Stable isotope data (δ18O, δ13C) of the ammonite genus Simbirskites — implications for habitat reconstructions of extinct cephalopods

Stevens, Kevin; Mutterlose, Jörg; Wiedenroth, Kurt

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2014.10.031

Cited by 27 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…Ammonites have been used extensively in studies of heterochrony because their shells preserve distinct ontogenetic changes that can be tracked in evolving lineages (1,2); they are valued in paleoceanographic research because, like most mollusks, they are inferred to have precipitated their aragonitic shells in isotopic equilibrium with the surrounding seawater (3,4). Thus, shell chemistry may record temperature, via oxygen isotopes (δ 18 O) (5), and water mass properties, such as strontium isotopes ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr), which are used to estimate numerical age (6).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Ammonite habitat revealed via isotopic composition and comparisons with co-occurring benthic and planktonic organisms

Sessa

Larina

Knoll

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Ammonites are among the best-known fossils of the Phanerozoic, yet their habitat is poorly understood. Three common ammonite families (Baculitidae, Scaphitidae, and Sphenodiscidae) co-occur with wellpreserved planktonic and benthic organisms at the type locality of the upper Maastrichtian Owl Creek Formation, offering an excellent opportunity to constrain their depth habitats through isotopic comparisons among taxa. Based on sedimentary evidence and the micro-and macrofauna at this site, we infer that the 9-m-thick sequence was deposited at a paleodepth of 70-150 m. Taxa present throughout the sequence include a diverse assemblage of ammonites, bivalves, and gastropods, abundant benthic foraminifera, and rare planktonic foraminifera. No stratigraphic trends are observed in the isotopic data of any taxon, and thus all of the data from each taxon are considered as replicates. Oxygen isotope-based temperature estimates from the baculites and scaphites overlap with those of the benthos and are distinct from those of the plankton. In contrast, sphenodiscid temperature estimates span a range that includes estimates of the planktonic foraminifera and of the warmer half of the benthic values. These results suggest baculites and scaphites lived close to the seafloor, whereas sphenodiscids sometimes inhabited the upper water column and/or lived closer to shore. In fact, the rarity and poorer preservation of the sphenodiscids relative to the baculites and scaphites suggests that the sphenodiscid shells may have only reached the Owl Creek locality by drifting seaward after death.A mmonites have constituted a primary data source for the fields of evolution, paleoceanography, biostratigraphy, and paleoecology for more than a century; their ubiquity, diversity, occurrence in a wide variety of marine environments, and readily preservable shell account for their utility in both paleontological and geological studies. Ammonites have been used extensively in studies of heterochrony because their shells preserve distinct ontogenetic changes that can be tracked in evolving lineages (1, 2); they are valued in paleoceanographic research because, like most mollusks, they are inferred to have precipitated their aragonitic shells in isotopic equilibrium with the surrounding seawater (3, 4). Thus, shell chemistry may record temperature, via oxygen isotopes (δ 18 O) (5), and water mass properties, such as strontium isotopes ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr), which are used to estimate numerical age (6). Ammonites are also a textbook example of an index fossil; besides being abundant and widespread, they evolved rapidly, making them the dominant Mesozoic tool for relative dating and correlation of shallow water strata. For example, the 35-My-long stratigraphic record of Upper Cretaceous deposits in the US Western Interior Seaway (WIS) has been partitioned into 66 ammonite zones (7). Finally, ammonites underwent a spectacular extinction at the close of the Mesozoic. Explanations for why the ammonites, which were flourishing immediately before the Cretaceous-P...

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confidence: 99%

Ammonite habitat revealed via isotopic composition and comparisons with co-occurring benthic and planktonic organisms

Sessa

Larina

Knoll

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…However, the use of d 13 C in ammonite shells to constrain the habitat of these organisms is complicated by the fact that ''vital'' effects may produce non-equilibrium fractionation in the shell relative to the d 13 C of the DIC reservoir (e.g., He et al 2005;Lukeneder et al 2010;Stevens et al 2015;Tobin and Ward 2015). In particular, molluscs can incorporate metabolic carbon as well as carbon derived from the DIC reservoir into their shells (Tanaka et al 1986;McConnaughey 1989;McConnaughey et al 1997;McConnaughey and Gillikin 2008).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geochemical evidence (C and Sr isotopes) for methane seeps as ammonite habitats in the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Western Interior Seaway

