Patterns of soft tissue and cellular preservation in relation to fossil bone tissue structure and overburden depth at the Standing Rock Hadrosaur Site, Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation, South Dakota, USA

Ullmann, Paul V.; Pandya, Suraj H.; Nellermoe, Ron

doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2019.02.012

Cited by 25 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…As previously shown (Cadena, 2016;Schweitzer et al, 2014;Surmik et al, 2019;Ullmann, Pandya & Nellermoe, 2019), the in situ analyses presented here, concur with that iron is a very common constituent of fossil osteocytes-like, such as those found in the Late Cretaceous Mongolemys elegans and the Miocene podocnemidid indet. bone samples studied herein (Figs.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…Compositionally, the osteocytes-and blood vessels-like from different clades of fossil vertebrates have been shown to commonly be enriched in iron (Cadena, 2016;Schweitzer et al, 2014;Surmik et al, 2019;Ullmann, Pandya & Nellermoe, 2019), an element that has been suggested to play a key role in preserving and even masking identification of proteins in fossil tissues via Fenton reactions (Schweitzer et al, 2014). Other elements typically found in these fossil bone microstructures are carbon, calcium, and silicon (Cadena, 2016;Ullmann, Pandya & Nellermoe, 2019). At present, all these studies of elemental characterization have been conducted using SEM/EDS on isolated (post-demineralization) osteocytes-and blood vessels-like, or from polished ground sections, which implies some degree of manipulation or contact with reagents or preparation tools, potentially raising skepticism on the elemental results.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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In situ SEM/EDS compositional characterization of osteocytes and blood vessels in fossil and extant turtles on untreated bone surfaces; different preservational pathways microns away

Cadena

2020

PeerJ

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Osteocytes and blood vessels are the main cellular and tissue components of the bone tissue of vertebrates. Evidence of these soft-tissue microstructures has been widely documented in the fossil record of Mesozoic and Cenozoic turtles. However, all these studies have characterized morphologically and elementally these microstructures via isolation from the fossilized bone matrix where they were preserved or in ground sections, which could raise skepticism about the results due to potential cross-contamination or reagents effects. Fossil turtle bones from three different localities with distinct preservation environments and geological settings, including Mongolemys elegans from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia, Allaeochelys crassesculpta from the Eocene of Germany, and a podocnemidid indet. from the Miocene of Colombia are studied here. Bone from two extant turtle species, Lepidochelys olivacea, and Podocnemis lewyana, as well as a commercial chicken Gallus gallus were used for comparisons. Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy analyses performed directly on untreated fresh surfaces show that osteocytes-like in the fossil turtle bone are mostly composed of iron and manganese. In contrast, the in situ blood vessels-like of the fossil turtles, as well as those from the extant taxa are rich in elements typically organic in origin (carbon and nitrogen), which are absent to minimally present in the surrounding bone or rock matrix; this suggests a possible endogenous composition for these fossil structures. Also, the results presented here show that although originally both (osteocytes and blood vessels) are organic soft components of bone as evidenced in the extant turtles and chicken, they can experience completely different preservational pathways only microns away from each other in the same fossil bone.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In situ SEM/EDS compositional characterization of osteocytes and blood vessels in fossil and extant turtles on untreated bone surfaces; different preservational pathways microns away

Cadena

2020

PeerJ

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“…In principle, this suggests that denser, less-porous fossil bone tissue (i.e., in the middle cortex of limb bones) may generally be more resilient to alteration (cf., 6 ) and thus a more favorable target for biomolecular assays. However, we reiterate that cancellous bone tissues may also be worthy of molecular investigation as they have also occasionally yielded cells and soft tissues (e.g., 16,36 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…Our previous analyses of bones from SRHS found them to be well-preserved at the macro-scale 37 and to commonly yield osteocytes and soft tissue microstructures (vessels and fibrous/proteinaceous matrix) upon demineralization 36 . Further, our REE data (e.g., Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

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Molecular tests support the viability of rare earth elements as proxies for fossil biomolecule preservation

Ullmann

Voegele

Grandstaff

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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The rare earth element (REE) composition of a fossil bone reflects its chemical alteration during diagenesis. Consequently, fossils presenting low REE concentrations and/or REE profiles indicative of simple diffusion, signifying minimal alteration, have been proposed as ideal candidates for paleomolecular investigation. We directly tested this prediction by conducting multiple biomolecular assays on a well-preserved fibula of the dinosaur Edmontosaurus from the Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation previously found to exhibit low REE concentrations and steeply-declining REE profiles. Gel electrophoresis identified the presence of organic material in this specimen, and subsequent immunofluorescence and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays identified preservation of epitopes of the structural protein collagen I. Our results thereby support the utility of REE profiles as proxies for soft tissue and biomolecular preservation in fossil bones. Based on considerations of trace element taphonomy, we also draw predictions as to the biomolecular recovery potential of additional REE profile types exhibited by fossil bones.

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Preservation frequency of tissue-like structures in vertebrate remains from the upper Campanian of Alberta: Dinosaur Park Formation

Reest

Currie

2020

Cretaceous Research

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Patterns of soft tissue and cellular preservation in relation to fossil bone tissue structure and overburden depth at the Standing Rock Hadrosaur Site, Maastrichtian Hell Creek Formation, South Dakota, USA

Cited by 25 publications

References 60 publications

In situ SEM/EDS compositional characterization of osteocytes and blood vessels in fossil and extant turtles on untreated bone surfaces; different preservational pathways microns away

In situ SEM/EDS compositional characterization of osteocytes and blood vessels in fossil and extant turtles on untreated bone surfaces; different preservational pathways microns away

Molecular tests support the viability of rare earth elements as proxies for fossil biomolecule preservation

Preservation frequency of tissue-like structures in vertebrate remains from the upper Campanian of Alberta: Dinosaur Park Formation

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