Evidence for cryptic molting behavior in the trilobite Toxochasmops vormsiensis from the Upper Ordovician Katian Kõrgessaare Formation, Estonia.

Documentation of cryptic trilobite behavior has presented important insights into the paleoecology of this fully extinct arthropod group. One such example is the preservation of trilobites inside the remains of larger animals. To date, evidence for trilobites within cephalopods, gastropods, hyoliths, and other trilobites has been presented. Importantly, most of these interactions show trilobite molts, suggesting that trilobites used larger animals for protection during molting. To expand the record of molted trilobites within cephalopods, we present a unique case of a Toxochasmops vormsiensis trilobite within the body chamber of a Gorbyoceras textumaraneum nautiloid from the Upper Ordovician Kõrgessaare Formation of Estonia. By examining this material, we present new insights into the ecology of pterygometopid trilobites, highlighting how these forms used large cephalopods as areas to successfully molt.

Isotope systematics of subfossil, historical, and modern Nautilus macromphalus from New Caledonia.

Cephalopod carbonate geochemistry underpins studies ranging from Phanerozoic, global-scale change to outcrop-scale paleoecological reconstructions. Interpreting these data hinges on assumed similarity to model organisms, such as Nautilus, and generalization from other molluscan biomineralization processes. Aquarium rearing and capture of wild Nautilus suggest shell carbonate precipitates quickly (35 µm/day) in oxygen isotope equilibrium with seawater. Other components of Nautilus shell chemistry are less well-studied but have potential to serve as proxies for paleobiology and paleoceanography. To calibrate the geochemical response of cephalopod δ15Norg, δ13Corg, δ13Ccarb, δ18Ocarb, and δ44/40Cacarb to modern anthropogenic environmental change, we analyzed modern, historical, and subfossil Nautilus macromphalus from New Caledonia. Samples span initial human habitation, colonialization, and industrial pCO2 increase. This sampling strategy is advantageous because it avoids the shock response that can affect geochemical change in aquarium experiments. Given the range of living depths and more complex ecology of Nautilus, however, some anthropogenic signals, such as ocean acidification, may not have propagated to their living depths. Our data suggest some environmental changes are more easily preserved than others given variability in cephalopod average living depth. Calculation of the percent respired carbon incorporated into the shell using δ13Corg, δ13Ccarb, and Suess-effect corrected δ13CDIC suggests an increase in the last 130 years that may have been caused by increasing carbon dioxide concentration or decreasing oxygen concentration at the depths these individuals inhabited. This pattern is consistent with increasing atmospheric CO2 and/or eutrophication offshore of New Caledonia. We find that δ44/40Ca remains stable across the last 130 years. The subfossil shell from a cenote may exhibit early δ44/40Ca diagenesis. Questions remain about the proportion of dietary vs ambient seawater calcium incorporation into the Nautilus shell. Values of δ15N do not indicate trophic level change in the last 130 years, and the subfossil shell may show diagenetic alteration of δ15N toward lower values. Future work using historical collections of Sepia and Spirula may provide additional calibration of fossil cephalopod geochemistry.

Isotopic evidence concerning the habitat of Nautilus macromphalus in New Caledonia.

Modern nautilids (Nautilus and Allonautilus) have often been studied by paleontologists to better understand the anatomy and ecology of fossil relatives. Because direct observations of these animals are difficult, the analysis of light stable isotopes (C, O) preserved in their shells has been employed to reveal their habitat and life history. We aim to (1) reconstruct the habitat depth of Nautilus macromphalus and (2) decipher the fraction of metabolic carbon in its shell by analyzing oxygen and carbon isotopes (δ18O, δ13C) in the septa of two specimens in combination with analyses of water samples from the area. Additionally, we investigate whether morphological changes during ontogeny are reflected in the isotopic values of the shells. Results reveal that the patterns of change of δ18O and δ13C in the septa of N. macromphalus pre- and post-hatching are consistent with previous studies. Values of δ18Owater range from 0.7 to 1.4‰ (VSMOW), with a maximum value coincident with a salinity maximum at ~150 m. We use the temperature and δ18Owater profiles to calculate equilibrium values of δ18Oaragonite with depth. Comparing these values with the measured δ18O of the septa shows that the habitat depth of N. macromphalus is ~140 m pre-hatching and ~370 m post-hatching. Using δ13C of shell carbonate and published data on metabolic carbon, the fraction of metabolic carbon is reconstructed as ~21% and 14% pre- and post-hatching, respectively. The reconstructed depth pre-hatching is slightly shallower than in N. pompilius from the Philippines and Fiji, but the post-hatching depth is similar. However, it is important to emphasize that these estimates represent average over time and space because nautilus is a mobile animal. Lastly, the changes in morphological parameters and the changes in δ13C and δ18O during ontogeny do not coincide except at hatching and at the onset of maturity.

