bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
It’s a Trust Thing: Assessing Fishermen’s Perceptions of the California North Coast Marine Protected Area Network
Authors: Richmond Laurie
Published: July 2018

The California's Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) is a recent high-profile initiative that led to the implementation of a network of 124 marine protected areas (MPAs) encompassing 16% of state waters. The effort was conducted through six different regional processes that incorporated stakeholder and scientific involvement, ending with the North Coast region. While the initiative has been described as a success in terms of implementation, there has been relatively little empirical research about social perceptions of the MPA network inorder to examine whether stakeholders view the effort as successful. Our research team conducted surveys with178 commercial and charter fishermen and held five focus groups in each of the major ports of the region inorder to assess fishermen's perceptions of the California North Coast MPA network – including perceptions ofboth the process of implementation and potential outcomes from the network. Among fishermen, satisfaction with the overall process was low; however, the level of satisfaction with the inclusion of local input and the final location of the MPAs was more evenly divided. Levels of trust in management entities, including those who implemented the MPA network, were low. Additionally, in focus group discussions, fishermen described several perceived shortcomings of the process, including an overall “top-down” approach, a failure to consider the local context, and the appearance of being dismissive of fishermen's perspectives. In terms of outcomes, fishermen overwhelmingly did not believe that the MPA network would improve ocean health or their income from fishing. Qualitatively, fishermen reported that while they were experiencing some minor adverse effects from the MPA network, overall they did not believe that socioeconomic impacts on the fishing industry from the MPA network would be substantial. Many expressed relief that the location of MPAs avoided many important fishing grounds. Trust emerged as an important variable. For example, the reported level of trust by fishermen in the entity that implemented the MPA network had a statistically significant correlation with their level of satisfaction with the overall process, including the final location of the MPA network. Findings complicate initial assessments of the MLPA implementation process as an overall success, and highlight the importance of trust to building successful and lasting marine conservation initiatives.
Using AIS data from ships for MSP
Authors: Open Communications for The Ocean OCTO
Published: July 2018

Automatic identification systems (AIS) are mandated by the International Maritime Organization to be operational on many types of ships; generally speaking, any cargo ship of 300 gross tonnes or more, and fishing vessels over 15 feet long. AIS broadcasts a ship’s identity, position, speed, and other variables as frequently as every other second, and at most every six minutes. Between VHF radio and satellite networks, ships can be monitored in real-time. Several websites offer real-time AIS data for free, making it an easy addition to a marine spatial planning process.
LOCAL COMMUNITY-BASED APPROACH FOR SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF ARTISANAL FISHERIES ON SMALL ISLANDS
Authors: Corral Serafin , Manrique David Romero
Published: July 2018

Socio-economic development of small island fishing communities is greatly dependent on local coastal and marine resources. Illegal fishing and aggressive practices in insular ecosystems lead to overexploitation and environmental deterioration. Moreover, a lack of scientific data increases uncertainty and prevents adequate monitoring of marine resources. This paper focuses on the integration of a local fishing community into decision-making processes with the aim to potentiate artisanal fishing on the Island of Tenerife (the Canary Islands). The aim is to preserve both the marine ecosystem and promote the socio-economic development of traditional Cofradías (local fisher communities).A qualitative methodological framework, based on participatory problem-solution trees and focus groups, was implemented to identify the main obstacles impeding the sustainable development of the artisanal fishing sector on the island. Collective proposals with policy implications are also discussed.The community involved identified four main issues that are causing an unsustainable island fishery: 1) Overexploitation; 2) Poor self-management of Cofradías and commercialisation problems; 3) Fisher individualism and low co-management strategies, and 4) Illegal fishing increase vs. artisanal fishing decline. Results show the required policy enhancements to tackle those issues with, for instance, the creation of marine protected areas, the promotion of a common islander vision, and an increase in participatory research projects between scientists and fishers. Participants also revealed the necessity to adapt existing regulations to local specificity to reduce the gap between policy makers and local community
How Venice and Miami are adapting to sea-level rise
Authors: Open Communications for The Ocean OCTO
Published: July 2018

