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Taphonomic bias and time-averaging in tropical molluscan death assemblages: differential shell half-lives in Great Barrier Reef sediment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2016

Matthew A. Kosnik ,
Quan Hua ,
Darrell S. Kaufman  and
Raphael A. Wüst
Matthew A. Kosnik
Affiliation:
School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia
Quan Hua
Affiliation:
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, PMB 1, Menai, New South Wales 2234, Australia. E-mail: qhx@ansto.gov.au
Darrell S. Kaufman
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona 86011-4099, E-mail: Darrell.Kaufman@nau.edu
Raphael A. Wüst
Affiliation:
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia. E-mail: Raphael.Wust@jcu.edu.au
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Abstract

Radiocarbon-calibrated amino acid racemization ages of 428 individually dated shells representing four molluscan taxa are used to quantify time-averaging and shell half-lives with increasing burial depth in the shallow-water carbonate lagoon of Rib Reef, central Great Barrier Reef, Australia. The top 20 cm of sediment contains a distinct, essentially modern assemblage. Shells recovered at depths from 25 to 125 cm are age-homogeneous and significantly older than the surface layer. Taxon age distributions within sedimentary layers indicate that the top 125 cm of lagoonal sediment is thoroughly mixed on a sub-century scale. The age distributions and shell half-lives of four taxa (Ethalia, Natica, Tellina, and Turbo) are found to be largely distinct. Shell half-lives do not coincide with any single morphological characteristic thought to infer greater durability, but they are strongly related to a combined durability score based on shell density, thickness, and shape. These results illustrate the importance of bioturbation in tropical sedimentary environments, indicate that age estimates in this depositional setting are sensitive to taxon choice, and quantify a taxon-dependent bias in shell longevity and death assemblage formation.

Type
Articles
Information
Paleobiology , Volume 35 , Issue 4 , Fall 2009 , pp. 565 - 586
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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