mgr Weronika Łaska
Research Interests
- ichnology and neoichnology of invertebrates
- application of machine learning in Earth and Environmental Science
- biotic crises during the history of Earth
Projects
Ongoing
- PARADIVE: the integrated study of parasitism, biodiversity and environmental change (IDUB under I.3.4 Action of the Excellence Initiative – Research University Programme) – co-investigator
Completed
- DAINA 1, funding in NCN: No 2017/27/L/ST10/03370, “Ichnological and sedimentological evidence of late glacial and Holocene environmental changes in the eastern European Sand Belt”, principal investigator: Prof. Alfred Uchman – co-investigator
- „Talent Management” , Anthropocene Priority Research Ares, (IDUB under Action of the Excellence Initiative – Research University Programme), „Fossil record of roads in the inland dune deposits”, principal investigator, MSc. Krzysztof Ninard – co-investigator
Internships
- Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Geological and Geochemical Research, Research group: Geochemistry, Hungary, Budapest, 18.09–16.10.19.
- University of Granada, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Stratigraphy and Palaeontology, Research group: Paleontology, 15.01–15.10. 2017.
Publications
2024
Uchman, Alfred; Hsieh, Shannon; Ninard, Krzysztof; Łapcik, Piotr; Łaska, Weronika
Bioturbation in stabilized Quaternary inland dunes of the European Sand Belt in Poland Journal Article
In: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, vol. 640, pp. 112091, 2024, ISSN: 0031-0182.
@article{UCHMAN2024112091,
title = {Bioturbation in stabilized Quaternary inland dunes of the European Sand Belt in Poland},
author = {Alfred Uchman and Shannon Hsieh and Krzysztof Ninard and Piotr Łapcik and Weronika Łaska},
url = {https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018224000804},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112091},
issn = {0031-0182},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-04-15},
urldate = {2024-04-15},
journal = {Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology},
volume = {640},
pages = {112091},
abstract = {Late Glacial and Holocene stabilized inland dunes of the European Sand Belt in eastern and central Poland are intensively bioturbated below recent soils and buried palaeosols. In the recent subsoil, a layer of massive, totally bioturbated sand (23–97 cm thick, mean 47 cm) with usually poorly visible bioturbation structures is present. It transits into the underlying transitional layer (51–180 cm thick, mean 112 cm thick), where primary parallel lamination is cross-cut by casts of roots and associated, mostly meniscate, cylindrical burrows. Down the section, the burrows become increasingly vertically oriented, whereas their orientation is variable in the upper part. Burrows in the soil and the totally bioturbated layer are produced for feeding, sheltering, breeding, or a combination of these purposes together by various groups of organisms. The deep, mostly vertical, meniscate burrows are produced by insects for overwintering: they burrow down, feed on roots, and return (in spring) along the same path. They can cluster close to the casts of tree roots. The development of such ichnofabrics requires at least hundreds of years. In some cases, only a part of the transitional layer is preserved between laminated sands because of subsequent erosion followed by rapid deposition. Ichnofabrics document the previous presence of a well-developed soil vegetated with trees. Vertical to oblique meniscate burrows developed in the transitional layer are characteristic of a new ichnosubfacies of the Entradichnus-Octopodichnus ichnofacies, which is named the European Sand Belt ichnosubfacies. This ichnosubfacies may occur in well-aerated, and well-drained, sandy substrates in similar climatic conditions elsewhere.},
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Late Glacial and Holocene stabilized inland dunes of the European Sand Belt in eastern and central Poland are intensively bioturbated below recent soils and buried palaeosols. In the recent subsoil, a layer of massive, totally bioturbated sand (23–97 cm thick, mean 47 cm) with usually poorly visible bioturbation structures is present. It transits into the underlying transitional layer (51–180 cm thick, mean 112 cm thick), where primary parallel lamination is cross-cut by casts of roots and associated, mostly meniscate, cylindrical burrows. Down the section, the burrows become increasingly vertically oriented, whereas their orientation is variable in the upper part. Burrows in the soil and the totally bioturbated layer are produced for feeding, sheltering, breeding, or a combination of these purposes together by various groups of organisms. The deep, mostly vertical, meniscate burrows are produced by insects for overwintering: they burrow down, feed on roots, and return (in spring) along the same path. They can cluster close to the casts of tree roots. The development of such ichnofabrics requires at least hundreds of years. In some cases, only a part of the transitional layer is preserved between laminated sands because of subsequent erosion followed by rapid deposition. Ichnofabrics document the previous presence of a well-developed soil vegetated with trees. Vertical to oblique meniscate burrows developed in the transitional layer are characteristic of a new ichnosubfacies of the Entradichnus-Octopodichnus ichnofacies, which is named the European Sand Belt ichnosubfacies. This ichnosubfacies may occur in well-aerated, and well-drained, sandy substrates in similar climatic conditions elsewhere.
