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- Actinopterygii; Chondrichthyes; Edelman Fossil Park; Hornerstown Formation; K/Pg; microfossils; New Jersey; USA (1)
- Depositional environment; fossil bones; geologic age; paleoclimatic conditions (1)
- Hornerstown Formation; collagen; glauconite; molecular preservation; shallow marine; soft tissues (1)
- REE; Brachylophosaurus; molecular paleontology; geochemical taphonomy; diagenesis; bone; protein; collagen; Judith River Formation (1)
Articles 1 - 6 of 6
Full-Text Articles in Paleontology
Controls On Soft Tissue And Cellular Preservation In Late Eocene And Oligocene Vertebrate Fossils From The White River And Arikaree Groups Of Nebraska, South Dakota, And Wyoming, John E. Gallucci, Grace Woolslayer, Kelsey Barker, Brian Kibelstis, Allison R Tumarkin-Deratzian, Paul V. Ullmann, David E. Grandstaff, Dennis O. Terry
Controls On Soft Tissue And Cellular Preservation In Late Eocene And Oligocene Vertebrate Fossils From The White River And Arikaree Groups Of Nebraska, South Dakota, And Wyoming, John E. Gallucci, Grace Woolslayer, Kelsey Barker, Brian Kibelstis, Allison R Tumarkin-Deratzian, Paul V. Ullmann, David E. Grandstaff, Dennis O. Terry
School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research
Previous studies on microtaphonomy have identified multiple types of organic microstructures in fossil vertebrates from a variety of time periods and past environmental settings. This study investigates potential taphonomic, paleoenvironmental, and paleoclimatic controls on soft tissue and cellular preservation in fossil bone. To this end, fifteen vertebrate fossils were studied: eight fossils collected from the Oligocene Sharps Formation of the Arikaree Group in Badlands National Park, South Dakota, and seven fossils from formations in the underlying White River Group, including the Oligocene Brule Formation of Badlands National Park, and the Eocene Chadron Formation of Flagstaff Rim, Wyoming; Toadstool Geologic Park, …
New Vertebrate Microfossils Expand The Diversity Of The Chondrichthyan And Actinopterygian Fauna Of The Maastrichtian–Danian Hornerstown Formation In New Jersey, Zachary Boles, Paul V. Ullmann, Ian Putnam, Mariele Ford, Joseph T. Deckhut
New Vertebrate Microfossils Expand The Diversity Of The Chondrichthyan And Actinopterygian Fauna Of The Maastrichtian–Danian Hornerstown Formation In New Jersey, Zachary Boles, Paul V. Ullmann, Ian Putnam, Mariele Ford, Joseph T. Deckhut
School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research
The abundance of shark and actinopterygian fossils in the Cretaceous and Paleogene strata of the Atlantic Coastal Plain is well documented; but much remains unknown about the survivorship patterns of these major components of shallow marine faunas in the western Atlantic through the K/Pg mass extinction. To shed light on this subject, we describe an assemblage of new actinopterygian, chondrichthyan, and reptilian microfossils recently recovered from the Maastrichtian Navesink and Maastrichtian–Danian Hornerstown formations at the Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park at Rowan University in Mantua Township, New Jersey. The new microfossils clarify extinction patterns across the K/Pg, create temporal …
Taphonomic And Diagenetic Pathways To Protein Preservation, Part Ii: The Case Of Brachylophosaurus Canadensis Specimen Mor 2598, Paul Ullmann, Richard D Ash, John B Scannella
Taphonomic And Diagenetic Pathways To Protein Preservation, Part Ii: The Case Of Brachylophosaurus Canadensis Specimen Mor 2598, Paul Ullmann, Richard D Ash, John B Scannella
School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research
Recent recoveries of peptide sequences from two Cretaceous dinosaur bones require paleontologists to rethink traditional notions about how fossilization occurs. As part of this shifting paradigm, several research groups have recently begun attempting to characterize biomolecular decay and stabilization pathways in diverse paleoenvironmental and diagenetic settings. To advance these efforts, we assessed the taphonomic and geochemical history of Brachylophosaurus canadensis specimen MOR 2598, the left femur of which was previously found to retain endogenous cells, tissues, and structural proteins. Combined stratigraphic and trace element data show that after brief fluvial transport, this articulated hind limb was buried in a sandy, …
Soft Tissue And Biomolecular Preservation In Vertebrate Fossils From Glauconitic, Shallow Marine Sediments Of The Hornerstown Formation, Edelman Fossil Park, New Jersey., Kristyn K. Voegele, Zachary M Boles, Paul Ullmann, Elena R Schroeter, Wenxia Zheng, Kenneth Lacovara
Soft Tissue And Biomolecular Preservation In Vertebrate Fossils From Glauconitic, Shallow Marine Sediments Of The Hornerstown Formation, Edelman Fossil Park, New Jersey., Kristyn K. Voegele, Zachary M Boles, Paul Ullmann, Elena R Schroeter, Wenxia Zheng, Kenneth Lacovara
School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research
Endogenous biomolecules and soft tissues are known to persist in the fossil record. To date, these discoveries derive from a limited number of preservational environments, (e.g., fluvial channels and floodplains), and fossils from less common depositional environments have been largely unexplored. We conducted paleomolecular analyses of shallow marine vertebrate fossils from the Cretaceous-Paleogene Hornerstown Formation, an 80-90% glauconitic greensand from Jean and Ric Edelman Fossil Park in Mantua Township, NJ. Twelve samples were demineralized and found to yield products morphologically consistent with vertebrate osteocytes, blood vessels, and bone matrix. Specimens from these deposits that are dark in color exhibit excellent …
Taphonomic And Diagenetic Pathways To Protein Preservation, Part I: The Case Of Tyrannosaurus Rex Specimen Mor 1125, Paul Ullmann, Kyle Macauley, Richard Ash, Ben Shoup, John Scannella
Taphonomic And Diagenetic Pathways To Protein Preservation, Part I: The Case Of Tyrannosaurus Rex Specimen Mor 1125, Paul Ullmann, Kyle Macauley, Richard Ash, Ben Shoup, John Scannella
School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research
Contrary to traditional views, fossil bones have been shown to occasionally retain original cells, blood vessels, and structural tissues that are still comprised, in part, by their original proteins. To help clarify how such remarkable preservation occurs, we explored the fossilization history of a famous Tyrannosaurus rex specimen previously shown to yield original cells, vessels, and collagen protein sequences. By analyzing the trace element composition of the femur of this tyrannosaur, we show that after death its carcass decayed underwater in a brackish, oxic, estuarine channel and then became buried by sands that quickly cemented around the bones, largely protecting …
Molecular Tests Support The Viability Of Rare Earth Elements As Proxies For Fossil Biomolecule Preservation, Paul V. Ullmann, Kristyn K. Voegele, David E. Grandstaff, Richard D. Ash, Wenxia Zheng, Elena R. Schroeter, Mary H. Schweitzer, Kenneth J. Lacovara
Molecular Tests Support The Viability Of Rare Earth Elements As Proxies For Fossil Biomolecule Preservation, Paul V. Ullmann, Kristyn K. Voegele, David E. Grandstaff, Richard D. Ash, Wenxia Zheng, Elena R. Schroeter, Mary H. Schweitzer, Kenneth J. Lacovara
School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research
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 …