Emsian tabulate corals of Hamar Laghdad (Morocco): taxonomy and ecological interpretation

Król, Jan J.; Zapalski, Mikołaj K.; Berkowski, Błażej

doi:10.1127/njgpa/2018/0773

Cited by 5 publications

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“…Its taxonomic position has been discussed for a long time 32 , and it was traditionally assigned to Pyrgiidae within the subclass Tabulata 30 , but Stasińska 32 pointed out deep anatomical differences between Cladochonus and tabulates on one hand, on the other she demonstrated its resemblance to modern hydrozoans. Król 33 classified it as Incertae Sedis, while Coronado pointed microstructural features and concluded that Cladochonus is likely to be a calcifying hydrozoan 34 , a point of view we adopt here. It can be further supported by the fact that this kind of colony structure commonly occurs in various modern hydrozoans, such as representatives of Campanulariidae (e.g., Obelia ) or Tiarannidae (e.g., Stegolaria ) 35 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…This pattern commonly occurs in the material but is not consistent; it might be possible that our material represents more than one taxon. Geniculate colony morphology with distal budding and funnel-shaped calyces was described from fossil Cladochonus organisms 30 , 32 , 33 . This genus is characterized by funnel-shaped “calices”, uneven walls and lack of internal structures, such as tabulae or pores 33 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Geniculate colony morphology with distal budding and funnel-shaped calyces was described from fossil Cladochonus organisms 30 , 32 , 33 . This genus is characterized by funnel-shaped “calices”, uneven walls and lack of internal structures, such as tabulae or pores 33 . Our material shows strong resemblance to Cladochonus .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bryozoan–cnidarian mutualism triggered a new strategy for greater resource exploitation as early as the Late Silurian

Zapalski

Vinn²,

Toom³

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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Bryozoans were common benthic invertebrates in the Silurian seas. The large biodiversity among Silurian benthic organisms prompted diversified interactions, and as a result bryozoans hosted many other organisms as symbionts. Here we analyse the cystoporate bryozoan Fistulipora przhidolensis and unidentified trepostomes intergrown with auloporid tabulate corals and putative hydrozoans. The material comes from the uppermost Přídolí Series (Late Silurian) of the Sõrve Peninsula, Saaremaa, Estonia. Our analysis shows that the interaction was beneficial for both organisms—cnidarians benefited from feeding currents created by the host bryozoan, while the latter benefited from the protection from predators by cnidae, it can thus be classified as mutualism. Such associations are common in modern seas. The analysed organisms are typically encrusting when the symbiosis is absent, when intergrown they display erect, branching morphologies, raised over the substratum, thus exploiting a higher suspension-feeding tier. While similar associations were known from the Devonian, we demonstrate that this novel ecological strategy for greater resource exploitation started as early as the latest Silurian.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Bryozoan–cnidarian mutualism triggered a new strategy for greater resource exploitation as early as the Late Silurian

Zapalski

Vinn²,

Toom³

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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“…Young & Scrutton 1991; Bosellini & Stemann 1996; Sanders & Baron?Szabo 2005; Król et al . 2018b). The abundance of growth interruption surfaces, which in cross?section outline the morphology of the colony at different stages of development, facilitates this further (Miller & West 1997; Król et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heliolitid corals and their competitors: a case study from the Wellin patch reefs, Middle Devonian, Belgium

Król

Denayer

Wolniewicz

et al. 2021

LET

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Wellin patch reefs are small Upper Eifelian build?ups within the fine?grained argillaceous limestone of the Hanonet Formation. Whereas the reefs themselves are not well exposed, their fossil assemblage is accessible in the hills near the town of Wellin, approximately 40\xA0km SE of Dinant in Belgium. It is especially rich in massive stromatoporoids, heliolitids and other tabulate corals. They exhibit predominantly domical and bulbous morphologies. This paper focuses primarily on the palaeoautoecology of the heliolitid corals and their relationships with other organisms. Cases of mutual overgrowth between heliolitids, other corals and stromatoporids suggest a high degree of competition for space on the reefs, possibly related to the scarcity of hard substrates. Coral and stromatoporoid growth forms, as well as the prevalence of micritic matrix, point to a relatively low energy environment. However, abundant growth interruption surfaces, sediment intercalations and rejuvenations of corals suggest episodically increased hydrodynamic regime and sediment supply. It is inferred that the patch reefs developed in a relatively shallow environment, where the reefal assemblage was regularly affected by storms. Heliolitids exhibited high sediment tolerance and relied on passive sediment removal for survival. They also could regenerate effectively and commonly overgrew their epibionts, after the colony’s growth was hampered by the sediment. This is recorded in extremely abundant growth interruption surfaces, which allow the analysis of the impact of sediment influxes on the heliolitid corals.

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Deducing photosymbiosis in extinct heliolitid corals

Król,

Berkowski,

Denayer

et al. 2024

Coral Reefs

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The matter of photosymbiosis in Paleozoic corals remains unresolved as it is not possible to directly check for the presence of algal symbionts in fossil corals. However, present-day photosymbiotic corals are characterised by a number of features that can be evaluated in fossil corals as well, such as large, highly integrated colonies, growth banding, and platy growth forms in mesophotic conditions. The present study aims to evaluate these features in heliolitid corals. Heliolitids were relatively highly integrated, compared to other Paleozoic corals and could produce large colonies, over 1 m in diameter. In this study, heliolitid corals from different outcrops from the Silurian (~ 444 to 419 ma) of Gotland (Sweden) were analysed, and additional Devonian (~ 419 to 359 ma) specimens from Belgium, Poland and Morocco, featuring cyclic growth banding, were also included. Overall, over 60% of studied specimens from Lower Visby Formation in Ireviken and over 80% from Eke Formation in Lau Käldu are platy or tabular. Those outcrops represent environments that were mesophotic. Specimens from the shallower Upper Visby Formation in Ygne are dominated by branching forms instead. The apparent light-related skeletal plasticity, high colony integration, growth banding, and the absence of heliolitids in deep water environments implies that some of these corals were most likely photosymbiotic.

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Emsian tabulate corals of Hamar Laghdad (Morocco): taxonomy and ecological interpretation

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Bryozoan–cnidarian mutualism triggered a new strategy for greater resource exploitation as early as the Late Silurian

Bryozoan–cnidarian mutualism triggered a new strategy for greater resource exploitation as early as the Late Silurian

Heliolitid corals and their competitors: a case study from the Wellin patch reefs, Middle Devonian, Belgium

Deducing photosymbiosis in extinct heliolitid corals

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