Łaska, Weronika; Rodríguez-Tovar, Francisco J; Uchman, Alfred
New insights into endolithic palaeocommunity development in mobile hard substrate using CT imaging of bioeroded clasts from the Pliocene (Almería, SE Spain) Journal Article
In: The Science of Nature, vol. 111, no. 1, pp. 1–25, 2024.
@article{laska2024new,
title = {New insights into endolithic palaeocommunity development in mobile hard substrate using CT imaging of bioeroded clasts from the Pliocene (Almería, SE Spain)},
author = {Weronika Łaska and Francisco J Rodríguez-Tovar and Alfred Uchman},
year = {2024},
date = {2024-02-08},
urldate = {2024-01-01},
journal = {The Science of Nature},
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2023
Hsieh, Shannon; Łaska, Weronika; Uchman, Alfred
Intermittent and temporally variable bioturbation by some terrestrial invertebrates: implications for ichnology Journal Article
In: The Science of Nature, vol. 110, no. 2, pp. 11, 2023.
@article{hsieh2023intermittent,
title = {Intermittent and temporally variable bioturbation by some terrestrial invertebrates: implications for ichnology},
author = {Shannon Hsieh and Weronika Łaska and Alfred Uchman},
doi = {10.1007/s00114-023-01833-0},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-03-07},
urldate = {2023-03-07},
journal = {The Science of Nature},
volume = {110},
number = {2},
pages = {11},
publisher = {Springer},
abstract = {Bedding planes and vertical sections of many sedimentary rock formations reveal bioturbation structures, including burrows, produced by diverse animal taxa at different rates and durations. These variables are not directly measurable in the fossil record, but neoichnological observations and experiments provide informative analogues. Comparable to marine invertebrates from many phyla, a captive beetle larva burrowing over 2 weeks showed high rates of sediment disturbance within the first 100 h but slower rates afterwards. Tunnelling by earthworms and adult dung beetles is also inconstant—displacement of lithic material alternates with organic matter displacement, often driven by food availability with more locomotion when hungry. High rates of bioturbation, as with locomotion generally, result from internal and external drives, slowing down or stopping when needs are filled. Like other processes affecting sediment deposition and erosion, rates can drastically differ based on measured timescale, with short bursts of activity followed by hiatuses, concentrated in various seasons and ontogenetic stages for particular species. Assumptions of constant velocities within movement paths, left as traces afterward, may not apply in many cases. Arguments about energetic efficiency or optimal foraging based on ichnofossils have often overlooked these and related issues. Single bioturbation rates from short-term experiments in captivity may not be comparable to rates measured at an ecosystem level over a year or generalized across multiple time scales where conditions differ even for the same species. Neoichnological work, with an understanding of lifetime variabilities in bioturbation and their drivers, helps connect ichnology with behavioural biology and movement ecology.},
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Bedding planes and vertical sections of many sedimentary rock formations reveal bioturbation structures, including burrows, produced by diverse animal taxa at different rates and durations. These variables are not directly measurable in the fossil record, but neoichnological observations and experiments provide informative analogues. Comparable to marine invertebrates from many phyla, a captive beetle larva burrowing over 2 weeks showed high rates of sediment disturbance within the first 100 h but slower rates afterwards. Tunnelling by earthworms and adult dung beetles is also inconstant—displacement of lithic material alternates with organic matter displacement, often driven by food availability with more locomotion when hungry. High rates of bioturbation, as with locomotion generally, result from internal and external drives, slowing down or stopping when needs are filled. Like other processes affecting sediment deposition and erosion, rates can drastically differ based on measured timescale, with short bursts of activity followed by hiatuses, concentrated in various seasons and ontogenetic stages for particular species. Assumptions of constant velocities within movement paths, left as traces afterward, may not apply in many cases. Arguments about energetic efficiency or optimal foraging based on ichnofossils have often overlooked these and related issues. Single bioturbation rates from short-term experiments in captivity may not be comparable to rates measured at an ecosystem level over a year or generalized across multiple time scales where conditions differ even for the same species. Neoichnological work, with an understanding of lifetime variabilities in bioturbation and their drivers, helps connect ichnology with behavioural biology and movement ecology.
