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Biodeterioration of Antarctic fossil penguin bones caused by lichens from the Eocene La Meseta Formation

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Abstract

A large part of the Antarctic surface is covered by lichens since they can withstand extreme environmental conditions. Lichens are primary colonizers and contribute to soil formation by deteriorating rocks through a combination of chemical and physical mechanisms. Therefore, fossil remains found exposed on the surface are usually colonized by epilithic and endolithic lichens. The objective of this work is to determine the biodeterioration generated by lichens on fossil remains and its taphonomic implications. We identified the presence of the euendolithic lichens Lecidea andersonii and Athallia holocarpa growing into fossil penguin bones from Antarctica. The bioerosive damage was evaluated using light and electron microscopic techniques. Pits corresponding to apothecium and sinuous thin fissures remodeled, or in some cases produced, by hyphae were distinguished from the cracks originating from physical weathering. The maximum depth that hyphae extend inside the bone, probably constrained by the light supply, was established to be 2.5 mm. We provided a tool for the reconstruction of the chronology of the taphonomic events, describing the type and magnitude of the damage into the bones.

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Fig. 1

(modified from Montes et al. 2013)

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Data availability

Materials reviewed in this work are housed in the collection of the División Paleontología Vertebrados (DPV) of the Museo de La Plata (MLP), La Plata (Argentina): MLP 08-XI-30-3/12A, MLP 08-XI-302-3/12B, and MLP 12-I-20-34.

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Acknowledgements

This contribution honors Vilma Rosato for helping us in our first steps through the study of endolithic lichens into paleontological contexts. We thank Marcelo Reguero for the access to the materials, and Juan José Moly for the transversal sections. C.A.H. was invited to the field by the National Antarctic Directorate and the Argentine Antarctic Institute. The Argentine Air Force provided logistical support. C.A.H. is particularly grateful to Oceanwide Expeditions, Vlissingen (NL) for financial support. We thank the reviewers Dr. Radek Mikulas and Dr. Leandro Pérez for their useful comments.

Funding

This work was partially supported by grants from ANPCyT, PICT 2017-0043 (GJM) and UNLP N955 (CAH).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Genética Ambiental, Universidad Nacional de Avellaneda, CONICET, Mario Bravo 1460, Piñeyro (1870), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Renato García

  2. División Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, CONICET, Paseo del Bosque s/nº, B1900FWA, La Plata, Argentina

    Carolina Acosta Hospitaleche

  3. Cátedra de Palinología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, CONICET, Paseo del bosque s/n, 1900, La Plata, Argentina

    Gonzalo Márquez

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  1. Renato García
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  3. Gonzalo Márquez
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Contributions

R.G., C.A.H., and G.M. conceived and designed research. R.G. prepared the samples. R.G., C.A.H., and G.M. analyzed data and interpreted the results. All authors prepared the images, wrote the manuscript, and approved the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Renato García.

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The senior curator of the División Paleontología Vertebrados (Museo de La Plata), La Plata (Argentina) allowed access to the fossil penguin bones analyzed in the present contribution, and the permission for publication of the results, all according to Argentinian laws and requirements, in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty.

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García, R., Acosta Hospitaleche, C. & Márquez, G. Biodeterioration of Antarctic fossil penguin bones caused by lichens from the Eocene La Meseta Formation. Polar Biol 44, 2243–2254 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02957-7

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