Article Dans Une Revue (Article De Synthèse) Cretaceous Research Année : 2024

A rich coprolite assemblage from Angeac-Charente (France): a glimpse into trophic interactions within an Early Cretaceous freshwater swamp

K. Rey
Romain Vullo
D. Augier
  • Fonction : Auteur
Ninon Robin

Résumé

Coprolites (fossil droppings) are common in the Mesozoic fossil record. However, coprolite assemblages from continental settings have more rarely been quantitatively analysed than the marine ones. The excavation of the Berriasian continental Lagerstätte of Angeac-Charente (France) during the last decade has resulted in unearthing a vast number of fossils, including ca. 6000 coprolite specimens. This large collection, accompanied by spatially landmarked depositional data, offers a unique opportunity to assess the organism interactions in an Early Cretaceous freshwater swamp ecosystem. We assign the coprolites to nine morphotypes based on their morphology and contents (using tomography and thin-sections), and to four taphonomic categories. We compare the specimens to other fossil and recent droppings, including newly imaged crocodilian faeces. While the Angeac-Charente biota comprised animals of a range of different ecologies, including waters primary inhabitants (chelonians, crocodylomorphs, actinopterygians) and a variety of dinosaurs, the coprolites, together with other ichnological evidence, like bite marks, seem to largely illustrate the activity of the crocodylomorphs in this ancient swamp. The assemblage is compared to previously analysed continental Cretaceous copro-assemblages from Europe and North Africa.

Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
Rozada et al., 2024_HAL.pdf (2.3 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origine Fichiers produits par l'(les) auteur(s)
Licence

Dates et versions

insu-04616914 , version 1 (12-07-2024)

Licence

Identifiants

Citer

L. Rozada, R. Allain, M. Qvarnström, K. Rey, Romain Vullo, et al.. A rich coprolite assemblage from Angeac-Charente (France): a glimpse into trophic interactions within an Early Cretaceous freshwater swamp. Cretaceous Research, 2024, 162, pp.105939. ⟨10.1016/j.cretres.2024.105939⟩. ⟨insu-04616914⟩
307 Consultations
198 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

  • More