Cochran

Landman

Larson³

et al. 2015

Swiss J Palaeontol

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Methane seeps in the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale of the U.S. Western interior contain a rich fauna including ammonites (Baculites, Hoploscaphites, Didymoceras, Placenticeras, Solenoceras), bivalves (Lucina), gastropods, sponges, and crinoids. Occasionally, the shell material in the seeps is very well preserved, retaining the original mineralogy and microstructure. We explored two such seeps from the upper Campanian Didymoceras cheyennense and overlying Baculites compressus Zones (74.7-73.5 Ma) in southwestern South Dakota. Light values of d 13 C in the micritic limestones (-11 to -47 %) confirm the impact of anaerobic oxidation of methane on the isotopic composition of the dissolved inorganic carbon reservoir. At the seep from the D. cheyennense Zone, d 13 C values in well-preserved specimens of Hoploscaphites and Baculites are significantly lighter than those measured in specimens from approximately age-equivalent non-seep deposits. In addition, the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratio is elevated in the authigenic carbonates and ammonite shells compared with the coeval marine value. This suggests that seep fluids imprinted with a radiogenic Sr signature, perhaps derived from isotopic exchange with granitic deposits at depth associated with the Black Hills uplift, are transported through the surficial sediments into the overlying water. The persistence of these isotopic tracers of seep fluids in the ammonite shells suggests that these mobile animals were likely demersal and were living in close proximity to the seep. A more restricted data set on a single baculite and nautilid from the seep in the B. compressus Zone shows less divergence of d 13 C and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr relative to non-seep values, suggesting that fluid transport was not as strong at that seep.

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“…; Lukeneder ; Stevens et al . ). In some cases, a single whorl was sampled and changes in life habitat were drawn from isotopic variation of δ 13 C and/or δ 18 O (Lukeneder et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…; Stevens et al . ). While in other cases, longer records were completed (Lécuyer & Bucher ; Lukeneder et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Evidence for seasonal variation in δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O profiles of Baculites and implications for growth rate

Ellis

Tobin

2019

Palaeontology

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The life histories of ammonites and the life strategies they employed are difficult to assess without robust modern analogues but placing constraints on ammonite growth rates provides a fundamental first step to understanding this abundant, but poorly understood, fossil group. Here we interpret periodic variations in carbon and oxygen stable isotope profiles from Campanian and Maastrichtian ammonites (Baculites) as seasonally driven and use these records to determine their rate of shell precipitation. Several of these samples are housed in museums and were originally prepared using sealants for display and preservation but testing of these sealants indicated no alteration of the isotopic values of treated carbonate. Diagenetic alteration, as determined by shell microstructure, affected the preservation of isotopic signals, resulting in the loss of seasonal variation in less well-preserved specimens, and the d 13 C signal is more robust than d 18 O. The periodicity of isotopic profiles from Baculites shells presented here suggest that these organisms grew at rapid rates (c. 340 mm per year), which may imply an r-type life strategy in which the animals reach maturity quickly, spawn large quantities of progeny, and die at a young age. Because of the potential mobility of Baculites, reconstructing palaeoenvironmental conditions from these isotopic records is challenging and should be conducted cautiously. Unfortunately, well-preserved Baculites shells much longer than 350 mm are rarely recovered, which complicates the statistical treatment of potential periodicity in isotopic profiles.

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Stable isotope data (δ18O, δ13C) of the ammonite genus Simbirskites — implications for habitat reconstructions of extinct cephalopods

Cited by 27 publications

References 54 publications

Ammonite habitat revealed via isotopic composition and comparisons with co-occurring benthic and planktonic organisms

Ammonite habitat revealed via isotopic composition and comparisons with co-occurring benthic and planktonic organisms

Geochemical evidence (C and Sr isotopes) for methane seeps as ammonite habitats in the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Western Interior Seaway

Evidence for seasonal variation in δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O profiles of Baculites and implications for growth rate

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Stable isotope data (δ18O, δ13C) of the ammonite genus Simbirskites — implications for habitat reconstructions of extinct cephalopods

Cited by 27 publications

References 54 publications

Ammonite habitat revealed via isotopic composition and comparisons with co-occurring benthic and planktonic organisms

Ammonite habitat revealed via isotopic composition and comparisons with co-occurring benthic and planktonic organisms

Geochemical evidence (C and Sr isotopes) for methane seeps as ammonite habitats in the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Western Interior Seaway

Evidence for seasonal variation in δ13C and δ18O profiles of Baculites and implications for growth rate

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Evidence for seasonal variation in δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O profiles of Baculites and implications for growth rate