De extinción en extinción: la vida se reinventa una y otra vez

Episodios de extinción y recuperación que afectaron el desarrollo de la vida en la Tierra, cada uno extendido por lapsos de millones de años, más largos que la historia completa de la especie humana. Se ilustran mediante ejemplos del registro fósil marino del Mesozoico temprano, centrándonos en los invertebrados marinos del tiempo que transcurrió entre el fin del Pérmico y el del Jurásico temprano, es decir, entre hace unos 252 y 174 Ma. Los fósiles encontrados en el actual territorio argentino, en sitios que entonces estuvieron bajo el mar, aportan información útil para analizar este lapso de tiempo que contiene dos de las grandes extinciones señaladas y también una menor

Population response during an Oceanic Anoxic Event: The case of Posidonotis (Bivalvia) from the Lower Jurassic of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina

Benthonic marine species show a wide range of biological reactions to seawater chemical changes through time, from subtle adjustments to extinction. The Early Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) was recently recognized in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina, confirming its global scope. The event was identified chemostratigraphically on the basis of a relative increase in marine organic carbon and a characteristic negative carbonisotope excursion (δ13Corg) in bulk rock and fossil wood in the upper Pliensbachian-lower Toarcian interval in the Arroyo Lapa section (Neuquén). Simultaneously with collection of lithological samples, a high-resolution biostratigraphical survey was carried out, and the scarce benthonic fauna was collected in order to check the biotic response to changing marine geochemical conditions. We present here an analysis of size and abundance data from the T-OAE interval in the Neuquén Basin for the dominant bivalve species, the paper-clam Posidonotis cancellata (Leanza), and relate these data to geochemical proxies (%TOC and δ13Corg) obtained at the same locality. The abundance of P. cancellata increased when the rest of the benthos diminished, reaching a maximum at the onset level of the T-OAE, and then decreasing. Size-frequency distributions show a noteworthy lack of juvenile shells. Shell size shows a positive correlation with %TOC in the whole section, though over the T-OAE interval proper, it decreases below the level where the maximum %TOC value is attained and increases above it. Posidonotis cancellata shows features of opportunistic species, such as high tolerance to hypoxia, strong dominance in impoverished environments and a strong dependence on primary productivity, but at the same time had a reproductive strategy more similar to equilibrium species, with relatively low juvenile mortality rates. Several anatomical features suggest adaptation to permanently dysaerobic environments. The species disappeared just before the minimum negative carbon-isotope value was reached; and by the same time the genus became extinct worldwide

New age constraints on the Lower Jurassic Pliensbachian–Toarcian Boundary at Chacay Melehue (Neuquén Basin, Argentina)

The Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary interval is characterized by a ~ 3‰ negative carbon-isotope excursion (CIE) in organic and inorganic marine and terrestrial archives from sections in Europe, such as Peniche (Portugal) and Hawsker Bottoms, Yorkshire (UK). A new high-resolution organic-carbon isotope record, illustrating the same chemostratigraphic feature, is presented from the Southern Hemisphere Arroyo Chacay Melehue section, Chos Malal, Argentina, corroborating the global significance of this disturbance to the carbon cycle. The negative carbon-isotope excursion, mercury and organic-matter enrichment are accompanied by high-resolution ammonite and nannofossil biostratigraphy together with U–Pb CA-ID-TIMS geochronology derived from intercalated volcanic ash beds. A new age of ~ 183.73 + 0.35/− 0.50 Ma for the Pliensbachian–Toarcian boundary, and 182.77 + 0.11/− 0.15 for the tenuicostatum–serpentinum zonal boundary, is assigned based on high-precision U–Pb zircon geochronology and a Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) stratigraphic age model