Exceptional soft-tissue preservation of Jurassic Vampyronassa rhodanica provides new insights on the evolution and palaeoecology of vampyroteuthids.

Although soft tissues of coleoid cephalopods record key evolutionary adaptations, they are rarely preserved in the fossil record. This prevents meaningful comparative analyses between extant and fossil forms, as well as the development of a relative timescale for morphological innovations. However, unique 3-D soft tissue preservation of Vampyronassa rhodanica (Vampyromorpha) from the Jurassic Lagerstätte of La Voulte-sur-Rhône (Ardèche, France) provides unparalleled opportunities for the observation of these tissues in the oldest likely relative of extant Vampyroteuthis infernalis. Synchrotron X-ray microtomography and reconstruction of V. rhodanica allowed, for the first time, a high-resolution re-examination of external and internal morphology, and comparison with other fossil and extant species, including V. infernalis. The new data obtained demonstrate that some key V. infernalis characters, such as its unique type of sucker attachment, were already present in Jurassic taxa. Nonetheless, compared with the extant form, which is considered to be an opportunistic detritivore and zooplanktivore, many characters in V. rhodanica indicate a pelagic predatory lifestyle. The contrast in trophic niches between the two taxa is consistent with the hypothesis that these forms diversified in continental shelf environments prior to the appearance of adaptations in the Oligocene leading to their modern deep-sea mode of life.

Fossil coleoid cephalopod from the Mississippian Bear Gulch Lagerstätte sheds light on early vampyropod evolution.

We describe an exceptionally well-preserved vampyropod, Syllipsimopodi bideni gen. et sp. nov., from the Carboniferous (Mississippian) Bear Gulch Lagerstätte of Montana, USA. The specimen possesses a gladius and ten robust arms bearing biserial rows of suckers; it is the only known vampyropod to retain the ancestral ten-arm condition. Syllipsimopodi is the oldest definitive vampyropod and crown coleoid, pushing back the fossil record of this group by ~81.9 million years, corroborating molecular clock estimates. Using a Bayesian tip-dated phylogeny of fossil neocoleoid cephalopods, we demonstrate that Syllipsimopodi is the earliest-diverging known vampyropod. This strongly challenges the common hypothesis that vampyropods descended from a Triassic phragmoteuthid belemnoid. As early as the Mississippian, vampyropods were evidently characterized by the loss of the chambered phragmocone and primordial rostrum-traits retained in belemnoids and many extant decabrachians. A pair of arms may have been elongated, which when combined with the long gladius and terminal fins, indicates that the morphology of the earliest vampyropods superficially resembled extant squids.

Significance of the suture line in cephalopod taxonomy revealed by 3D morphometrics in the modern nautilids Nautilus and Allonautilus.

Assessing the taxonomic importance of the suture line in shelled cephalopods is a key to better understanding the diversity of this group in Earth history. Because fossils are subject to taphonomic artifacts, an in-depth knowledge of well-preserved modern organisms is needed as an important reference. Here, we examine the suture line morphology of all known species of the modern cephalopods Nautilus and Allonautilus. We applied computed tomography and geometric morphometrics to quantify the suture line morphology as well as the conch geometry and septal spacing. Results reveal that the suture line and conch geometry are useful in distinguishing species, while septal spacing is less useful. We also constructed cluster trees to illustrate the similarity among species. The tree based on conch geometry in middle ontogeny is nearly congruent with those previously reconstructed based on molecular data. In addition, different geographical populations of the same species of Nautilus separate out in this tree. This suggests that genetically distinct (i.e., geographically isolated) populations of Nautilus can also be distinguished using conch geometry. Our results are applicable to closely related fossil cephalopods (nautilids), but may not apply to more distantly related forms (ammonoids).

Chamber volume development, metabolic rates, and selective extinction in cephalopods.