The authors describe governance approaches to sea-level rise (SLR) adopted by the large, coastal cities of Venice, Italy, and Miami, Florida, USA -- offering advice on how each city could learn from the other. The authors, who work in these cities on the issue of SLR, were able to bring their own observations into this analysis alongside archival research and interviews with government officials, NGOs, and scientists.
Environmental fixes and historical trajectories of marine resource use in Southeast Asia
Authors: Fabinyi Michael
Published: July 2018

This paper emphasises the long-term historical trajectories of marine resource use in the Philippines through an examination of successive environmental fixes. Based on fieldwork from coastal Mindoro province, the paper shows how the technological intensification and geographical expansion of fisheries, the development of aquaculture and the promotion of tourism represent three forms of environmental fixes that aim to address the problems caused by marine resource declines and subsequent lack of availability of means of production. All three fixes have struggled to reduce environmental pressure or provide a long-term basis for livelihoods. The paper argues that viewing how successive types of environmental fixes unfold over long periods of time highlights how marine resource declines are part of much wider economic and historical processes, with consequent implications for livelihoods and governance.
Linking plastic ingestion research with marine wildlife conservation
Authors: Avery-Gomm Stephanie , Provencher Jennifer F , Borrelle Stephanie B.
Published: July 2018

Plastic is an increasingly pervasive marine pollutant. Concomitantly, the number of studies documenting plastic ingestion in wildlife is accelerating. Many of these studies aim to provide a baseline against which future levels of plastic ingestion can be compared, and are motivated by an underlying interest in the conservation of their study species and ecosystems. Although this research has helped to raise the profile of plastic as a pollutant of emerging concern, there is a disconnect between research examining plastic pollution and wildlife conservation. We present ideas to further discussion about how plastic ingestion research could benefit wildlife conservation by prioritising studies that elucidates the significance of plastic pollution as a population-level threat, identifies vulnerable populations, and evaluates strategies for mitigating impacts. The benefit of plastic ingestion research to marine wildlife can be improved by establishing a clearer understanding of how discoveries will be integrated into conservation and policy actions.
Marine protected areas: Just for show?
Authors: MAGRIS RAFAEL Almeida , Pressey Robert L.
Published: July 2018

Several countries, including Brazil, are making compelling case for historical progress towards achieving the targets for marine protection under the Convention on Biological Diversity. However, this can be done through the establishment of large marine protected areas (MPAs) in the open ocean, a conservation strategy that might be only tangential to the core ecological goal of MPA designation, i.e. biodiversity conservation. By using two newly-designated large MPAs in Brazil as an example, we outline three ways in which they indicate poor adherence to best practices in MPA planning: placing no-take MPAs in areas with limited potential for extractive uses, neglecting the need to account for spatial dependencies among areas to maintain populations over time, and the inadequacy of the MPAs to regulate fishing of mobile pelagic species.
The status of Indonesia’s seagrass meadows
Authors: Open Communications for The Ocean OCTO
Published: July 2018

Indonesia stores 2% of the world’s blue carbon in its seagrass meadows, which are under threat from human activities like coastal development. Without a long-term, large-scale monitoring effort, the continual decline and hopeful recovery of this vital ecosystem will be very difficult to track.
Fisheries bycatch reduction within the least-cost biodiversity mitigation hierarchy: Conservatory offsets with an application to sea turtles
Authors: Squires Dale , Restrepo Victor , Garcia Serge , Dutton Peter
Published: July 2018

This paper considers fisheries bycatch reduction within the least-cost biodiversity impact mitigation hierarchy. It introduces conservatory offsets that are implemented earlier in the biodiversity impact mitigation hierarchy than conventional compensatory offsets used as instruments of last resort. The paper illustrates implementation in an on-going sea turtle conservation programme by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation.
Lessons in fisheries politics
Authors: Kristianson Gerald
Published: July 2018

Advocates for recreational ﬁshing, public servants charged with ﬁsheries management, and scientists and other experts who provide objective advice, all need to understand the nature and dimensions of ﬁsheries politics.Accusing someone of “playing politics” usually is intended as a criticism, even an insult. But politics is the social process by which diﬀerences are expressed and resolved. If you don’t have diﬀerences, then you don’t have politics. A political situation, whether it is in a family, the workplace, government administration or a contest for public oﬃce is the process through which diﬀerences are discussed and settled.Fisheries politics takes place at many levels. It determines the resources available to manage ﬁsheries and understand their impacts. It deﬁnes the relationship between conservation and extraction. It determines the allocation of harvest between competing interests. It sets the international rules between nations for the conservation and sharing of migratory and straddling stocks.Underlying these political relationships are rules and norms of political behavior that can be learned and practised by those who wish to maximize their inﬂuence over how ﬁsheries are managed and practised.Canada’s West Coast provides a useful example of eﬀorts by the Canadian government to facilitate ﬁsheries politics by providing structures and processes within which diﬀerent interests can contribute to the politics of ﬁsheries management. A participant-observer brings his perspective as both an ardent angler and a political scientist specializing in the relationship between interest groups and government to suggest some rules for eﬀective engagement in ﬁsheries politics.
Intertidal barnacle recruitment (full paper published in 2016 in PeerJ 4: article e2623)
Authors: Scrosati Ricardo Augusto , Ellrich Julius A.
Published: July 2018

On the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast of Nova Scotia (Canada), recruitment of the barnacle Semibalanus balanoides occurs in May and June. Every year in June between 2005 and 2016, we recorded recruit density for this barnacle at the same wave-exposed rocky intertidal location on this coast. During these 12 years, mean recruit density was lowest in 2015 (198 recruits dm-2) and highest in 2007 (969 recruits dm-2). The highest recruit density observed in a single quadrat was 1,457 recruits dm-2 (in 2011) and the lowest was 34 recruits dm-2 (in 2015). Most barnacle recruits appear during May, which suggests that most pelagic larvae (which develop over 5–6 weeks before benthic settlement) are in the water column in April. An AICc-based model selection approach identified sea surface temperature (SST) in April and the abundance of phytoplankton (food for barnacle larvae, measured as chlorophyll-a concentration –Chl-a–) in April as good explanatory variables. Together, April SST and April Chl-a explained 51% of the observed interannual variation in recruit density, with an overall positive influence. April SST was positively related to March–April air temperature (AT). April Chl-a wasnegatively related to the April ratio between the number of days with onshore winds (which blow from phytoplankton-limited offshore waters) and the number of days with alongshore winds (phytoplankton is more abundant on coastal waters). Therefore, this study suggests that climatic processes affecting April SST and April Chl-a indirectly influence intertidal barnacle recruitment by influencing larval performance.
Exclusion and non-participation in Marine Spatial Planning
Authors: Flannery Wesley , Healy Noel , Luna Marcos
Published: July 2018

Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) offers the possibility of democratising management of the seas. MSP is, however, increasingly implemented as a form of post-political planning, dominated by the logic of neoliberalism, and a belief in the capacity of managerial-technological apparatuses to address complex socio-political problems, with little attention paid to issues of power and inequality. There is growing concern that MSP is not facilitating a paradigm shift towards publicly engaged marine management, and that it may simply repackage power dynamics in the rhetoric of participation to legitimise the agendas of dominant actors. This raises questions about the legitimacy and inclusivity of participatory MSP. Research on stakeholder engagement within MSP has predominately focused on assessing experiences of active MSP participants and has not evaluated the democratic or inclusive nature of these processes. Adopting the Northeast Ocean Planning initiative in the US as a case study, this paper provides the first study of exclusion and non-participation of stakeholders in an MSP process. Three major issues are found to have had an impact on exclusion and non-participation: poor communication and a perception that the process was deliberately exclusionary; issues arising from fragmented governance, territorialisation and scale; and lack of specificity regarding benefits or losses that might accrue from the process. To be effective, participatory MSP practice must: develop mechanisms that recognise the complexity of socio-spatial relationships in the marine environment; facilitate participation in meaningful spatial decision-making, rather than in post-ideological, objective-setting processes; and create space for debate about the very purpose of MSP processes.
Growth parameters and density variation of a queen conch, Strombus gigas (Neotaenioglossa: Strombidae), population from Xel-Ha park, a marine protected area
Authors: Baqueiro-Cardenas Erick R.
Published: July 2018

This contribution used mark-recapture data to estimate the von Bertalanffy equation parameters and population number variation within a non harvest population from a protected area, to clarify the biometric parameters that better suit for the whole population, or for the juvenile and adult fractions. Conchs from XelHa Park were monthly sampled from November 2001 to August 2005. Every conch found was measured and marked with a numbered tag that identified month and locality; and monthly abundance was estimated with Jolly’s method. Length, lip thickness and weight increments were used to estimate the von Bertalanffy growth equation parameters with Appeldoorn’s subroutine of FISAT program. The population numbervaried through the study, with a minimum of 49 in April 2003 and maximum of 9 848 during June 2005. Conchs make only temporary use of Xel-Ha cove. Shell length gavethe best fit for the juvenile fraction: L∞=251, K=0.3, C=0.8 Wp=0.3; and lip thickness for adults: L∞=47.78, K=0.17, C=0.1, Wp=0.86, while, the whole population was better represented by weight: L∞=3850, K=0.36, C=0.8, Wp=0.3. A maximum age of 19 years was estimated from the population. Natural mortality was 0.49/year for juveniles and 0.29/year for adults. There were two pulses of recruitment: fall-winter and summer. It is concluded that population studies from length frequency data, should be analyzed independently in two groups, shell for the juvenile fraction and lip thickness for the adult fraction, or if it is not possible to analyze the population fractions separately,weight should be used to avoid miss calculation of the age structure.
A cross-modal effect of noise: the disappearance of the alarm reaction of a freshwater fish
Authors: Crane Adam
Published: July 2018

Anthropogenic noise pollution is recognized as a major global stressor of animals. While many studies have assessed the unimodal impacts of noise pollution with a focus on intraspecific acoustic communication, little is known about noise pollution on the perception of visual and chemical information. The ‘distracted prey hypothesis’ posits that processing noise interferes with processing other information in the brain. Here, we found evidence for such a cross-modal effect of noise on the antipredator behaviour of a freshwater prey fish, the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas. In laboratory trials, exposure to noise from a motorboat caused the total absence of the classical fright reaction of minnows to conspecific alarm cues, whereas an ambient noise control had no such impact. In natural habitats, the impairment of such antipredator behaviour due to noise pollution could have major fitness consequences. We discuss how our findings translate to animal ecology and the need for future studies that target specific management decisions regarding noise pollution.
Management priorities for seawater desalination plants in a marine protected area: A multi-criteria analysis
Authors: Heck Nadine , Paytan Adina , Potts Donald , Haddad Brent , Petersen Karen Lykkebo
Published: July 2018

The development of seawater desalination plants to increase water reliability in coastal areas poses a threat to the health of near shore marine ecosystems and may aﬀect the eﬀectiveness of marine protected areas (MPAs) that have been established to meet international conservation targets. This paper applies a multi-criteria analysis approach to quantify stakeholder groups’ priorities for seawater desalination plants that have been proposed in communities adjacent to a National Marine Sanctuary. All groups placed the highest importance on minimizing environmental impacts on protected areas and endangered species that could be aﬀected by water intake and brine discharge emphasizing the need for integrated land and sea conservation. Minimizing socio-economic impacts on coastal communities was much less important. Stakeholders also weighted reducing pressure on water levels in rivers, streams, and aquifers as more important than increasing water for residential consumption, which may foster coastal growth rather than replacing water taken from other sources. The study further revealed diﬀerences in the importance of multiple management objectives among stakeholder groups, which highlights the need to elicit distinct priorities of all groups to understand concerns and potential conﬂicts of desalination with existing marine users. The analysis of consistency ratios revealed that around half of all surveyed stakeholders had high inconsistencies in their responses, which suggests either a lack of understanding of desalination, or reﬂects the complexity of establishing desalination plants in coastal areas adjacent to a marine protected area.
Reconstructing Governability: How Fisheries Are Made Governable
Authors: Song Andrew
Published: July 2018

Governability is an important concept in the political and environmental social sciences with increasing application to social-ecological systems such as fisheries. Indeed, governability analyses of fisheries and related systems such as marine protected areas have generated innovative ways to implement sustainability ideals. Yet, despite progress made, we argue that there remain limitations in current conceptions of governability that hinder further analytical development and use. By drawing on general systems theory – specifically cybernetics, control, and feedback – we interrogate the conceptual foundations that underpin two key limitations: the need to incorporate the numerous variables that comprise a complex, holistic system into a singular assessment of governability; and the a priori separation of the governor and the governed that precludes analysis of a self-governing situation. We argue that by highlighting the reciprocal nature of a governor-governed relationship and the co-produced understanding of governing capacity and objects, a relational approach to governability is possible. This offers a clearer and more pragmatic understanding of how governors and fishers can make fisheries governable.
Dynamics of Neural Recruitment Surrounding the Spontaneous Arising of Thoughts in Experienced Mindfulness Practitioners
Authors: Ellamil Melissa , Fox Kieran , Dixon Matt , Pritchard Sean , Todd Rebecca , Thompson Evan , Christoff Kalina
Published: July 2018

Thoughts arise spontaneously in our minds with remarkable frequency, but tracking the brain systems associated with the early inception of a thought has proved challenging. Here we addressed this issue by taking advantage of the heightened introspective ability of experienced mindfulness practitioners to observe the onset of their spontaneously arising thoughts.We found subtle differences in timing among the many regions typically recruited by spontaneous thought. In some of these regions, fMRI signal peaked prior to the spontaneous arising of a thought — most notably in the medial temporal lobe and inferior parietal lobule. In contrast, activation in the medial prefrontal, temporopolar, mid-insular, lateral prefrontal, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortices peaked together with or immediately following the arising of spontaneous thought. We propose that brain regions that show antecedent recruitment may be preferentially involved in the initial inception of spontaneous thoughts, while those that show later recruitment may be preferentially involved in the subsequent elaboration and metacognitive processing of spontaneous thoughts. Our findings highlight the temporal dynamics of neural recruitment surrounding the emergence of spontaneous thoughts and may help account for some of spontaneous thought's peculiar qualities, including its wild diversity of content and its links to memory and attention.
Differential changes in self-reported aspects of interoceptive awareness through 3 months of contemplative training
Authors: Bornemann Boris , Herbert Beate M. , Singer Tania
Published: July 2018

Interoceptive body awareness (IA) is crucial for psychological well-being and plays an important role in many contemplative traditions. However, until recently, standardized self-report measures of IA were scarce, not comprehensive, and the effects of interoceptive training on such measures were largely unknown. The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) questionnaire measures IA with eight different scales. In the current study, we investigated whether and how these different aspects of IA are inﬂuenced by a 3-months contemplative intervention in the context of the ReSource project, in which 148 subjects engaged in daily practices of “Body Scan” and “Breath Meditation.” We developed a German version of the MAIA and tested it in a large and diverse sample (n = 1,076). Internal consistencies were similar to the English version (0.56– 0.89), retest reliability was high (r s: 0.66–0.79), and the MAIA showed good convergent and discriminant validity. Importantly, interoceptive training improved ﬁve out of eight aspects of IA, compared to a retest control group. Participants with low IA scores at baseline showed the biggest changes. Whereas practice duration only weakly predicted individual differences in change, self-reported liking of the practices and degree of integration into daily life predicted changes on most scales. Interestingly, the magnitude of observed changes varied across scales. The strongest changes were observed for the regulatory aspects of IA, that is, how the body is used for self-regulation in daily life. No signiﬁcant changes were observed for the Noticing aspect (becoming aware of bodily changes), which is the aspect that is predominantly assessed in other IA measures. This differential pattern underscores the importance to assess IA multi-dimensionally, particularly when interested in enhancement of IA through contemplative practice or other mind–body interventions.
Neurophenomenology and Contemplative Experience
Authors: Thompson Evan
Published: July 2018

This chapter provides an overview of neurophenomenology, its importance for investigating contemplative experience, and its relevance to considerations about science and religion.
Looping Effects and the Cognitive Science of Mindfulness Meditation
Authors: Thompson Evan
Published: July 2018

Cognitive neuroscience tends to conceptualize mindfulness meditation as inner observation of a private mental realm of thoughts, feelings, and body sensations, and tries to model mindfulness as instantiated in neural networks visible through brain imaging tools such as EEG and fMRI. This approach confuses the biological conditions for mindfulness with mindfulness itself, which, as classically described, consists in the integrated exercise of a whole host of cognitive and bodily skills in situated and ethically directed action. From an enactive perspective, mindfulness depends on internalized social cognition and is a mode of skillful, embodied cognition that depends directly not only on the brain, but also on the rest of the body and the physical, social, and cultural environment.
Zeno and Nagarjuna on Motion from Mahamudra, Koan and Mathematical Physics
Authors: Paul Robert
Published: July 2018

Zeno’s Arrow and Nāgārjuna’s Fundamental Wisdom of the MiddleWay (Mūlamādhyamakakārikā, MMK) Chapter 2 (MMK/2) contain paradoxical, dialecticarguments thought to indicate that there is no valid explanation of motion, hence there is nophysical or generic motion. There are, however, diverse interpretations of the latter text, andI argue they apply to Zeno’s Arrow as well. I also find that many of the interpretations aredependent on a mathematical analysis of material motion through space and time. However,with modern philosophy and physics we find that the link from no explanation to nophenomena is invalid and that there is a valid explanation and understanding of physicalmotion. Hence, those arguments are both invalid and false, which banishes the MMK/2 andThe Arrow under this and derivative interpretations to merely the history of philosophy.However, a view that maintains their relevance is that each is used as a koan or sequence ofkoans designed to assist students in spiritual meditation practice. This view is partly justifiedby the realization that both Nāgārjuna and Zeno were likely meditation masters in addition tobeing logicians. The works are, therefore, not works that should be assessed as having validarguments and true conclusions by the standards of modern analytic philosophy—contrary tosome of the literature—but rather are therapeutic and perhaps more appropriatelyconsidered as part of an experientially focused philosophy such as existentialism,phenomenology or religion.
Précis of Waking, Dreaming, Being, and Response to Commentators
Authors: Thompson Evan
Published: July 2018

Author's précis of Waking, Dreaming, Being: Self and Consciousness in Neuroscience, Meditation, and Philosophy, including the author's response to commentators.
Theoretical Foundations to Guide Mindfulness Meditation: A Path to Wisdom
Authors: Karunamuni Nandini , Weerasekera Rasanjala
Published: July 2018

Mindfulness interventions are becoming increasingly popular across a wide variety of clinical and non-clinical settings where they are often employed to promote psychological well-being. Mindfulness in its original context presented in Buddhist practice is used to systematically understand one’s moment-to-moment experience, and to gradually develop self-knowledge and wisdom. Buddhist teachings describe wisdom as seeing things just as they are - a requisite for the complete freedom from suffering. In psychological writings, although the construct of wisdom lacks a commonly accepted definition, direct experiential self-knowledge is considered to be an essential element of wisdom. The purpose of this article is to examine the three major trainings of the Buddhist path, as well as some of the key Buddhist theoretical constructs, in order to explore their contribution to the gradual development of experiential self-knowledge and wisdom. In Buddhist traditions, mindfulness is practised in the context of a moral and philosophical system, and the mind is described as a sequence of momentary mental states, each distinct and discrete, their connections with one another being causal. We explain how a clear understanding of mindfulness within the context of this broader theoretical framework can be helpful to individuals engaging in different levels of the mindfulness meditation practice, and how this understanding can result in more sustained outcomes for mindfulness interventions. Further explorations are made into how various barriers and motivators to mindfulness meditation can be better understood by linking the theoretical aspects with current research literature on mindfulness.
Fossil tree hollows from a Late Permian forest of the Matinde Formation (Tete, Mozambique)
Authors: Araújo Ricardo , Nhamutole Nelson , Macungo Zanildo , Milisse Dino , Bamford Marion
Published: July 2018

Fossil tree hollows are seldom described in the literature and can often be elusive to the field paleobotanist. However, these structures may provide unique paleoecological, environmental, and tree life history information that are essential for a more complete understanding of ancient forests. A stump from the Wuchiapingian-Changhsingian of the Mágoè Fossil Forest in Mozambique (Tete Province) provides a rare example of fossilized tree hollows. These hollows were found near the base of the tree and are subcircular in shape, ranging between ~1.3 to 3.5 cm in diameter. Although thirty-one trees were densely sampled and inspected at the Mágoè Fossil Forest, only one (PPM2017-31) exhibited tree hollows, highlighting the scarcity of these structures in this fossil forest. In modern forests tree hollows are more likely to be found in old trees, likewise PPM2017-31 was among the largest trees found in the sample, suggesting this was an old tree. The subcircular morphology of the tree hollows indicates they resulted from fungal/bacterial activity rather than from a fire.
Depositional environment of the Lower Cretaceous (Upper Albian) Winton Formation at Isisford, Central-West Queensland, Australia, inferred from sandstone concretions
Authors: Syme Caitlin , Welsh Kevin , Roberts Eric , Salisbury Steven
Published: July 2018

Numerous vertebrate and plant fossils have been found in ex-situ sandstone concretions near Isisford in central-west Queensland since the mid-1990s. These concretions are found in the Lower Cretaceous portion (upper Albian, 100.5–102.2 Ma) of the Winton Formation. The lower most Winton Formation is thought to have formed in a fluvial channel or flood-basin setting proximal to the Eromanga Sea, but due to the scarcity of good exposures, the local depositional environment at Isisford has not been ascertained. Minimal compression of vertebrate and plant fossils, a lack of grain suturing, predominantly cement-supported fabric, and fractures running through calcite cement, as well as fossil bone and framework grains, indicates that concretions formed during early diagenesis (pre-compactional or syndepositional). Calcite stable-isotope δ18OVPDB values range from –12.25 to –4‰, indicating mixed marine and meteoric pore waters, and δ13CVPDB values range from –5.3 to 4.1‰, indicative of both sulfate reduction and methanogenesis of organic material (including decaying vertebrate soft tissues) in the burial environment. The mixed marine and freshwater signature suggests a marginal marine setting, possibly deltaic or estuarine, connected to the regressive epicontinental Eromanga Seaway at around 102–100 Ma. This is not inconsistent with the lithology from nearby cores, coupled with Isisford fossil-vertebrate ecology (personal observation). Our research demonstrates the utility of investigating ex-situ concretions to refine paleoenvironments at localities where little or no outcrop is available and traditionalfacies analysis is impractical.
A new phylogeny of Stegosauria (Dinosauria, Ornithischia)
Authors: Raven Tom , Maidment Susannah C. R.
Published: July 2018

The stegosaurs are some of the most easily recognizable dinosaurs, but are surprisingly rare as fossils. Consequently much remains unknown about their palaeobiology, and every new stegosaurian find contributes to our understanding of the evolution of the clade. Since the last attempt to examine the evolutionary relationships of Stegosauria, new specimens have come to light, including the most complete individual of Stegosaurus ever found, new taxa have been described and, perhaps most importantly, new methods for analysis of cladistic datasets have been produced. In the light of these new data and technological advances, the phylogenetic relationships of the stegosaurs and basal armoured dinosaurs are investigated. The inclusion of continuous data results in much better resolution than was previously obtained, and the resulting single most parsimonious tree supports re‐erection of the genera Miragaia and Hesperosaurus, which had previously been synonymized with Dacentrurus and Stegosaurus respectively. The recently described genus Alcovasaurus is resolved as a basal thyreophoran, but this is most likely a consequence of a very high degree of missing data and the questionable ontogenetic stage of the specimen. Examination of the effects of continuous data on the analysis suggest that while it contains a phylogenetic signal congruent with that of discrete data and provides better resolution than discrete data alone, it can affect topologies in unpredictable ways, particularly in areas of the tree where there are large amounts of missing data. The phylogeny presented here will form the basis for future work on the palaeobiology of the plated dinosaurs.
A new leptonectid ichthyosaur from the Lower Jurassic (Hettangian) of Nottinghamshire, England, UK, and the taxonomic usefulness of the ichthyosaurian coracoid
Authors: Lomax Dean
Published: July 2018

Thousands of ichthyosaurs have been discovered from the rich Lower Jurassic deposits of the UK, with the majority collected from along the Lyme Regis-Charmouth area of the Dorset coast. Here, I describe a new leptonectid ichthyosaur, Wahlisaurus massarae gen. et sp. nov., based on a partial skull and an incomplete skeleton collected from the Lower Jurassic (Hettangian) of Nottinghamshire, England. Wahlisaurus can be referred to the Leptonectidae through the possession of an extremely slender and delicate snout, and a mandible shorter than snout which produces an overbite. This referral is supported by a phylogenetic analysis. The new taxon is distinguished from other ichthyosaurs through a unique combination of characters and autapomorphies of the pectoral girdle including the presence of both a scapular-coracoid foramen and a large and roughly ovoid coracoid foramen. A coracoid foramen has only previously been reported in the Triassic ichthyosaur Cymbospondylus. The peculiar coracoid morphology further highlights the taxonomic utility of coracoids in ichthyosaurs. The aforementioned features demonstrate that W. massarae cannot be referred to any currently recognised leptonectid. With the identification of W. massarae, it is the ninth Lower Jurassic ichthyosaur genus to be recognised worldwide, and it is the fifth documented in the lower Lias Group.
Terrestrial evidence for the Lilliput effect across the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary
Authors: Wiest Logan , Lukens William E. , Peppe Daniel J. , Driese Steven G. , Tubbs Jack
Published: July 2018