Hsieh, Shannon; Łaska, Weronika; Ninard, Krzysztof; Uchman, Alfred
Holocene insect pioneer colonization of post-glacial dune sands exemplified by tiger beetle burrows Journal Article
In: The Holocene, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 101–111, 2023.
@article{hsieh2023holocene,
title = {Holocene insect pioneer colonization of post-glacial dune sands exemplified by tiger beetle burrows},
author = {Shannon Hsieh and Weronika Łaska and Krzysztof Ninard and Alfred Uchman},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
urldate = {2023-01-01},
journal = {The Holocene},
volume = {33},
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Hsieh, Shannon; Ninard, Krzysztof; Uchman, Alfred; Łaska, Weronika; Łapcik, Piotr
Mammal tracks record anthropogenic environmental influence in late-Holocene inland dunes of the European Sand Belt, Poland Journal Article
In: The Holocene, vol. 33, no. 1, pp. 61–80, 2023.
@article{hsieh2023mammal,
title = {Mammal tracks record anthropogenic environmental influence in late-Holocene inland dunes of the European Sand Belt, Poland},
author = {Shannon Hsieh and Krzysztof Ninard and Alfred Uchman and Weronika Łaska and Piotr Łapcik},
year = {2023},
date = {2023-01-01},
urldate = {2023-01-01},
journal = {The Holocene},
volume = {33},
number = {1},
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publisher = {SAGE Publications Sage UK: London, England},
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pubstate = {published},
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2022
Hsieh, Shannon; Łaska, Weronika; Uchman, Alfred; Ninard, Krzysztof
Burrows and trackways of the dermapteran insect Labidura riparia (Pallas, 1773): a contribution to the ichnology of sandy substrates Journal Article
In: Palaios, vol. 37, no. 9, pp. 525–538, 2022.
@article{hsieh2022burrows,
title = {Burrows and trackways of the dermapteran insect Labidura riparia (Pallas, 1773): a contribution to the ichnology of sandy substrates},
author = {Shannon Hsieh and Weronika Łaska and Alfred Uchman and Krzysztof Ninard},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-09-15},
urldate = {2022-01-01},
journal = {Palaios},
volume = {37},
number = {9},
pages = {525–538},
publisher = {Society for Sedimentary Geology},
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pubstate = {published},
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2021
Łaska, Weronika; Rodríguez-Tovar, Francisco J; Uchman, Alfred
Bioerosion structures from the Pliocene of the Agua Amarga Subbasin (Almería, SE Spain): Palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental implications Journal Article
In: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, vol. 562, pp. 110071, 2021, ISSN: 00310182.
