective of this study is to show how the policies created at all levels of government directly or indirectly affect the sustainable development of tourist activity in natural protected areas (ANP) with paleontological heritage. The area under analysis in this case is the Dinosaur Park contained within the Geological Park Sanagasta (PGS), La Rioja, Argentina, ANP with tourism based on paleontological findings. By way of method, we used analytical, critical review of policies devoted to conservation, protection, and subsequent tourism development around these sites. Some of the main results are: norms lacking regulation for stakeholder participation to be operational for tourism in conservation units. It is believed necessary to achieve shared management (public‐private community‐State) in pursuit of adequate tourism management

Mammals from the Salicas formation (Late Miocene), La Rioja Province, northwestern Argentina : Paleobiogeography, age, and paleoenvironment

Fil: Brandoni, Diego. Laboratorio de Paleontología de Vertebrados. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; Diamante; ArgentinaFil: Schmidt, Gabriela I.. Laboratorio de Paleontología de Vertebrados. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; Diamante; ArgentinaFil: Candela, Adriana Magdalena. División Paleontología Vertebrados. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Noriega, Jorge Ignacio. Laboratorio de Paleontología de Vertebrados. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; Diamante; ArgentinaFil: Brunetto, Ernesto. Laboratorio de Paleontología de Vertebrados. Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia de Tecnología a la Producción; Diamante; ArgentinaFil: Fiorelli, Lucas E.. Departamento de Geociencias. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica; Anillaco; Argentin

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

A New Late Cretaceous Crocodyliform From The Western Margin Of Gondwana (la Rioja Province, Argentina)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)The Cretaceous witnessed the greatest diversity of Gondwanan notosuchian crocodyliforms, which displayed high levels of diversity and a notable array of specialized forms that developed in different ecological niches. Among this diversity, the advanced notosuchians are a Glade of mid body sized forms which displays a remarkable abundance but is restricted to two lithological units from the Late Cretaceous of South America, the Adamantina Formation in southeastern Brazil and the Bajo de la Carpa Formation in Patagonia (Argentina). The only exceptions known so far were the Late Cretaceous Labidiosuchus from the Marilla Formation in Brazil and Yacarerani from the Cajones Formation in Bolivia. Herein we report a new Cretaceous crocodyliform, Llanosuchus tamaensis gen. nov. et sp. nov., found in the Los Llanos Formation (Campanian?) in northwestern Argentina (La Rioja Province). The small specimen includes well preserved fragments of the cranium and mandible with an estimated skull size of about 9 cm lengths. This crocodyliform shares several derived characters with Notosuchus terrestris from the Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Patagonia) and it was found in a weakly developed sandy paleosol profile formed in wet local conditions but in a region characterized by semi-arid climate and active eolian sedimentation. The presence of a new advanced notosuchian in the Cretaceous of western Gondwana, and its intermediate geographical region between the known South American species (Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia), has interesting implications, and adds another record of an advanced notosuchian in deposits with inferred warm climates and semi-arid paleoenvironments. Finally, Llanosuchus tamaensis supports a Late Cretaceous age for Los Llanos Formation with important geological implications for La Rioja Province. (c) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.60194209Agencia Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas [PICT 2012-0421, PICT 2013-2725]Jurassic FoundationFAPESP [2012/23209-0]Gobierno de La RiojaMunicipalidad de TamaFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP

A new late cretaceous crocodyliform from the western margin of gondwana (La Rioja Province, Argentina)

FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOThe Cretaceous witnessed the greatest diversity of Gondwanan notosuchian crocodyliforms, which displayed high levels of diversity and a notable array of specialized forms that developed in different ecological niches. Among this diversity, the advanced notosuchians are a Glade of mid body sized forms which displays a remarkable abundance but is restricted to two lithological units from the Late Cretaceous of South America, the Adamantina Formation in southeastern Brazil and the Bajo de la Carpa Formation in Patagonia (Argentina). The only exceptions known so far were the Late Cretaceous Labidiosuchus from the Marilla Formation in Brazil and Yacarerani from the Cajones Formation in Bolivia. Herein we report a new Cretaceous crocodyliform, Llanosuchus tamaensis gen. nov. et sp. nov., found in the Los Llanos Formation (Campanian?) in northwestern Argentina (La Rioja Province). The small specimen includes well preserved fragments of the cranium and mandible with an estimated skull size of about 9 cm lengths. This crocodyliform shares several derived characters with Notosuchus terrestris from the Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Patagonia) and it was found in a weakly developed sandy paleosol profile formed in wet local conditions but in a region characterized by semi-arid climate and active eolian sedimentation. The presence of a new advanced notosuchian in the Cretaceous of western Gondwana, and its intermediate geographical region between the known South American species (Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia), has interesting implications, and adds another record of an advanced notosuchian in deposits with inferred warm climates and semi-arid paleoenvironments. Finally, Llanosuchus tamaensis supports a Late Cretaceous age for Los Llanos Formation with important geological implications for La Rioja Province. (c) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.The Cretaceous witnessed the greatest diversity of Gondwanan notosuchian crocodyliforms, which displayed high levels of diversity and a notable array of specialized forms that developed in different ecological niches. Among this diversity, the advanced notosuchians are a Glade of mid body sized forms which displays a remarkable abundance but is restricted to two lithological units from the Late Cretaceous of South America, the Adamantina Formation in southeastern Brazil and the Bajo de la Carpa Formation in Patagonia (Argentina). The only exceptions known so far were the Late Cretaceous Labidiosuchus from the Marilla Formation in Brazil and Yacarerani from the Cajones Formation in Bolivia. Herein we report a new Cretaceous crocodyliform, Llanosuchus tamaensis gen. nov. et sp. nov., found in the Los Llanos Formation (Campanian?) in northwestern Argentina (La Rioja Province). The small specimen includes well preserved fragments of the cranium and mandible with an estimated skull size of about 9 cm lengths. This crocodyliform shares several derived characters with Notosuchus terrestris from the Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Patagonia) and it was found in a weakly developed sandy paleosol profile formed in wet local conditions but in a region characterized by semi-arid climate and active eolian sedimentation. The Cretaceous witnessed the greatest diversity of Gondwanan notosuchian crocodyliforms, which displayed high levels of diversity and a notable array of specialized forms that developed in different ecological niches. Among this diversity, the advanced notosuchians are a clade of mid body sized forms which displays a remarkable abundance but is restricted to two lithological units from the Late Cretaceous of South America, the Adamantina Formation in southeastern Brazil and the Bajo de la Carpa Formation in Patagonia (Argentina). The only exceptions known so far were the Late Cretaceous Labidiosuchus from the Marilia Formation in Brazil and Yacarerani from the Cajones Formation in Bolivia. Herein we report a new Cretaceous crocodyliform, Llanosuchus tamaensis gen. nov. et sp. nov., found in the Los Llanos Formation (Campanian?) in northwestern Argentina (La Rioja Province). The small specimen includes well preserved fragments of the cranium and mandible with an estimated skull size of about 9 cm lengths. This crocodyliform shares several derived characters with Notosuchus terrestris from the Bajo de la Carpa Formation (Patagonia) and it was found in a weakly developed sandy paleosol profile formed in wet local conditions but in a region characterized by semi-arid climate and active eolian sedimentation. The presence of a new advanced notosuchian in the Cretaceous of western Gondwana, and its intermediate geographical region between the known South American species (Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia), has interesting implications, and adds another record of an advanced notosuchian in deposits with inferred warm climates and semi-arid paleoenvironments. Finally, Llanosuchus tamaensis supports a Late Cretaceous age for Los Llanos Formation with important geological implications for La Rioja Province60194209FAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULOFAPESP - FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO2012/23209-

The first pterosaur 3-D egg: Implications for Pterodaustro guinazui nesting strategies, an Albian filter feeder pterosaur from central Argentina

The increasing number of fossil pterosaur eggs sheds light on nesting environments and breeding behaviors of these extinct flying reptiles. Here we report the first partial three-dimensional egg of the pterosaur, Pterodaustro guinazui, from central Argentina. The specimen was discovered from the same Albian deposits as the exceptional P. guinazui embryo described in 2004. Microscopic characterizations indicate a pristine preservation of the 50 μm thick calcium carbonate, which differs significantly from the soft shell of Chinese pterosaur eggs. Estimate of the eggshell conductance implies that the nest had a minimum moisture content of 75%. This moisture estimate, combined with geological and taphonomical data, suggests that P. guinazui may have adopted a nesting strategy similar to those of grebes and flamingos rather than being buried on land, as previously hypothesized. Moreover, our results demonstrate that the nesting paleoenvironment of this pterosaur species was closely linked to a mesohaline lacustrine ecosystem in a basin governed by regional tectonic subsidence, a setting characteristic for the feeding and reproduction of modern flamingos

