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The rise of the diptera‐microbial mat interactions during the Cenozoic: consequences for the sedimentary record of saline lakes
Author(s) -
Esther SanzMontero M.,
Calvo JoséPedro,
Angeles García del Cura M.,
Ornosa Concepción,
Outerelo Raimundo,
Pablo RodríguezAranda J.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
terra nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.353
H-Index - 89
eISSN - 1365-3121
pISSN - 0954-4879
DOI - 10.1111/ter.12058
Subject(s) - geology , cenozoic , trace fossil , sedimentary rock , paleontology , gypsum , sediment , shore , microbial mat , sedimentary structures , geochemistry , sedimentary depositional environment , oceanography , structural basin , cyanobacteria , bacteria
Shoreline gypsiferous sediments of an inland lake in central Spain furnishes valuable insight into reconstructions of early sedimentary changes related to shore fly–microbial mat interactions in fossil gypsum precipitating saline lake systems. The association of adult and larval forms of Ephydra (Diptera) with microbial matgrounds overlying the lake margin results in the formation of gypsiferous meniscate back‐filled burrows that provide an analogue for recurring, extensively developed trace fossils that occur in Cenozoic, but not older, lacustrine gypsum rocks. In this setting, sediment burrowing by ephydridae hinders significant preservation of microbialites. The overwhelming rise of Diptera at the onset of the Cenozoic resulted in extensive feeding and dwelling activity and contributed to reshape the saline aquatic habitat where microbial mats thrived, thus leading to the formation of specific trace fossils that are illustrative of the existence of microbes in the paleoenvironment.