@article{,
title = {Bioerosion structures from the Pliocene of the Agua Amarga Subbasin (Almería, SE Spain): Palaeoecological and palaeoenvironmental implications},
author = {Weronika Łaska and Francisco J Rodríguez-Tovar and Alfred Uchman},
doi = {10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.110071},
issn = {00310182},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
journal = {Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology},
volume = {562},
pages = {110071},
abstract = {The bioerosion trace fossils are described from the Pliocene cropping out at the Agua Amarga Subbasin (Betic Cordillera, Almería Province, SE Spain). They are associated with limestone clasts (pebbles and cobbles) and molluscs constituting a shallow marine conglomerate and an overlying composite shell bed that were deposited in a shallow marine setting. The ichnotaxa include borings produced by sponges (Entobia cateniformis, E. geometrica, E. laquea, E. form A and E. form B), bivalves (Gastrochaenolites torpedo, and G. lapidicus) and polychaete annelids (Caulostrepsis taeniola, Meandropolydora ?decipiens, M. cf. elegans, and M. cf. sulcans). Encrustations by bryozoans and tube annelids are also present. The bioerosion trace fossils assemblages from the conglomerate and the shell bed can be ascribed to the Entobia subichnofacies, which is typical of Neogene rocky-shore settings. Bioerosion analysis allows improved interpretation of palaeoenvironmental (ecological and depositional) conditions i.e. hydrodynamic energy, rate of sedimentation, and exposure time, in the Agua Amarga Subbasin during the Pliocene.},
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pubstate = {published},
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The bioerosion trace fossils are described from the Pliocene cropping out at the Agua Amarga Subbasin (Betic Cordillera, Almería Province, SE Spain). They are associated with limestone clasts (pebbles and cobbles) and molluscs constituting a shallow marine conglomerate and an overlying composite shell bed that were deposited in a shallow marine setting. The ichnotaxa include borings produced by sponges (Entobia cateniformis, E. geometrica, E. laquea, E. form A and E. form B), bivalves (Gastrochaenolites torpedo, and G. lapidicus) and polychaete annelids (Caulostrepsis taeniola, Meandropolydora ?decipiens, M. cf. elegans, and M. cf. sulcans). Encrustations by bryozoans and tube annelids are also present. The bioerosion trace fossils assemblages from the conglomerate and the shell bed can be ascribed to the Entobia subichnofacies, which is typical of Neogene rocky-shore settings. Bioerosion analysis allows improved interpretation of palaeoenvironmental (ecological and depositional) conditions i.e. hydrodynamic energy, rate of sedimentation, and exposure time, in the Agua Amarga Subbasin during the Pliocene.
Pérez-Asensio, José N; Rodríguez-Tovar, Francisco J; Łaska, Weronika; Uchman, Alfred
In: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, vol. 577, pp. 110536, 2021, ISSN: 00310182.
@article{,
title = {Palaeoenvironmental changes after the Messinian Salinity Crisis in the Mediterranean Almería-Níjar Basin (SE Spain) recorded by benthic foraminifera},
author = {José N Pérez-Asensio and Francisco J Rodríguez-Tovar and Weronika Łaska and Alfred Uchman},
doi = {10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110536},
issn = {00310182},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-01-01},
journal = {Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology},
volume = {577},
pages = {110536},
abstract = {In this study, the early Pliocene palaeoenvironmental context of the Mediterranean Almería-Níjar Basin (SE Spain) is analysed using benthic foraminifera, with special focus on environmental conditions after the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). A deep upper-slope setting (274 m water depth), with high oxygen levels and low organic matter fluxes, is inferred for the earliest Pliocene sediments over the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. In this setting, the westernmost and earliest recolonization of the species Siphonina reticulata across the Mediterranean is reported. This finding, along with the presence of intensively bioturbated sediments and highly diverse benthic foraminiferal assemblages at —or just above— the Miocene-Pliocene boundary might indicate the earliest establishment of well-ventilated fully marine conditions in the Mediterranean after the MSC. Subsequent shallowing from 274 to 220 m water depth during the earliest Pliocene is likely related to a global sea-level drop. Palaeobathymetry remains stable around 220–230 m water depth after this sea-level fall. However, three successive palaeoenvironmental subintervals could be defined within this upper slope setting. Increasing continental organic matter and sediment inputs indicate higher fluvial discharge during the first subinterval. The second subinterval records a decrease in both terrestrial organic matter and sediment supply due to lower riverine discharge. Finally, reduced input of continental organic matter suggests low river runoff during the third subinterval, in which a slight increase in transported shelf foraminiferal taxa may be related to vertical tectonic movements of the basin margins.},
