Today’s post is in honor of Macy Conrad’s (Wooster ’18) poster at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America, which was held earlier this week. It is also to recognize again the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) genius of our friend Paul Taylor (Natural History Museum, London). The scene is the curving bryozoan ?Oncousoecia sp. encrusting the bifoliate erect bryozoan known as Onychocella aglaia (d’Orbigny, 1851). The specimen is from the Biron Formation (Upper Campanian,Upper Cretaceous), at Cailleau on the north side beneath fishing carrelets near Talmont-sur-Gironde, Charente Maritime, France. We collected from this location this past summer on our wonderful French paleontological expedition. This image comes from a fantastic library of Type Campanian encrusting bryozoan SEM photographs Paul gave us for our identifications in the Wooster lab. I especially like encrusters on encrusters.
This encrusting ?Oncousoecia is, as you can tell from the question mark, not placed for certain in this cyclostome genus, but it is similar to other known examples. This is a closer view of its ancestrula, the first zooid. You can also see pseudopores in the skeleton. The underlying Onychocella aglaia (d’Orbigny, 1851) is a cheilostome bryozoan. This is another reason I find this view interesting: Our larger project examines the dynamics of cyclostome and cheilostome distribution in the Campanian.
This image of Macy’s GSA poster is only symbolic because it is way too small to read. It at least conveys Macy’s neat organization and colorful images. You can read her published abstract on the GSA site. Nice work, Macy, and a major milestone on your way to completing your Independent Study thesis.
References:
Agostini, V., Ritter, M., Macedo, A., Muxagata, E., and Erthal, F., 2017, What determines sclerobiont colonization on marine mollusk shells? PLOS ONE, v. 12, doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0184745.
Neumann, M., Platel, J.-P., Andreiff, P., Bellier, J.-P., Damotte, R., Lambert, B., Masure, E., and Monciardini, C., 1983, Le Campanien stratotypique: étude lithologique et micropaléontologique: Géologie Méditerranéenne, v. 10, p. 41-57.
Platel, J.-P., Célerier, G., Duchadeau-Kervazo, C., Chevillot, C., and Charnet, F., 1999, Notice explicative, Carte géologie France (1/50 000), feuille Ribérac, Orléans, BRGM, 103 p.
Taylor, P.D. and Wilson, M.A. 2003, Palaeoecology and evolution of marine hard substrate communities: Earth-Science Reviews, v. 62, p. 1-103.
Taylor, P.D. and Zatoń, M. 2008. Taxonomy of the bryozoan genera Oncousoecia, Microeciella and Eurystrotos (Cyclostomata: Oncousoeciidae). Journal of Natural History, v. 42, p. 2557-2574.