Biomechanical evidence suggests extensive eggshell thinning during incubation in the Sanagasta titanosaur dinosaurs

The reproduction of titanosaur dinosaurs is still a complex and debated topic. Their Late Cretaceous nesting sites are distributed worldwide and their eggs display substantial morphological variations according to the parent species. In contrast to the typical 1.3–2.0 mm thick shells common to eggs of most titanosaur species (e.g., those that nested in Auca Mahuevo, Tama, Toteşti or Boseong), the Cretaceous Sanagasta eggs of Argentina display an unusual shell thickness of up to 7.9 mm. Their oviposition was synchronous with a palaeogeothermal process, leading to the hypothesis that their extra thick eggshell was an adaptation to this particular nesting environment. Although this hypothesis has already been supported indirectly through several investigations, the mechanical implications of developing such thick shells and how this might have affected the success of hatching remains untested. Finite element analyses estimate that the breaking point of the thick-shelled Sanagasta eggs is 14–45 times higher than for other smaller and equally sized titanosaur eggs. The considerable energetic disadvantage for piping through these thick eggshells suggests that their dissolution during incubation would have been paramount for a successful hatching

A new hadrosauroid (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Allen Formation (Late Cretaceous) of Patagonia, Argentina

A new hadrosauroid taxon from the Late Cretaceous Allen Formation is erected, on the basis of abundant cranial and postcranial material from the Salitral Moreno locality of the Rio Negro Province, Argentina. The new taxon is here named as Willinakaqe salitralensis gen. et sp. nov., which is characterized by having an autapomorphous premaxilla with a long and convex rostrolateral surface rostral to the narial fossa and associated postcrania developing an unique character combination, including: dorsal vertebrae with a shallow fossa upon the base of the transverse processes; sacral and proximal caudal neural spines more than three times the height of the centrum; distal region of the postacetabular process of ilium ventrally deflected, among others. This new hadrosauroid closely resembles Secernosaurus koerneri, the other valid hadrosauroid species from South America, based in several synapomorphies, as: angle greater than 115° between the lateral margin of the facet for scapular articulation and the glenoid in the coracoid; supra-acetabular process of the ilium asymmetrical, caudodorsal margin of ilium with a well-defined ridge continuous with the dorsal margin of the proximal region of the postacetabular process. Moreover, previous records of Lambeosaurinae from the Late Cretaceous of South America are referred to W. salitralensis, and thus, the presence of lambeosaurines in this continent is here rejected. Accordingly, Willinakaqe salitralensis gen. et sp. nov. is currently the only hadrosauroid species reported from the Allen Formation.<br>Se erige un nuevo taxón de hadrosauroideo del Cretácico Superior de la Formación Allen, en base a abundante material craneal y postcraneal de la localidad de Salitral Moreno, en la Provincia de Río Negro, Argentina. El nuevo taxón es denominado Willinakaqe salitralensis gen. et sp. nov., y se caracteriza por tener un premaxilar autapomórfico con una superficie rostrolateral alargada y convexa rostral a la fosa narial y postcráneos asociados con una combinación de caracteres únicos, que incluye: vértebras dorsales con una fosa poco profunda en la base de los procesos transversos, espinas neurales sacras y caudales proximales más de tres veces más altas que el centro; región distal del proceso postacetabular del ilion desviada ventralmente, entre otros. Este nuevo hadrosauroideo es muy similar a Secernosaurus koerneri, la otra especie válida de hadrosauroideo de América del Sur, con el que comparte varias sinapomorfías, como: ángulo mayor que 115 ° entre el borde lateral de la faceta articular escapular y la superficie glenoidea en el coracoides, proceso supra-acetabular del ilion asimétrico, margen caudodorsal del ilion con una cresta bien definida continua con el margen dorsal de la región proximal del proceso postacetabular. Los registros asignados anteriormente a Lambeosaurinae del Cretácico Tardío de América del Sur son referidos a Willinakaqe salitralensis gen. et sp. nov., y por lo tanto, se rechaza la presencia de lambeosaurinos en este continente. En consecuencia, Willinakaqe salitralensis gen. et sp. nov. es actualmente la única especie de hadrosauroideo reportada en la Formación Allen