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pubstate = {published},
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In this study, the early Pliocene palaeoenvironmental context of the Mediterranean Almería-Níjar Basin (SE Spain) is analysed using benthic foraminifera, with special focus on environmental conditions after the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC). A deep upper-slope setting (274 m water depth), with high oxygen levels and low organic matter fluxes, is inferred for the earliest Pliocene sediments over the Miocene-Pliocene boundary. In this setting, the westernmost and earliest recolonization of the species Siphonina reticulata across the Mediterranean is reported. This finding, along with the presence of intensively bioturbated sediments and highly diverse benthic foraminiferal assemblages at —or just above— the Miocene-Pliocene boundary might indicate the earliest establishment of well-ventilated fully marine conditions in the Mediterranean after the MSC. Subsequent shallowing from 274 to 220 m water depth during the earliest Pliocene is likely related to a global sea-level drop. Palaeobathymetry remains stable around 220–230 m water depth after this sea-level fall. However, three successive palaeoenvironmental subintervals could be defined within this upper slope setting. Increasing continental organic matter and sediment inputs indicate higher fluvial discharge during the first subinterval. The second subinterval records a decrease in both terrestrial organic matter and sediment supply due to lower riverine discharge. Finally, reduced input of continental organic matter suggests low river runoff during the third subinterval, in which a slight increase in transported shelf foraminiferal taxa may be related to vertical tectonic movements of the basin margins.
2019
Łaska, Weronika; Rodríguez-Tovar, Francisco J; Uchman, Alfred; Aguirre, J
Ecological snapshot of a population of Panopea within their traces (Pliocene, Agua Amarga subbasin, SE Spain) Journal Article
In: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, vol. 534, pp. 109296, 2019, ISSN: 00310182.
@article{,
title = {Ecological snapshot of a population of Panopea within their traces (Pliocene, Agua Amarga subbasin, SE Spain)},
author = {Weronika Łaska and Francisco J Rodríguez-Tovar and Alfred Uchman and J Aguirre},
doi = {10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.109296},
issn = {00310182},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
journal = {Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology},
volume = {534},
pages = {109296},
abstract = {Pliocene deposits cropping out in the Agua Amarga subbasin (Almería, SE Spain) include a composite shell bed made up of variously preserved and densely packed mollusks. The characteristics of the shell bed indicate deposition in shallow marine settings under a changeable sedimentation rate. The composite shell bed was formed through the amalgamation of several depositional events, mostly connected with storm events. During relatively slow sedimentation the bivalve Panopea colonized the substratum. The colonization took place over different stages of the shell bed formation, as reflected by differently preserved Panopea scattered throughout the shell bed. The upper part of the shell bed contains several tens of Panopea preserved within their burrows: Scalichnus cf. phiale Hanken et al., 2001. All bivalves in S. cf. phiale are articulated and preserved in life position. They are confined to a single horizon and most probably represent a single fossil population composed of adult individuals of Panopea resulting from anastrophic burial by storm deposits. As a consequence, the bivalves in their burrows succumbed at the same time; that is, the study case represents an “ecological snapshot” or ecological census.},
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pubstate = {published},
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}
Pliocene deposits cropping out in the Agua Amarga subbasin (Almería, SE Spain) include a composite shell bed made up of variously preserved and densely packed mollusks. The characteristics of the shell bed indicate deposition in shallow marine settings under a changeable sedimentation rate. The composite shell bed was formed through the amalgamation of several depositional events, mostly connected with storm events. During relatively slow sedimentation the bivalve Panopea colonized the substratum. The colonization took place over different stages of the shell bed formation, as reflected by differently preserved Panopea scattered throughout the shell bed. The upper part of the shell bed contains several tens of Panopea preserved within their burrows: Scalichnus cf. phiale Hanken et al., 2001. All bivalves in S. cf. phiale are articulated and preserved in life position. They are confined to a single horizon and most probably represent a single fossil population composed of adult individuals of Panopea resulting from anastrophic burial by storm deposits. As a consequence, the bivalves in their burrows succumbed at the same time; that is, the study case represents an “ecological snapshot” or ecological census.
