Reply to: The Cabrières Biota is not a Konservat-Lagerstätte

Journal Contribution ResearchOnline@JCU
Saleh, Farid;Lustri, Lorenzo;Gueriau, Pierre;Potin, Gaëtan J.M.;Pérez-Peris, Francesc;Laibl, Lukáš;Jamart, Valentin;Vite, Antoine;Antcliffe, Jonathan B.;Daley, Allison C.;Nohejlová, Martina;Dupichaud, Christophe;Schöder, Sebastian;Bérard, Emilie;Lynch, Sinéad;Drage, Harriet B.;Vaucher, Romain;Vidal, Muriel;Monceret, Eric;Monceret, Sylvie;Kundura, Jean Paul;Kundura, Marie Hélène;Gougeon, Romain;Lefebvre, Bertrand
Romain Vaucher
Abstract

[Extract] The Cabrières Biota (France) is a new diverse fossil assemblage that provides insights into Ordovician polar ecosystems1. This assemblage comprises fossils of algae, sponges, cnidarians, trilobites, non-biomineralized arthropods, molluscs, brachiopods, hyoliths, hemichordates, worms and lobopodians1, as well as trace fossils. Muir and Botting2 question whether the site is a Lagerstätte by reinterpreting sponges, algae, hemichordates, worms and cnidarians as trace fossils. Here we show that their arguments do not follow an evidence-based approach and the specifics of their trace fossil claims do not engage with the standard protocols for distinguishing between trace and body fossils. We provide comprehensive evidence that the Cabrières Biota is a diverse and exceptionally preserved fossil Lagerstätte including algae and animals, representing a high-latitude refugium during the warm Early Ordovician.

Journal

Nature Ecology and Evolution

Publication Name

Nature Ecology and Evolution

Volume

8

ISBN/ISSN

2397-334X

Edition

N/A

Issue

12

Pages Count

4

Location

N/A

Publisher

Springer Nature

Publisher Url

N/A

Publisher Location

N/A

Publish Date

N/A

Url

N/A

Date

N/A

EISSN

N/A

DOI

10.1038/s41559-024-02560-z