title: Ecological succession of a Jurassic shallow-water ichthyosaur fall.
abstract: After the discovery of whale fall communities in modern oceans, it has been hypothesized that during the Mesozoic the carcasses of marine reptiles created similar habitats supporting long-lived and specialized animal communities. Here, we report a fully documented ichthyosaur fall community, from a Late Jurassic shelf setting, and reconstruct the ecological succession of its micro- and macrofauna. The early 'mobile-scavenger' and 'enrichment-opportunist' stages were not succeeded by a 'sulphophilic stage' characterized by chemosynthetic molluscs, but instead the bones were colonized by microbial mats that attracted echinoids and other mat-grazing invertebrates. Abundant cemented suspension feeders indicate a well-developed 'reef stage' with prolonged exposure and colonization of the bones prior to final burial, unlike in modern whale falls where organisms such as the ubiquitous bone-eating worm Osedax rapidly destroy the skeleton. Shallow-water ichthyosaur falls thus fulfilled similar ecological roles to shallow whale falls, and did not support specialized chemosynthetic communities.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Earth Sciences, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, PL4 8AA Plymouth, UK.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Danise
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD London, UK.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Twitchett
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Earth Sciences, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, PL4 8AA Plymouth, UK.
authors.forename: Katie
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matts
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D005580:Fossils; D008386:Marine Biology; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D011077:Polychaeta; D012104:Reptiles; D014907:Whales