2018
Stachacz, Michał; Łaska, Weronika; Uchman, Alfred
Large cruzianid trace fossils in the ordovician of the peri-Baltic area: The case of the Bukówka formation (Holy Cross Mountains, Poland) Journal Article
In: Geological Quarterly, vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 400-414, 2018, ISSN: 16417291.
@article{Stachacz2018,
title = {Large cruzianid trace fossils in the ordovician of the peri-Baltic area: The case of the Bukówka formation (Holy Cross Mountains, Poland)},
author = {Michał Stachacz and Weronika Łaska and Alfred Uchman},
doi = {10.7306/gq.1412},
issn = {16417291},
year = {2018},
date = {2018-01-01},
journal = {Geological Quarterly},
volume = {62},
number = {2},
pages = {400-414},
abstract = {The Middle Ordovician Bukówka Formation, composed of fine-grained quartz sandstones with siltstone intercalations, belongs to the Kielce Region of the Holy Cross Mountains (peri-Baltic palaeogeographic position). It contains trace fossils of low diversity and poor preservation. Particularly noteworthy are the large Cruziana and Rusophycus, that are typical of peri-Gondwanan areas. They consist of casts of bilobate furrows showing diverse preservation. Other trace fossils include mostly horizontal pascichnia, cubichnia, and fodinichnia, but also vertical domichnia. The trace fossil assemblage is typical of the archetypal Cruziana and partly of the Skolithos ichnofacies. Some beds contain abundant orthid brachiopods. The trace fossils and sedimentary structures (horizontal, low-angle and wave ripple cross-laminations, hummocky cross-stratification) suggest deposition on the middle and lower shoreface with storm influence. The poor preservation and low diversity of the trace fossils are related to the homogeneous lithology, low accumulation rate, shallow burial of organic matter and strong bioturbation. Therefore, animals burrowed strongly but mostly in shallow tiers. Thus, the preservation potential of their traces was much lower than in many peri-Gondwanan sections but still higher than in Baltica sedimentary rocks. This explains the provincial differences in ichnofauna during the Ordovician, which at least partly were influenced by the preservation potential.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The Middle Ordovician Bukówka Formation, composed of fine-grained quartz sandstones with siltstone intercalations, belongs to the Kielce Region of the Holy Cross Mountains (peri-Baltic palaeogeographic position). It contains trace fossils of low diversity and poor preservation. Particularly noteworthy are the large Cruziana and Rusophycus, that are typical of peri-Gondwanan areas. They consist of casts of bilobate furrows showing diverse preservation. Other trace fossils include mostly horizontal pascichnia, cubichnia, and fodinichnia, but also vertical domichnia. The trace fossil assemblage is typical of the archetypal Cruziana and partly of the Skolithos ichnofacies. Some beds contain abundant orthid brachiopods. The trace fossils and sedimentary structures (horizontal, low-angle and wave ripple cross-laminations, hummocky cross-stratification) suggest deposition on the middle and lower shoreface with storm influence. The poor preservation and low diversity of the trace fossils are related to the homogeneous lithology, low accumulation rate, shallow burial of organic matter and strong bioturbation. Therefore, animals burrowed strongly but mostly in shallow tiers. Thus, the preservation potential of their traces was much lower than in many peri-Gondwanan sections but still higher than in Baltica sedimentary rocks. This explains the provincial differences in ichnofauna during the Ordovician, which at least partly were influenced by the preservation potential.
2017
Uchman, A.; Gaździcki, A.; Rychliński, T.; Łaska, W.
Jurassic of the Upper Subtatric (Choč) Nappe in the Dolina Kościeliska valley region Conference
Polish Geological Insitute – National Research Institute, 2017.
@conference{las_jura,
title = {Jurassic of the Upper Subtatric (Choč) Nappe in the Dolina Kościeliska valley region},
author = {A. Uchman and A. Gaździcki and T. Rychliński and W. Łaska},
editor = {J. Grabowski},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-06-23},
pages = {108-117},
publisher = {Polish Geological Insitute – National Research Institute},
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pubstate = {published},
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Łaska, Weronika; Rodríguez-Tovar, Francisco J; Uchman, Alfred
Evaluating macrobenthic response to the Cretaceous–Palaeogene event: A high-resolution ichnological approach at the Agost section (SE Spain) Journal Article
In: Cretaceous Research, vol. 70, pp. 96–110, 2017, ISSN: 1095998X.
