Amber from Kachin,Myanmar offers a unique window into mid-Cretaceous ecosystems because it provides large sample sets that span a wide range of taxa preserved in exquisite detail at approximately 99 Ma[1].A fringe benefit of such extensive sampling is that inclusions rarely captured in other amber deposits are represented in Kachin amber—even subaquatic taxa.Recent studies have documented inclusions of fully marine groups,such as ammonites[2]and bivalves[3].
The Spiti Shale Formation is a widely distributed stratigraphic unit of the passive northern margin of the Indian craton,deposited between the Callovian and earliest Cretaceous.The siliciclastic strata are dominated by dark-grey to black argillaceous silt.As the formation has undergone intense tectonic stress involving folding and faulting,it is very difficult to document a complete section.In the type area,the Spiti Valley,six sections have been measured that document parts of the three informal members of the formation,the Lower,Middle,and Upper members.Despite its uniform appearance,eight facies/biofacies types could be distinguished,ranging from the anoxic shale facies,with ammonites and belemnites as the only faunal elements,to the dysoxic Malayomaorica and Bositra biofacies,and the oxic to anoxic offshore shelf facies,which are characterized by low-diversity macrobenthos associations.Other facies are the condensed glauconiticphosphoritic mudrock facies and the Fe-oolitic siltstone facies(both characterized by sediment starvation),the aerated argillaceous silt-sandstone facies,and the tide-influenced nearshore shelf facies.The benthic macrofauna represents four bivalve-dominated associations all characterized by a very low to low species diversity.They are the Bositra buchii,the Australobuchia spitiensis,the Palaeonucula cuneiformis-Pruvostiella hermanni-Indogrammatodon egertonianus,and the Malayomaorica sp.-Australobuchia spitiensis-Retroceramus haasti association.Sediments and macrobenthic associations indicate that the Spiti Shale Formation represents outer to inner shelf environments,which for much of the time were subjected to upwelling and anoxic to dysoxic conditions.Distinct shallowing at the top characterizes the transition to the overlying Lower Cretaceous Giumal Formation.
Franz T.FürsichMatthias AlbertiDhirendra K.PandeyKetan ChaskarSuraj Bhosale
The anurognathids are an enigmatic and distinctive clade of small,non-pterodactyloid pterosaurs with an unusual combination of anatomical traits in the head,neck,wings and tail.They are known from very limited remains and few have been described in detail,and as a result,much of their biology remains uncertain.This is despite their importance as potentially one of the earliest branches of pterosaur evolution or even lying close to the origins of pterodactyloids.This review covers the taxonomy and palaeoecology of the anurognathids,which remain an interesting branch of pterosaurian evolution.
The Eocene Epoch passed through multiple hyperthermal events and recorded highest temperatures in the Cenozoic. Very few studies from Eocene palaeotropical sites have recorded changes in shallow marine foraminiferal assemblages. The present study investigates the foraminiferal biofacies of shallow marine successions from a palaeotropical site in western India (Kutch Basin) to understand the palaeoclimate and its impact on the ecology of foraminifera. The sections were biostratigraphically con strained using planktic and larger benthic foraminifera. Four biofacies are recognized by detrended correspondence analysis of the sample-wise distribution of foraminifera. Low diversity and dwarfed foraminifera characterize Bulimina-Chiloguembelino biofacies (SBZ5/6-SBZ10), corresponding to the interval of Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maxima (PETM) and Eocene Thermal Maxima 2 (ETM 2). Rectilinear benthic foraminifera and biserial and triserial planktic foraminifera, typical of high runoff, upwelling or eutrophic conditions, are dominant taxa in this biofacies. The specialist taxa increased significantly in Asterigerina-Cibicides biofacies, corresponding to SBZ11 (Early Eocene Climatic Optimum, EECO), and the environment became oligotrophic. The Jenkinsina-Brizalina biofacies (E12) is distinguished by foraminiferal assemblage ecologically like that of Bulimina-Chiloguembelina biofacies. It is characterized by high abundance of rectilinear benthic foraminifera and bloom of triserial planktic foraminifera, suggesting eutrophy and high runoff at the initiation of Middle Eocene Climatic Optimum (MECO). The foraminifera were more diverse and abundant in Cibicides-Nonion biofacies. The highly diverse larger benthic foraminiferal assemblage in this biofacies, signify warm and clear-water oligotrophic sea that promoted the development of platform carbonate in Kutch Basin and other basins in western India. The EECO and MECO did not have an adverse impact on shallow marine foraminifera, and particularly the larger benthic foraminifera att
Objective As the resource treasury of desert biodiversity,the wetland of Betula halophila has fragile ecologic system and low stability,which causes the sudden reduction of wetland area.The Alahake Saline Lake is known for an endangered species,Betula halophila.However,palaeoecology changes of the Alahake Saline Lake have been little documented.Therefore,it is necessary to
