The spotty nature of the terrestrial fossil record for the Mesozoic hinders a more complete under... more The spotty nature of the terrestrial fossil record for the Mesozoic hinders a more complete understanding of dinosaur diversity. For stegosaurs (Ornithischia), the plated dinosaurs, only a few and fragmentary remains are reported from the Early Cretaceous of Europe. A recent revision concluded that only a partial vertebra of the nomen dubium Craterosaurus (?Aptian, England) could be considered as stegosaurian.
Oxygen isotopes can be used to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions in which vertebrate... more Oxygen isotopes can be used to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions in which vertebrates lived, and thereby give an indication of their ecology. This has been done for faunas from the famous Late Jurassic lithographic limestones of Western Europe. Oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate from apatite were measured in aquatic or semiaquatic vertebrate remains (fish, turtles, and crocodilians) deposited in these
The Solen 98 well corresponds to the limestones of the Lower Tithonian Cazals Formation (Gigas Zo... more The Solen 98 well corresponds to the limestones of the Lower Tithonian Cazals Formation (Gigas Zone). The iterative succession of six sedimentary terms expresses a cyclic peritidal dynamic. Limited by two emersion surfaces, each sequence evolves from an upper subtidal lagoon to a tidal flat, upper intertidal or supratidal environment, and ends with open sea depositional bioclastic and oolitic shoals
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Jan 22, 2007
Oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate (δ18Op) were measured in tooth enamel from captive and w... more Oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate (δ18Op) were measured in tooth enamel from captive and wild individuals of 8 crocodilian species. A rough linear correlation is observed between the δ18Op of all the studied species and the oxygen isotope composition of ambient water (δ18Ow). Differences in mean air temperature, diet and physiology could contribute significantly to the large scatter of δ18Op values. The combination of these parameters results in a fractionation equation for which the slope (0.82) is lower than that ...
What the body temperature and thermoregulation processes of extinct vertebrates were are central ... more What the body temperature and thermoregulation processes of extinct vertebrates were are central questions for understanding their ecology and evolution. The thermophysiologic status of the great marine reptiles is still unknown, even though some studies have suggested that thermoregulation may have contributed to their exceptional evolutionary success as apex predators of Mesozoic aquatic ecosystems. We tested the thermal status of ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs by comparing the oxygen ...
This paper provides the sedimentological, palaeontological and biostratigraphical characteristics... more This paper provides the sedimentological, palaeontological and biostratigraphical characteristics of a newly discovered lignite-bearing sedimentary succession in western France. The lignitic bed, which is reminiscent of some Wealden facies in southern England, is located in Angeac in the Charentes region. The plant remains occur as three-dimensionally preserved mesofossils (cuticles, charred ferns and seeds, cones and twigs) and larger pieces of wood. The deposits contain variable amounts of such material and at one horizon in particular, an outstanding accumulation of dinosaur teeth and bones. Among the vertebrate remains are the longest sauropod femur (ca. 220 cm) yet found and bones representing an ornithomimosaur herd of at least eight individuals. The palynomorph content of the clay associated with the bones and lignitic material indicates a HauterivianeBarremian age. The abundance in the fossil assemblage of freshwater unionoid bivalves, some preserved in life position, the presence of freshwater algae, and the scarcity of brackish or marine species indicate that the depositional environment was a swamp only very occasionally connected to the sea. The forest bordering the swamp was dominated by cheirolepidiaceous trees co-occurring with a diverse assemblage of ferns.
The spotty nature of the terrestrial fossil record for the Mesozoic hinders a more complete under... more The spotty nature of the terrestrial fossil record for the Mesozoic hinders a more complete understanding of dinosaur diversity. For stegosaurs (Ornithischia), the plated dinosaurs, only a few and fragmentary remains are reported from the Early Cretaceous of Europe. A recent revision concluded that only a partial vertebra of the nomen dubium Craterosaurus (?Aptian, England) could be considered as stegosaurian.
Oxygen isotopes can be used to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions in which vertebrate... more Oxygen isotopes can be used to reconstruct the palaeoenvironmental conditions in which vertebrates lived, and thereby give an indication of their ecology. This has been done for faunas from the famous Late Jurassic lithographic limestones of Western Europe. Oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate from apatite were measured in aquatic or semiaquatic vertebrate remains (fish, turtles, and crocodilians) deposited in these
The Solen 98 well corresponds to the limestones of the Lower Tithonian Cazals Formation (Gigas Zo... more The Solen 98 well corresponds to the limestones of the Lower Tithonian Cazals Formation (Gigas Zone). The iterative succession of six sedimentary terms expresses a cyclic peritidal dynamic. Limited by two emersion surfaces, each sequence evolves from an upper subtidal lagoon to a tidal flat, upper intertidal or supratidal environment, and ends with open sea depositional bioclastic and oolitic shoals
Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, Jan 22, 2007
Oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate (δ18Op) were measured in tooth enamel from captive and w... more Oxygen isotope compositions of phosphate (δ18Op) were measured in tooth enamel from captive and wild individuals of 8 crocodilian species. A rough linear correlation is observed between the δ18Op of all the studied species and the oxygen isotope composition of ambient water (δ18Ow). Differences in mean air temperature, diet and physiology could contribute significantly to the large scatter of δ18Op values. The combination of these parameters results in a fractionation equation for which the slope (0.82) is lower than that ...
What the body temperature and thermoregulation processes of extinct vertebrates were are central ... more What the body temperature and thermoregulation processes of extinct vertebrates were are central questions for understanding their ecology and evolution. The thermophysiologic status of the great marine reptiles is still unknown, even though some studies have suggested that thermoregulation may have contributed to their exceptional evolutionary success as apex predators of Mesozoic aquatic ecosystems. We tested the thermal status of ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs by comparing the oxygen ...
This paper provides the sedimentological, palaeontological and biostratigraphical characteristics... more This paper provides the sedimentological, palaeontological and biostratigraphical characteristics of a newly discovered lignite-bearing sedimentary succession in western France. The lignitic bed, which is reminiscent of some Wealden facies in southern England, is located in Angeac in the Charentes region. The plant remains occur as three-dimensionally preserved mesofossils (cuticles, charred ferns and seeds, cones and twigs) and larger pieces of wood. The deposits contain variable amounts of such material and at one horizon in particular, an outstanding accumulation of dinosaur teeth and bones. Among the vertebrate remains are the longest sauropod femur (ca. 220 cm) yet found and bones representing an ornithomimosaur herd of at least eight individuals. The palynomorph content of the clay associated with the bones and lignitic material indicates a HauterivianeBarremian age. The abundance in the fossil assemblage of freshwater unionoid bivalves, some preserved in life position, the presence of freshwater algae, and the scarcity of brackish or marine species indicate that the depositional environment was a swamp only very occasionally connected to the sea. The forest bordering the swamp was dominated by cheirolepidiaceous trees co-occurring with a diverse assemblage of ferns.
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