@article{,
title = {Evaluating macrobenthic response to the Cretaceous–Palaeogene event: A high-resolution ichnological approach at the Agost section (SE Spain)},
author = {Weronika Łaska and Francisco J Rodríguez-Tovar and Alfred Uchman},
doi = {10.1016/j.cretres.2016.10.003},
issn = {1095998X},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
journal = {Cretaceous Research},
volume = {70},
pages = {96–110},
abstract = {The Agost section (Betic Cordillera, Alicante Province, south-eastern Spain) is one of only a few places in the world where complete sedimentary successions across the Cretaceous–Palaeogene (K–Pg) boundary are available. Agost enables a high-resolution ichnological analysis illustrating the influence of environmental perturbations on burrowing organisms before, during and after the K–Pg boundary event. The uppermost Maastrichtian calcareous marlstones and marly limestones of the Raspay Formation (Plummerita hantkeninoides Biozone), beside the light-filled Maastrichtian trace fossils, contain dark-coloured early Danian trace fossils including Chondrites targionii, Chondrites ?affinis, Chondrites isp., Pilichnus isp., Planolites isp., ?Teichichnus isp., Thalassinoides isp., Trichichnus linearis, Trichichnus isp., and Zoophycos isp. The ichnotaxonomic composition of the late Maastrichtian and early Danian trace fossil association does not reveal major differences, indicating no significant influence on composition of their trace makers immediately after the K–Pg event. The main factors that most likely promoted survivorship of the trace makers were their feeding strategy (deposit feeders, microbe gardeners) and an increased delivery of organic matter to the seafloor due to the high mortality during the K–Pg boundary event. However, the differences in the size of trace fossils are noted: They are distinctly smaller in the dark boundary layer (Guembelitria cretacea Biozone) than in the underlying uppermost Maastrichtian calcareous marlstones. This is an example of the Lilliput Effect. The dwarfed ichnoassociation was produced during and shortly after sedimentation of the dark boundary layer pointing to a delayed reaction of the burrowing organisms to the K–Pg boundary event compared to other groups of organisms. The dwarfing might be caused by environmental stress resulting from lower food supply due to collapse of primary production in the later phases of the K–Pg boundary event.},
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The Agost section (Betic Cordillera, Alicante Province, south-eastern Spain) is one of only a few places in the world where complete sedimentary successions across the Cretaceous–Palaeogene (K–Pg) boundary are available. Agost enables a high-resolution ichnological analysis illustrating the influence of environmental perturbations on burrowing organisms before, during and after the K–Pg boundary event. The uppermost Maastrichtian calcareous marlstones and marly limestones of the Raspay Formation (Plummerita hantkeninoides Biozone), beside the light-filled Maastrichtian trace fossils, contain dark-coloured early Danian trace fossils including Chondrites targionii, Chondrites ?affinis, Chondrites isp., Pilichnus isp., Planolites isp., ?Teichichnus isp., Thalassinoides isp., Trichichnus linearis, Trichichnus isp., and Zoophycos isp. The ichnotaxonomic composition of the late Maastrichtian and early Danian trace fossil association does not reveal major differences, indicating no significant influence on composition of their trace makers immediately after the K–Pg event. The main factors that most likely promoted survivorship of the trace makers were their feeding strategy (deposit feeders, microbe gardeners) and an increased delivery of organic matter to the seafloor due to the high mortality during the K–Pg boundary event. However, the differences in the size of trace fossils are noted: They are distinctly smaller in the dark boundary layer (Guembelitria cretacea Biozone) than in the underlying uppermost Maastrichtian calcareous marlstones. This is an example of the Lilliput Effect. The dwarfed ichnoassociation was produced during and shortly after sedimentation of the dark boundary layer pointing to a delayed reaction of the burrowing organisms to the K–Pg boundary event compared to other groups of organisms. The dwarfing might be caused by environmental stress resulting from lower food supply due to collapse of primary production in the later phases of the K–Pg boundary event.