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2016 in paleontology

Overview of the events of 2016 in paleontology From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils.[1] This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 2016.

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Flora

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Plants

Fungi

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Cnidarians

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New taxa

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Arthropods

Bryozoans

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Brachiopods

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Molluscs

Echinoderms

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Conodonts

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Fishes

Amphibians

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Temnospondyls

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Lissamphibians

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Others

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Reptiles

Synapsids

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Non-mammalian synapsids

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Mammals

Other animals

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Other organisms

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Research

  • Probable stromatolites are described from the 3,700-Myr-old rocks from the Isua supracrustal belt (Greenland) by Nutman et al. (2016);[289] however, Allwood et al. (2018) subsequently argue that these putative stromatolites as more likely to be structures of non-biological origin.[290]
  • Exceptionally large, organic, smooth-walled, coccoidal microfossils are described from the 2.52 Ga Gamohaan Formation (South Africa) by Czaja, Beukes & Osterhout (2016), who interpret them as fossils of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria similar to members of the modern genus Thiomargarita.[291]
  • Macroscopic fossils up to 30 cm long and nearly 8 cm wide are described from the 1,56-billion-year-old Gaoyuzhuang Formation (Yanshan area, North China) by Zhu et al. (2016), who interpret them as probable fossils of benthic multicellular eukaryotes of size that is unprecedentedly large for eukaryotes older than the Ediacaran Period.[292]
  • Organic-walled microfossils (at least some of which are eukaryote fossils) with holes in the walls similar to those formed by predatory protists in the walls of their prey to consume the contents inside are described from the 780–740 million-year-old Chuar Group (Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA) by Porter (2016).[293]
  • Tubular microfossils showing similarities to modern coenocytic green and yellow-green algae are described from the ~2.8 to 2.7 Ga lacustrine deposits in South Africa by Kaźmierczak et al. (2016).[294]
  • Soft-bodied discoidal specimens resembling Aspidella are described from the Ediacaran Cerro Negro Formation (Argentina) by Arrouy et al. (2016).[295]

References

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