Reconstructing the physiology of extinct organisms is key to understanding mechanisms of selective extinction during biotic crises. Soft tissues of extinct organisms are rarely preserved and, therefore, a proxy for physiological aspects is needed. Here, we examine whether cephalopod conchs yield information about their physiology by assessing how the formation of chambers respond to external stimuli such as environmental changes. We measured chamber volume through ontogeny to detect differences in the pattern of chamber volume development in nautilids, coleoids, and ammonoids. Results reveal that the differences between ontogenetic trajectories of these cephalopods involve the presence or absence of abrupt decreases of chamber volume. Accepting the link between metabolic rate and growth, we assume that this difference is rooted in metabolic rates that differ between cephalopod clades. High metabolic rates combined with small hatching size in ammonoids as opposed to lower metabolic rates and much larger hatchlings in most nautilids may explain the selective extinction of ammonoids as a consequence of low food availability at the end of the Cretaceous.

Rapid ocean acidification and protracted Earth system recovery followed the end-Cretaceous Chicxulub impact.

Mass extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary coincides with the Chicxulub bolide impact and also falls within the broader time frame of Deccan trap emplacement. Critically, though, empirical evidence as to how either of these factors could have driven observed extinction patterns and carbon cycle perturbations is still lacking. Here, using boron isotopes in foraminifera, we document a geologically rapid surface-ocean pH drop following the Chicxulub impact, supporting impact-induced ocean acidification as a mechanism for ecological collapse in the marine realm. Subsequently, surface water pH rebounded sharply with the extinction of marine calcifiers and the associated imbalance in the global carbon cycle. Our reconstructed water-column pH gradients, combined with Earth system modeling, indicate that a partial ∼50% reduction in global marine primary productivity is sufficient to explain observed marine carbon isotope patterns at the K-Pg, due to the underlying action of the solubility pump. While primary productivity recovered within a few tens of thousands of years, inefficiency in carbon export to the deep sea lasted much longer. This phased recovery scenario reconciles competing hypotheses previously put forward to explain the K-Pg carbon isotope records, and explains both spatially variable patterns of change in marine productivity across the event and a lack of extinction at the deep sea floor. In sum, we provide insights into the drivers of the last mass extinction, the recovery of marine carbon cycling in a postextinction world, and the way in which marine life imprints its isotopic signal onto the geological record.

Anatomy and evolution of the first Coleoidea in the Carboniferous.

Coleoidea (squids and octopuses) comprise all crown group cephalopods except the Nautilida. Coleoids are characterized by internal shell (endocochleate), ink sac and arm hooks, while nautilids lack an ink sac, arm hooks, suckers, and have an external conch (ectocochleate). Differentiating between straight conical conchs (orthocones) of Palaeozoic Coleoidea and other ectocochleates is only possible when rostrum (shell covering the chambered phragmocone) and body chamber are preserved. Here, we provide information on how this internalization might have evolved. We re-examined one of the oldest coleoids, Gordoniconus beargulchensis from the Early Carboniferous of the Bear Gulch Fossil-Lagerstätte (Montana) by synchrotron, various lights and Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI). This revealed previously unappreciated anatomical details, on which we base evolutionary scenarios of how the internalization and other evolutionary steps in early coleoid evolution proceeded. We suggest that conch internalization happened rather suddenly including early growth stages while the ink sac evolved slightly later.

Brittle-star mass occurrence on a Late Cretaceous methane seep from South Dakota, USA.

Articulated brittle stars are rare fossils because the skeleton rapidly disintegrates after death and only fossilises intact under special conditions. Here, we describe an extraordinary mass occurrence of the ophiacanthid ophiuroid Brezinacantha tolis gen. et sp. nov., preserved as articulated skeletons from an upper Campanian (Late Cretaceous) methane seep of South Dakota. It is uniquely the first fossil case of a seep-associated ophiuroid. The articulated skeletons overlie centimeter-thick accumulations of dissociated skeletal parts, suggesting lifetime densities of approximately 1000 individuals per m2, persisting at that particular location for several generations. The ophiuroid skeletons on top of the occurrence were preserved intact most probably because of increased methane seepage, killing the individuals and inducing rapid cementation, rather than due to storm-induced burial or slumping. The mass occurrence described herein is an unambiguous case of an autochthonous, dense ophiuroid community that persisted at a particular spot for some time. Thus, it represents a true fossil equivalent of a recent ophiuroid dense bed, unlike other cases that were used in the past to substantiate the claim of a mid-Mesozoic predation-induced decline of ophiuroid dense beds.

