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The taphonomic clock in fish otoliths

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 September 2021

Konstantina Agiadi*
Affiliation:
Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria. E-mail: konstantina.agiadi@univie.ac.at, michele.azzarone2@unibo.it
Michele Azzarone
Affiliation:
Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria. E-mail: konstantina.agiadi@univie.ac.at, michele.azzarone2@unibo.it
Quan Hua
Affiliation:
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Kirrawee DC, NSW 2232, Australia. E-mail: qhx@ansto.gov.au
Darrell S. Kaufman
Affiliation:
School of Earth and Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011, U.S.A. E-mail: Darrell.Kaufman@nau.edu
Danae Thivaiou
Affiliation:
Department of Historical Geology and Paleontology, Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimioupolis 15784, Athens, Greece. E-mail: dthivaiou@geol.uoa.gr
Paolo G. Albano
Affiliation:
Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090, Vienna, Austria. E-mail: konstantina.agiadi@univie.ac.at, michele.azzarone2@unibo.it
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

Paleobiological and paleoecological interpretations rely on constraining the temporal resolution of the fossil record. The taphonomic clock, that is, a correlation between the alteration of skeletal material and its age, is an approach for quantifying time-averaging scales. We test the taphonomic clock hypothesis for marine demersal and pelagic fish otoliths from a 10–40 m depth transect on the Mediterranean siliciclastic Israeli shelf by radiocarbon dating and taphonomic scoring. Otolith ages span the last ~8000 yr, with considerable variation in median and range along the transect. Severely altered otoliths, contrary to pristine otoliths, are likely to be older than 1000 yr. For pelagic fish otoliths, at 30 m depth, taphonomic degradation correlates positively with postmortem age. In contrast, no correlation occurs for demersal fishes at 10 and 30 m depth, mostly because of the paucity of very young pristine (<150 yr) otoliths, possibly due to a drop in production over the last few centuries. Contrary to molluscan and brachiopod shells, young otoliths at these depths are little affected and do not show a broad spectrum of taphonomic damage, because those that derive from predation are excreted in calcium- and phosphate-rich feces forming an insoluble crystallic matrix that increases their preservation potential. At 40 m depth, all dated otoliths are very young but rather damaged because of locally chemically aggressive sediments, thus showing no correlation between taphonomic grade and postmortem age. Our results show that local conditions and the target species population dynamics must be considered when testing the taphonomic clock hypothesis.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Paleontological Society

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Footnotes

Present address: Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy. E-mail: pgalbano@gmail.com

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