Overgrowth on ammonite conchs: environmental implications for the Lower Toarcian Posidonia Shale

Ammonites of the south–west German Posidonia Shale (Early Toarcian) are occasionally overgrown by bivalves, brachiopods or serpulids. Attachment to both sides of the conchs in some specimens suggests attachment during the ammonite's lifetime, with a pseudoplanktic mode of life for the epizoans. However, dense overgrowth restricted to the upper surface of some ammonite shells indicates post–mortem colonization. Our study shows that apart from oxygen supply as a main factor controlling benthic colonization, substrate consistency also played an important part. Unfavourable living conditions prevailed during deposition of the organic–rich sediments, excluding macrofauna in the benthic environment. However, less than 0.1 per cent of the ammonite conchs found during the excavation show overgrowth, indicating that pseudoplanktonism was an infrequently adopted strategy for inhabiting surface waters.     

Pseudoplanktonic lifestyle of the Triassic crinoid Traumatocrinus from Southwest China

Colonies of Traumatocrinus (Echinodermata, Crinoidea) attached to driftwood from the lower Upper Triassic (Carnian) Xiaowa Formation of the Guanling area (Guizhou, Southwest China) document a pseudoplanktonic lifestyle for this specialized offshoot of the otherwise benthic Middle Triassic Encrinidae. After the end-Carnian decline of Traumatocrinus, its ecological niche was subsumed in Norian by genera derived from another benthic family (Holocrinidae) with convergent morphological modifications. After the Toarcian (Lower Jurassic), this niche disappeared, possibly due to the emergence of wood-boring bivalves.     

中生代海相双壳类(软体动物)的漂浮与假漂浮

中生代很多海相足丝固着和粘结固着的表栖双壳类有着广泛的、甚至全球的地理分布,有些种能够穿越赤道,跨越特提斯海,进行南、北高纬度生物群的交流,有些种能够由东向西横渡浩瀚的古太平洋进行扩散,因为这些双壳类幼虫期的浮游异养型幼虫能营漂浮生活,而幼虫期后的个体又能挂系或粘结在其它漂浮或移动的物体上进行假漂浮迁移。     

关岭新铺卡尼期腕足类古生态及对创孔海百合假浮游生活方式的质疑

关岭新铺晚三叠世早期卡尼期(Carnian)龙层及其下伏竹杆坡组上、中部的腕足类从上到下可划分为Linguloid,Laballa,Pseudokoninckina等3个化石群落。根据各群落特征分子的固着方式、生活习性、贝体形态和大小,以及与其他生物共同埋藏情况,并考虑围岩性质等方面的综合因素,得出Pseudokoninckina群落的古生态底域位于BA4内侧至BA3外侧,Laballa群落的古生态位置相当于BA2,而Linguloid群落则为BA1。在此基础上进一步阐明关岭新铺从竹杆坡组中部至龙层呈现明显海退过程,其古生态底域位置从BA4内侧至BA3外侧一直退到BA1。依据此变化绘出新铺卡尼期海平面下降示意图。对创孔海百合被一些学者推断为假浮游的生活方式提出质疑和讨论,得出当时创孔海百合不可能为假浮游的生活方式,它们应是营底栖的。