Genomic signatures of evolution in Nautilus-An endangered living fossil.

Living fossils are survivors of previously more diverse lineages that originated millions of years ago and persisted with little morphological change. Therefore, living fossils are model organisms to study both long-term and ongoing adaptation and speciation processes. However, many aspects of living fossil evolution and their persistence in the modern world remain unclear. Here, we investigate three major aspects of the evolutionary history of living fossils: cryptic speciation, population genetics and effective population sizes, using members of the genera Nautilus and Allonautilus as classic examples of true living fossils. For this, we analysed genomewide ddRAD-Seq data for all six currently recognized nautiloid species throughout their distribution range. Our analyses identified three major allopatric Nautilus clades: a South Pacific clade, subdivided into three subclades with no signs of admixture between them; a Coral Sea clade, consisting of two genetically distinct populations with significant admixture; and a widespread Indo-Pacific clade, devoid of significant genetic substructure. Within these major clades, we detected five Nautilus groups, which likely correspond to five distinct species. With the exception of Nautilus macromphalus, all previously described species are at odds with genomewide data, testifying to the prevalence of cryptic species among living fossils. Detailed FST analyses further revealed significant genome-wide and locus-specific signatures of selection between species and differentiated populations, which is demonstrated here for the first time in a living fossil. Finally, approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) simulations suggest large effective population sizes, which may explain the low levels of population differentiation commonly observed in living fossils.

Ammonite habitat revealed via isotopic composition and comparisons with co-occurring benthic and planktonic organisms.

Ammonites are among the best-known fossils of the Phanerozoic, yet their habitat is poorly understood. Three common ammonite families (Baculitidae, Scaphitidae, and Sphenodiscidae) co-occur with well-preserved planktonic and benthic organisms at the type locality of the upper Maastrichtian Owl Creek Formation, offering an excellent opportunity to constrain their depth habitats through isotopic comparisons among taxa. Based on sedimentary evidence and the micro- and macrofauna at this site, we infer that the 9-m-thick sequence was deposited at a paleodepth of 70-150 m. Taxa present throughout the sequence include a diverse assemblage of ammonites, bivalves, and gastropods, abundant benthic foraminifera, and rare planktonic foraminifera. No stratigraphic trends are observed in the isotopic data of any taxon, and thus all of the data from each taxon are considered as replicates. Oxygen isotope-based temperature estimates from the baculites and scaphites overlap with those of the benthos and are distinct from those of the plankton. In contrast, sphenodiscid temperature estimates span a range that includes estimates of the planktonic foraminifera and of the warmer half of the benthic values. These results suggest baculites and scaphites lived close to the seafloor, whereas sphenodiscids sometimes inhabited the upper water column and/or lived closer to shore. In fact, the rarity and poorer preservation of the sphenodiscids relative to the baculites and scaphites suggests that the sphenodiscid shells may have only reached the Owl Creek locality by drifting seaward after death.

Syn-vivo bioerosion of Nautilus by endo- and epilithic foraminiferans (New Caledonia and Vanuatu).

A variety of syn-vivo bioerosion traces produced by foraminiferans is recorded in shells of Nautilus sampled near New Caledonia and Vanuatu. These are two types of attachment scars of epilithic foraminiferans and two forms of previously undescribed microborings, a spiral-shaped and a dendritic one, both most likely being the work of endolithic 'naked' foraminiferans. Scanning electron microscopy of epoxy-resin casts of the latter revealed that these traces occur in clusters of up to many dozen individuals and potentially are substrate-specific. The foraminiferan traces are the sole signs of bioerosion in the studied Nautilus conchs, and neither traces of phototrophic nor other chemotrophic microendoliths were found. While the complete absence of photoautotrophic endoliths would be in good accordance with the life habit of Nautilus, which resides in aphotic deep marine environments and seeks shallower waters in the photic zone for feeding only during night-time, the absence of any microbial bioerosion may also be explained by an effective defence provided by the nautilid periostracum. Following this line of reasoning, the recorded foraminiferan bioerosion traces in turn would identify their trace makers as being specialized in their ability to penetrate the periostracum barrier and to bioerode the shell of modern Nautilus.

An unusual occurrence of Nautilus macromphalus in a cenote in the Loyalty Islands (New Caledonia).

