Dinosaur bonebed amber from an original swamp forest soil
- Author(s)
- Sergio Álvarez-Parra, Ricardo Pérez-de la Fuente, Enrique Peñalver, Eduardo Barrón, Luis Alcalá, Jordi Pérez-Cano, Carles Martín-Closas, Khaled Trabelsi, Nieves Meléndez, Rafael López Del Valle, Rafael P Lozano, David Peris, Ana Rodrigo, Víctor Sarto i Monteys, Carlos A Bueno-Cebollada, César Menor-Salván, Marc Philippe, Alba Sánchez-García, Constanza Peña-Kairath, Antonio Arillo, Eduardo Espílez, Luis Mampel, Xavier Delclòs
- Abstract
Dinosaur bonebeds with amber content, yet scarce, offer a superior wealth and quality
of data on ancient terrestrial ecosystems. However, the preserved palaeodiversity and/or taphonomic characteristics of these exceptional localities had hitherto limited their palaeobiological
potential. Here, we describe the amber from the Lower Cretaceous dinosaur bonebed of Ariño
(Teruel, Spain) using a multidisciplinary approach. Amber is found in both a root layer with amber
strictly in situ and a litter layer mainly composed of aerial pieces unusually rich in bioinclusions,
encompassing 11 insect orders, arachnids, and a few plant and vertebrate remains, including a
feather. Additional palaeontological data—charophytes, palynomorphs, ostracods— are provided.
Ariño arguably represents the most prolific and palaeobiologically diverse locality in which fossiliferous amber and a dinosaur bonebed have been found in association, and the only one knownwhere the vast majority of the palaeontological assemblage suffered no or low-grade pre-burial
transport. This has unlocked unprecedentedly complete and reliable palaeoecological data out of
two complementary windows of preservation—the bonebed and the amber—from the same site.- Organisation(s)
- Department of Geology
- External organisation(s)
- University of Barcelona, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Université de Sfax, Université de Tunis - El Manar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Alava, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona , Georgia Institute of Technology, Universidad de Alcalá, Université Claude-Bernard-Lyon-I, Universitat de València, American Museum of Natural History
- Journal
- eLife
- Volume
- 10
- No. of pages
- 26
- ISSN
- 2050-084X
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.72477
- Publication date
- 11-2021
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 105117 Palaeobotany
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Earth and Planetary Sciences
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 15 - Life on Land
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/cc7015e3-8318-4b5c-abfa-255a892d9af0