REVISIÓN DE LOS BIOCOREMAS MARINOS GLOBALES DEL JURÁSICO SEGÚN LA DISTRIBUCIÓN DE LOS MOLUSCOS BIVALVOS

Numerosos trabajos regionales o locales han propuesto el reconocimiento de unidades biogeográficas de distintos rangos (biocoremas) basadas sobre la distribución de los moluscos bivalvos para el Jurásico, pero no existía una síntesis a nivel mundial. Este trabajo es una revisión de las más significativas de esas propuestas, en un intento de lograr una síntesis de los patrones biogeográficos globales desde el Jurásico Temprano al Tardío, mientras se producían cambios sustanciales en la paleogeografía de la Tierra y los patrones de circulación oceánica como resultado de la disgregación de Pangea. Se hace también un breve análisis de la evolución en el tiempo y el espacio de cada una de las principales unidades reconocidas y de sus relaciones. Estos biocoremas pueden agruparse en tres unidades de primer orden que han tenido continuidad en el tiempo: Boreal, Tethys y Austral. Las unidades revisadas aquí han sido reconocidas y caracterizadas de forma muy heterogénea por los distintos autores, pero los criterios básicos más utilizados incluyen desde el grado de endemismo y la diversidad relativa, hasta las afinidades paleobiogeográficas de los taxones a nivel genérico. Los patrones de distribución de los bivalvos jurásicos no solamente son claves para entender cuestiones puramente biogeográficas, sino que han sido utilizados como argumento y evidencia en discusiones de índole paleogeográfica (como el establecimiento de corredores oceánicos, o patrones de circulación marina superficial), e incluso son pruebas de peso para la discusión de tópicos paleotectónicos, como la localización de terrenos desplazados y la deriva continental

Early Cambrian archaeocyathan limestone blocks in low-grade meta-conglomerate from El Jagüelito Formation (Sierra Grande, Río Negro, Argentina)

Massive grey limestone blocks containing a fairly diverse but poorly preserved archaeocyath fauna were recovered from a meta-conglomerate bed in the El Jagüelito Formation (Sierra Grande area, Eastern North Patagonian Massif, Río Negro, Argentina). This is the first documented reference of the presence of archaeocyaths in continental Argentina. Seven different taxa were identified, preliminary described and figured. Recrystallization of the skeletons due to regional low-grade metamorphism and deformation of the unit does not allow observation of key detailed features and prevents identification to genera and species. Nevertheless, the specimens studied show general affinities with archaeocyathan assemblages from the Australia-Antarctica palaeobiogeographic province and indicate a middle Early Cambrian (Atdabanian-Botomian) maximum age for the deposition of the El Jagüelito Formation protoliths. The similarities between the North Patagonian Early Paleozoic El Jagüelito Formation and those rocks from Antarctica suggest a geologic and biologic common history of these regions on the same southwest margin of Gondwana during that time

Data from: Early Jurassic Trochotomidae (Vetigastropoda, Pleurotomariodea) from the Neuquén Basin, Argentina

Trochotomidae is a small but distinctive extinct family of pleurotomarioidean gastropods characterized by trochiform shells with an elliptical trema. Two new species of trochotomids are described from Pliensbachian deposits in the Neuquén Basin, Argentina. The new genus-group name Placotoma is proposed to replace the pre-occupied name Discotoma Haber non Mulsant. The record of Trochotoma (Trochotoma) protonotialis new species and Trochotoma (Placotoma) neuquensis new species in the early Jurassic of Argentina extends the paleobiogeographical distribution of the genus (and the family) to the Southern Hemisphere. The new taxa reported here represent a component of the pleurotomarioidean adaptive radiation that took place in the Tethyan region during the earliest Jurassic. They are related to local patch coral reefs of shallow, open-marine paleoenvironments, agreeing with the known habitat of most species of this family. The group was well represented in the Tethyan region during the Mesozoic, especially during the Jurassic, and the new species represent its southernmost occurrence

Ferrari etal-SupplMaterial

Ferrari etal-SupplMateria

Parainoceramya n. gen. for Parainoceramus Cox, 1954 (ex Voronetz, 1936) partim (Bivalvia, Jurassic)

Several Jurassic pterioid bivalve species have been referred to Parainoceramus Cox by different authors, yet this has proved inadequate because the meaning of such genus has been compounded by nomenclatural and idiomatic problems, as well as misinterpretations. Hence, the new genus Parainoceramya is here proposed to accommodate several species previously referred to Parainoceramus, with Crenatula ventricosa J. de C. Sowerby as its type. Permian species originally assigned to Parainoceramus, including the type species, are referred to the genus Kolymia Likharev. All species attributed to Parainoceramus s.l. are reviewed and the new genus is compared with related genera. As here understood, the new genus is first recorded in the Hettangian and attained a cosmopolitan distribution; its last occurrence is probably Berriasian.Fil: Ros Franch, Sonia. Universidad de Valencia; España. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Cs.naturales y Museo. Departamento de Paleontologia Invertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Damborenea, Susana Ester. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Cs.naturales y Museo. Departamento de Paleontologia Invertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Marquez Aliaga, Ana. Universidad de Valencia; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Manceñido, Miguel Oscar. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Cs.naturales y Museo. Departamento de Paleontologia Invertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin