Taphonomy, new perspectives: a chapter in a book of sauropods.


Taphonomy: Overview and New Perspectives Related to the Paleobiology of Giants 


Bernardo J. González Riga, Gabriel A. Casal, Anthony R. Fiorillo, and Leonardo D. Ortiz David


 Abstract Most taphonomy studies of South American sauropodomorphs have addressed extrinsic factors such as sedimentary environments, bone dispersal, and mineralogical processes that occurred during fossil diagenesis. These studies provide important data on the taphonomic modes which are associated with bone accumulations in different paleoenvironmental contexts. However, these analyses have generally not considered intrinsic factors like the shape, size, and structural integrity of the skeletal elements, variables that can produce some taphonomic bias. Sauropodomorphs include dinosaurs of highly varied sizes, ranging from small (less than 8 m long) to remarkably giant forms (around 30 m long). In the largest sauropods, such as the huge titanosaurs, very incomplete skeletons are commonly found and most notably skull and articulated pedes rarely are preserved. We focus here on some intrinsic anatomical factors as they relate to articulation in some key parts of the skeletons. Further, this study suggests that the preservation of fragile portions of sauropodomorph skeletons was possible only under specific combinations of sedimentological and biological processes. 


Keyword Taphonomy · Sauropoda · Extrinsic factors · Taphonomic modes · South America

1 Introduction 

Taphonomy is the study of all biotic and abiotic factors that influence the preservation of organismal remains after death (Behrensmeyer and Kidwell 1985; Behrensmeyer et al. 2000). Fiorillo and Eberth (2004) succinctly point out that ‘Taphonomic factors remove or modify information about living organisms and assemblages (e.g., soft tissue decomposition, bone dispersal) and therefore create a biased picture of their biology and environmental and ecological associations.’ Dinosaur taphonomy, then, is a multidisciplinary science with diverse aims and applications (Lyman 1994). In many regions of the world. taphonomy studies have had a relatively important multidisciplinary development. These studies typically include sedimentologists and paleontologists combining their expertise to understand the origin of fossil assemblages (Behrensmeyer and Kidwell 1985; Fastovsky et al. 1997; Eberth et al. 2001; Rogers et al. 2001; Fiorillo and Eberth 2004; Moore and Norman 2009; Csiki et al. 2010; Orr et al. 2016; Botfalvai et al. 2017). In South America, taphonomic studies have increased in recent years, incorporating new methods and techniques, but they fall short with respect to the growing and numerous discoveries of new species of sauropodomorphs. This is particularly unfortunate given that the last few decades have seen a tremendous growth in discoveries of new taxa of sauropods (Martínez et al. 2016; González Riga et al. 2016, 2019; Carballido et al. 2017). Further, given the enormous body size of many of these dinosaurs, in this chapter we explore how sauropods can provide unique insights into taphonomic processes that smaller-bodied vertebrates, including other dinosaurian clades, cannot offer. This is particularly evident in the examples of large, massive animals with skeletons 30 m long that cannot be covered by most fluvial sedimentary processes. This report will provide an overview that highlights the insights gained by studying such an unusual group of dinosaurs. In South America, most taphonomic studies of Triassic and Jurassic dinosaurs are focused on whole vertebrate assemblages, including some paleoecological aspects related to the increase of abundance, diversity, and body size of sauropodomorphs from the Late Triassic onwards (Martínez et al. 2011, 2013). Some taphonomic reviews focus on taphonomic modes (sensu Behrensmeyer 1988; Behrensmeyer and Hook 1992) and sedimentary environments (Colombi et al. 2012, 2017; Otero et al. 2019a). The Cretaceous fossil record from this continent includes 71 known and valid sauropod species, most of them titanosaurians. Recent studies on sauropod occurrences have included information about the preservational processes (i.e., biostratinomy, fossil diagenesis), and in some cases, the characterization of taphonomic modes, such as in the case of Mendozasaurus neguyelap (González Riga et al. 2007), Bonitasaura salgadoi (Pérez et al. 2009), Aeolosaurus colhuehuapensis (Casal et al. 2014a), and Pilmatueia faundezi (Pino et al. 2021). Additionally, important taphonomic studies of exceptionally preserved nest, eggs, and embryos have been made in Auca Mahuevo in northern Argentinean Patagonia (Chiappe et al. 1998, 2005; Salgado et al. 2005; García et al. 2010) as well as in Sanagasta in northwestern of Taphonomy: Overview and New Perspectives … 543 Argentina, shedding insights on both paleoenvironmental aspects and the gregarious behavior of sauropods (Fiorelli et al. 2012, 2013). The aim of this chapter is to bring forward primary taphonomic observations that focus specifically on South American Cretaceous sauropodomorphs, including the analysis of some intrinsic and extrinsic factors related to accumulation of large skeletal elements. Moreover, a new nomenclatural code is proposed in the analysis of taphonomic modes, to facilitate their description and understanding with respect to sauropods, and other relatively large no-avian dinosaurs. Lastly, it is important to point out that for the purposes of this study, as most of the case studies we cite are coincident with the now decades long growing appreciation of the value of taphonomic practices to an excavation, we make the assumption that all available bones were excavated, and removal of skeletal elements was not selective

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360169016_Taphonomy_Overview_and_New_Perspectives_Related_to_the_Paleobiology_of_Giants







REFERENCES

Rubilar-Rogers, D.; Vargas, A. O.; González Riga, B.; Soto-Acuña, S.; Alarcón-Muñoz, J.; Iriarte-Díaz, J.; Arévalo, C.; Gutstein, C. S. (2021). Arackar licanantay gen. et sp. nov. a new lithostrotian (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of the Atacama Region, northern Chile. Cretaceous Research. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104802. 

Arackar licanantay gen. et sp. nov. a new lithostrotian (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of the Atacama Region, northern Chile - ScienceDirect


SCIENTIFIC OUTREACH

2021. Hallan fósiles de una nueva especie de titanosaurio que vivió a fines del Cretácico en la región de Atacama - (conicet.gov.ar)

2021. DIARIO LA NACION. Presentan una nueva especie de dinosaurio chileno: el Arackar licanantay - La Nación (lanacion.cl)

2021. DIARIO CLARIN. Un argentino participó del descubrimiento de una nueva especie de dinosaurio en Chile (clarin.com)

2021. DIARIO PAGINA 12. Bernardo González Riga  | HECHO EN CASA  | Página12 (pagina12.com.ar)

2021. DIARIO LOS ANDES. Gran hallazgo: un mendocino de la UNCuyo descubrió uno de los últimos titanosaurios en Chile | Sociedad (losandes.com.ar)

2021. DIARIO MDZ. Descubren restos de un dinosaurio nunca visto y un argentino participa del estudio - MDZ Online (mdzol.com)

2021. DIARIO VIA PAIS. Histórico hallazgo: mendocino descubre un Titanosaurio en el desierto chileno de Atacama | Vía Mendoza (viapais.com.ar)


Papers' González Riga



Papers' González Riga

González Riga, B.J. 1999b. Hallazgo de vertebrados fósiles en la Formación Loncoche, Cretácico Superior de la provincia de Mendoza, Argentina. Ameghiniana 36 (4): 401-410. 
González Riga, B.J. y Casadío, S. 2000. Primer registro de Dinosauria (Ornithischia, Hadrosauridae) para la provincia de La Pampa (Argentina) y sus implicancias paleobiogeográficas. Ameghiniana 37(3): 341-351.

González Riga, B.J. 2003. A new titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza, Argentina. Amehginiana 40: 155-172.

Calvo, J.O. y González Riga, B.J. 2003. Rinconsaurus caudamirus gen. et sp. nov., a new titanosaurid (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia, Argentina. Revista Geológica de Chile 30 (2): 333-353. 

González Riga, B.J. 2005. Nuevos restos fósiles de Mendozasaurus neguyelap (Sauropoda: Titanosauridae) del Cretácico Tardío de Mendoza, Argentina. Ameghiniana 42 (3): 535-538.

Bonaparte, J.F., González Riga, B.J. y Apesteguía, S. 2006. Ligabuesaurus leanzai nov. gen. et sp., a new titanosaur from the Aptian of Patagonia, Argentina. Cretaceous Research 27 (3): 364-376.
Cerdeño, E., González Riga, B.J. y Bordonaro, O. 2006. Hallazgo de mamíferos en la Formación Mariño (Mioceno Medio) en Divisadero Largo (Mendoza, Argentina). Ameghiniana 43 (1): 2005-214.
De la Fuente, M., Calvo, J., Gonzalez Riga, B. 2007. A new Cretaceous chelid turtle from the northern Neuquén Basin, Argentina. Ameghiniana 44(2):485-492.
González Riga, B.J. y Astini, R. 2007. Fossil preservation of large titanosaur sauropods in overbank fluvial facies: a case study in the Cretaceous of Argentina. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 23: 290-303.  

 Calvo, J.O., Porfiri, J.D., González Riga, B.J. y Kellner, A.W.A. 2007. A new Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem from Gondwana with the description of a new sauropod dinosaur. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias 79: 529-541.
De La Fuente, M, Salgado, L., Albino, A., Báez, A., Bonaparte, J., Calvo, J., Chiappe, L.,  Codorniú, L., Coria, R., Gasparini, Z., González Riga, B.J., Novas, F., y Pol, D. 2007. Tetrápodos continentales del Cretácico de la Argentina: una síntesis actualizada. Asociación Paleontológica Argentina, Publicación Especial 11 (ISSN 0328-347X), Ameghiniana 50º Aniversario, pp. 137-153.

Calvo, J.O., González Riga, B.J. y Porfiri, J.A. 2007. Muyelensaurus pecheni gen. et sp. nov., a new titanosaur  sauropod from the Late Cretaceous of Neuquén, Patagonia, Argentina. Arquivos do Museu Nacional 65(4): 485-504.

Calvo, J.O., Porfiri, J.D., González Riga, B.J. y Kellner, A.W.A. 2007. Anatomy of Futalognkosaurus dukei Calvo, Porfiri, Gonzalez Riga & Kellner, 2007 (Dinosauria, Titanosauridae) from the Neuquén Group (Late Cretaceous), Patagonia, Argentina. Arquivos do Museu Nacional 65(4):511-526.

González Riga, B.J., Calvo, J.O. y Porfiri, J. 2008. An articulated titanosaur from Patagonia (Argentina): new evidences of the pedal evolution. Palaeoworld (Elsevier) 17: 33-40.
Previtera, M.E. y González Riga, B.J. 2008. Primer hallazgo de vertebrados fósiles en la Formación Loncoche (Cretácico Superior) en el área de Calmu-Co, Mendoza, Argentina. Ameghiniana 45 (2): 349-359.

González Riga, B.J. y Calvo, J. 2009 A new wide-gauge Sauropod track site from the Late Cretaceous of Mendoza, Neuquén Basin, Argentina. Palaeontology 52(3): 631-640.
González Riga, B.J., Previtera, E. y Pirrone, C. 2009. Malarguesaurus florenciae gen. et sp. nov., a new titanosauriform (Dinosaurioa, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza, Argentina. Cretaceous Research 30: 135-148.

González Riga, B.J. 2011. Speeds and stance of titanosaur sauropods: analysis of Titanopodus tracks from the Late Cretaceous of Mendoza, Argentina. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 83(1): 279-290.

Pramparo, M., Cione, A.L., y González Riga, B.J. 2014. Sharks (Neoselachii) and palynomorphs from Mendoza (Argentina): new evidences of the Atlantic marine transgression of the Late Cretaceous. Alcheringa 38(2): 177-189.

Coria, R., González Riga, B.J. y Casadio, S. 2012. Un nuevo hadrosáurido (dinosauria, Ornithopoda) de la Formación Allen, provincia de La Pampa, Argentina. Ameghiniana 49(4): 552-572.

Casal, G., Martinez, R., Iribicu, L., González Riga, B.J. y Foix, N. 2013. Tafonomía y contexto paleoambiental del dinosaurio terópodo Anikosaurus darwini, Cretácico Superior de Patagonia (Argentina): análisis sobre comportamiento gregario y tejidos blandos. Ameghiniana 50 (6): 571 – 592.

González Riga, B.J. y Ortiz David, L. 2014. A new titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous (Cerro Lisandro Formation) of Mendoza Province, Argentina. Ameghiniana 51(1): 3-25.

Casal, G. Ibiricu, L., J. Allard., Martinez, R., Luna, M., y González Riga, B.J. 2014. Tafonomía del titanosaurio Aeolosaurus colhuehuapensis, Cretácico Superior, Patagonia central, Argentina: un ejemplo de preservación en facies fluviales de desbordamiento. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geologicas 31(2): 163-173.

Pirrone, C., Batois, L., y González Riga, B.J. 2014. A new ichnospecies of Cubiculum from Upper Cretaceous dinosaur bones in western Argentina. Ichnos 21: 1-10.

Faria, C C., González Riga, B.J., Marinho, T.S., Muniz, F.P.; Luiz Gomes da Costa Pereira, P., Medeiros Simbras, F., Castanho, R.B., Candeiro, C.R., Ortiz David, L. 2015. Cretaceous sauropod diversity and taxonomic succession in South America. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 61:154-163.

González Riga, B.J., Ortiz David, L., Tomaselli, B., Candeiro, R., Coria, J.P., y Pramparo, M. 2015. Sauropod and theropod dinosaur tracks from the Upper Cretaceous of Mendoza (Argentina): Trackmakers and anatomical aspects.  Journal of South American Earth Sciences 61: 134-141.

González Riga, B.J., Lamanna, M., Ortiz David, L., Calvo, J., Coria, J. 2016. A gigantic new titanosaurian dinosaur from Argentina and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot. Scientific Reports 6: 19165.

de la Fuente, M. Maniel, I., Jannello, J.M., Sterli, J., Gonzalez Riga, B., Novas, F. 2016. A new large panchelid turtle (Pleurodira) from the Loncoche Formation (upper Campanian-lower Maastrichtian) of the Mendoza Province (Argentina): Morphological, osteohistological studies, and a preliminary phylogenetic analysis. Cretaceous Research 69 (2017) 147-168.

Agnolin, F., Gonzalez Riga, B., Aranciaga, A., Rozadilla, S., Motta, M., Chimento, N., Novas, F. 2023. A new gigant titanosaur (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of Northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. Cretaceous Research Volume 146, 105487.

 

González Riga, B.J., Ortiz David, L.D., Tomaselli, M.B., Coria, J.P. 2022.  Laboratorio y Museo de Dinosaurios de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo: fundación, historia y descubrimientos científicos. En: Gasparini, Z.; Salgado, L.; Desojo, J. (Eds.). Paleoherpetología en la Argentina: 150 años de historia. Paleontología Electrónica 22(1): 132-147.

 

Ortiz David, L, Gonzalez Riga, B. J., kellner, A. 2022. Thanatosdrakon amaru, gen. et sp. nov., a giant azhdarchid pterosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina. Cretaceous Research: 137, 105228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105228.

 

Rubilar-Rogers, D.; Vargas, A. O.; González Riga, B.; Soto-Acuña, S.; Alarcón-Muñoz, J.; Iriarte-Díaz, J.; Arévalo, C.; Gutstein, C. S. 2021. «Arackar licanantay gen. et sp. nov. a new lithostrotian (Dinosauria, Sauropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of the Atacama Region, northern Chile». Cretaceous Research: 104802. doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104802

 

Tomaselli, M.B.; Ortiz David, L.D.; González Riga, B.J. 2021a. Paleoenvironmental contexts of South American Cretaceous sauropod tracks. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 110: 103393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsames.2021.103393

 

Tomaselli, M.B.; Ortiz David, L.D.; González Riga, B.J.; Coria, J.P.; Mercado, C.R.; Guerra, M.; Sánchez Tiviroli, G. 2021b. New titanosaurian sauropod tracks with exceptionally well-preserved claw impressions from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina. Cretaceous Research 129: 104990. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104990

 


Special articles in books
González Riga, B.J. 2002. Dinosaurs and environments from the Cretaceous of the Province of Mendoza, Argentina. En: D. Trombotto y R. Villalba (editores),  IANIGLA, 30 años de investigación básica y aplicada en ciencias ambientales, ISBN: 987-43-4545-4, Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales, CONICET, 197-202 pp., Mendoza.

González Riga, B.J., Calvo, J.O., y Previtera, E. 2009. Taphonomic analyses of titanosaur sauropods from the Neuquén Basin (Argentina) and their implications in systematic studies. EN: Colectivo Arqueológico y Paleontológico de Salas, C.A.S. (eds.), IV Jornadas Internacionales sobre Paleontología de Dinosaurios y su entorno, 235-241. Burgos, España. 

González Riga, B.J. 2010. Paleobiology of South American titanosaurs. IN: J.Calvo, J.Porfiri, B. Gonzalez Riga and D. Dos Santos editors). Paleontología y dinosaurios desde America Latina, EDIUNC, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (ISCN 978-950-39-0265-3), PP. 125-141.

Calvo, O., Porfiri, J., Pol, D., González Riga, B.J., de la Fuente, M., y Rougier, G.W. 2011. Vertebrados continentales mesozoicos. EN: Relatorio de la Provincia del Neuquén. XVIII Congreso Geológico Argentino, 1: 539-556.
http://www.academia.edu/1537403/Vertebrados_continentales_mesozoicos

Editor of books

 

2011. Paleobiology of South American titanosaurs. IN: J.Calvo, J.Porfiri, B. Gonzalez Riga and D. Dos Santos (editors). Paleontología y dinosaurios desde América Latina, EDIUNC, Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (ISCN 978-950-39-0265-3), PP. 260.

 

2016-actualidad. Es Editor Asociado de la Revista Anais Da Academia brasileira de Ciencias, Brasil.

 

2021. Editor Responsable del libro Los Vertebrados Fósiles, publicado por la Fundación Félix de Azara, Buenos Aires. Comprende 45 capitulos distribuidos en 3 volumenes, a cargo de 62 autores convocados por el Dr. Gonzalez Riga. (obra en desarrollo).

 

Chapters of books 

González Riga, B.J., Casal, G., Fiorillo, A., Ortiz David, L.D., 2022. Taphonomy: overview and new perspectives related to the paleobiology of giants (Chapter 15). In: South American Sauropodomorph dinosaurs: record, diversity and evolution. Otero, A., Carballido, J.L., Pol, D. (Eds.). Springer Earth System Sciences, pp. 299-391.

 

Gallina, P.A., González Riga, B.J., Ortiz David, L.D., 2022. A second time for giants: titanosaurs from the Aptian-Santonian age (Chapter 9). In: South American Sauropodomorph dinosaurs: record, diversity and evolution. Otero, A., Carballido, J.L., Pol, D. (Eds.). Springer Earth System Sciences, pp. 299-391.

 

Calvo, J.O.; González Riga, B.J.; Apesteguía, S.; Tomaselli, M.B. 2022. Sauropod Ichnology: Overview and new research lines from a South American perspective (Chapter 14). In: Otero, A.; Carballido, J.L.; Pol, D. (Eds.). South American Sauropodomorph dinosaurs: record, diversity and evolution. Springer Earth System Sciences, pp. 503–540.

 

González Riga, B. J. 2020. Enseñar ciencia haciendo ciencia. En R. Piezzi y M. Tovar (Compiladores), Historia de un proyecto transgerenacional: las ciencias básicas en la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Editorial de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, pp. 81–93.

 

Calvo, O., Porfiri, J., Pol, D., González Riga, B.J., de la Fuente, M., Rougier, G.W. 2011. Vertebrados continentales mesozoicos. IN: Relatorio de la Provincia del Neuquén. XVIII Congreso Geológico Argentino: 539-556.

 

González Riga, B.J. 2010. Paleobiology of South American titanosaurs. IN: J. Calvo, J.Porfiri, B. Gonzalez Riga and D. Dos Santos (eds), Paleontología y dinosaurios desde America Latina, Editorial de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (ISCN 978-950-39-0265-3), pp. 125-141.

 

González Riga, B.J., Calvo, J.O., Previtera, E. 2009. E. Taphonomic analyses of titanosaur sauropods from the Neuquén Basin (Argentina) and their implications in systematic studies. IN: Colectivo Arqueológico y Paleontológico de Salas, C.A.S. (eds.), IV Jornadas Internacionales sobre Paleontología de Dinosaurios y su entorno: 235-241.

 

González Riga, B.J. 2002. Dinosaurs and environments from the Cretaceous of the Province of Mendoza, Argentina. IN: D. Trombotto y R. Villalba (editors),  IANIGLA, 30 años de investigación básica y aplicada en ciencias ambientales, ISBN: 987-43-4545-4, Instituto Argentino de Nivología, Glaciología y Ciencias Ambientales, CONICET, pp. 197-202.