Exploration of a landlocked cenote on Lifou (Loyalty Islands) revealed 37 shells of the cephalopod Nautilus macromphalus Sowerby, 1849, in saltwater on the cenote floor, approximately 40 m below the water surface. The occurrence of these shells is unusual because N. macromphalus is restricted to the open marine waters surrounding the island. All of the shells are mature, and nearly all of them are unbroken, with faded red-brown color stripes. We analyzed seven shells to determine their age. Radiocarbon dating yielded ages of 6380±30 to 7095±30 y BP. The 238U-series radionuclides 210Pb (half-life  = 22.3 y) and 226Ra (half-life  = 1600 y) also were measured. Two of the samples showed radioactive equilibrium between the nuclides, consistent with the old radiocarbon dates, but the other five samples showed excess 210Pb. When corrected for radioactive decay, the 226Ra activities were much greater than those found in living Nautilus. We conclude that exposure to high activities of 222Rn and 226Ra in the salty groundwater of the cenote altered the activities originally incorporated into the shells. Human placement of the shells in the cavity is rejected based on their radiocarbon age and the geometry of the cenote. The most probable explanation is that the animals entered the flooded karstic system through a connection on the seaward side at approximately 7,000 y BP, during an interval of slowly rising sea level. Unable to find an exit and/or due to anoxic bottom waters, the animals were trapped and died inside. The open connection with the sea persisted for ∼700 y, but after ∼6400 y BP, the connection was lost, probably due to a roof collapse. This is a rare example of Nautilus in a karstic coastal basin and provides a minimum age for the appearance of N. macromphalus in the Loyalty Islands.

A new approach for the determination of ammonite and nautilid habitats.

Externally shelled cephalopods were important elements in open marine habitats throughout Earth history. Paleotemperatures calculated on the basis of the oxygen isotope composition of their shells can provide insights into ancient marine systems as well as the ecology of this important group of organisms. In some sedimentary deposits, however, the aragonitic shell of the ammonite or nautilid is poorly or not preserved at all, while the calcitic structures belonging to the jaws are present. This study tests for the first time if the calcitic jaw structures in fossil cephalopods can be used as a proxy for paleotemperature. We first analyzed the calcitic structures on the jaws of Recent Nautilus and compared the calculated temperatures of precipitation with those from the aragonitic shell in the same individuals. Our results indicate that the jaws of Recent Nautilus are secreted in isotopic equilibrium, and the calculated temperatures approximately match those of the shell. We then extended our study to ammonites from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian) Pierre Shale of the U.S. Western Interior and the age-equivalent Mooreville Chalk of the Gulf Coastal Plain. In the Pierre Shale, jaws occur in situ inside the body chambers of well-preserved Baculites while in the Mooreville Chalk, the jaw elements appear as isolated occurrences in the sediment and the aragonitic shell material is not preserved. For the Pierre Shale specimens, the calculated temperatures of well-preserved jaw material match those of well-preserved shell material in the same individual. Analyses of the jaw elements in the Mooreville Chalk permit a comparison of the paleotemperatures between the two sites, and show that the Western Interior is warmer than the Gulf Coast at that time. In summary, our data indicate that the calcitic jaw elements of cephalopods can provide a reliable geochemical archive of the habitat of fossil forms.

Early evolutionary trends in ammonoid embryonic development.

During the Devonian Nekton Revolution, ammonoids show a progressive coiling of their shell just like many other pelagic mollusk groups. These now extinct, externally shelled cephalopods derived from bactritoid cephalopods with a straight shell in the Early Devonian. During the Devonian, evolutionary trends toward tighter coiling and a size reduction occurred in ammonoid embryonic shells. In at least three lineages, descendants with a closed umbilicus evolved convergently from forms with an opening in the first whorl (umbilical window). Other lineages having representatives with open umbilici became extinct around important Devonian events whereas only those with more tightly coiled embryonic shells survived. This change was accompanied by an evolutionary trend in shape of the initial chamber, but no clear trend in its size. The fact that several ammonoid lineages independently reduced and closed the umbilical window more or less synchronously indicates that common driving factors were involved. A trend in size decrease of the embryos as well as the concurrent increase in adult size in some lineages likely reflects a fundamental change in reproductive strategies toward a higher fecundity early in the evolutionary history of ammonoids. This might have played an important role in their subsequent success as well as in their demise.