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Temporal Patterns in the Arthropod Trace-Fossil Record

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 July 2017

Joanne Kluessendorf and
Donald G. Mikulic
Joanne Kluessendorf
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Illinois, 1301 W. Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, U.S.A.
Donald G. Mikulic
Affiliation:
Illinois State Geological Survey, 615 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign, Illinois 61820, U.S.A.
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Arthropods are currently abundant and diverse in many environments, with terrestrial insects alone accounting for at least 70% of all extant animal species (Barnes, 1980). The fossilization potential of arthropods, however, is low. With the exception of trilobites, ostracods, and decapods, most arthropod exoskeletons are weakly mineralized and contain abundant organic material. Multielement construction and ecdysis (shedding of exoskeleton during life) introduces the problem of disarticulation and transportation. Therefore, preservation of most arthropods as body fossils requires exceptional circumstances such as rapid burial or anoxic conditions.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Short Courses in Paleontology , Volume 3: Arthropod Paleobiology , 1990, pp. 66 - 98
Copyright
Copyright © 1990 Paleontological Society 

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