Recent research has demonstrated that the Lilliput effect (reduction of body size in response to a mass extinction) affected all trophic levels in the marine realm following the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) event. However, it is unclear if this size change was strictly a marine signal, or a global phenomenon that also affected continental ecosystems. Herein we present the results of an ichnological proxy for body size of soil-dwelling insects across the K-Pg boundary in Big Bend National Park, Texas, U.S.A. Quantitative efforts focused on Naktodemasis isp., which are characterized as unbranching burrows composed of ellipsoidal packets of backfill menisci. These traces were likely produced by beetle larvae or cicada nymphs based on previous comparison with structures generated in modern soils and laboratory experiments. As an approximation for the body size of the subterranean insects, this dataset indicates that a smaller Naktodemasis diameter (DN) is statistically correlated (α < 0.05) with several edaphic factors including poor drainage and weak development (Entisols). Additionally, the DN in strata immediately superjacent to the highest Cretaceous-specific taxa is smaller by 23% (5.6 ± 1.8 mm) in comparison to DN within the subjacent Cretaceous interval (7.3 ± 2.7 mm). This abrupt shift occurs in a well-drained Inceptisol, and cannot be attributed to facies changes, drainage, or paleosol maturity. Furthermore, a reduced DN (6.6 ± 2.3 mm) persists above this anomalous shift for at least 20 stratigraphic meters within chron 29r. The cause for this negative response in body size within soil-dwelling biota may be attributed to plant-community shifts in taxonomic composition and ecological strategies, which would have caused fundamental alterations to the diet of the herbivorous, subterranean insects. This study provides empirical evidence that the Lilliput effect was not restricted to marine environments during the aftermath of the K-Pg event.
An Ichthyosaurus breviceps collected by Mary Anning: New information on the species
Authors: Lomax Dean
Published: July 2018

An ichthyosaur in the collections of the Sedgwick Museum (CAMSMX.50187) was collected in the 19th century by the renowned fossil collector Mary Anning, but has never been adequately described in the literature. As an Anning specimen, it is certainly from the Lower Jurassic of Lyme Regis, west Dorset. The near complete presacral skeleton is lying on its left side and includes a complete skull, one complete and one partial forefin, pectoral bones, all six elements of the pelvic girdle, and both hindfins. The centra in the anterior caudal region, however, are from another individual and may have replaced the original ones. The specimen is identified as Ichthyosaurus based on the morphology of the humerus and forefin. It is assigned to I. breviceps on the basis of the relatively short snout, large eye, and tall neural spines. This is the only known specimen of I. breviceps to preserve a complete pelvis. Notably, the ilium is longer than the pubis and ischium, and the pubis is longer than the ischium. This individual is the largest I. breviceps reported in the literature, with jaw length of 33.5 cm and estimated length from snout to tail bend of 1.6 m.
The parabasisphenoid complex in Mesozoic turtles and the evolution of the testudinate basicranium
Authors: Sterli Juliana , Müller Johannes , Anquetin Jérémy , Hilger André
Published: July 2018

During early development of turtles and other amniotes, the parabasisphenoid, or basisphenoid s.l., is formed by at least two centers of ossification: the endochondral basisphenoid s.s. and the dermal parasphenoid. This fusion is usually so dramatic that the two elements cannot be distinguished from each other in the adult stage. Here we describe the basicranium of two individuals of Mesozoic turtles from Europe, Plesiochelys etalloni and Pleurosternon bullockii, partly using micro-CT scans, and show that in both taxa para- and basisphenoid remain distinguishable throughout life. We also identify the extent that each of the two elements has contributed to the formation of the braincase floor. Because the structure of the parabasisphenoid determines the course of the internal carotid artery into the skull, our findings allow us to discuss the early evolution of the carotid pattern and the turtle basicranium in new detail. By surveying the main patterns of carotid circulation in extinct and extant turtles, we bring new evidence to the idea that it was largely the ossification of the parasphenoid which, along with the closure of the interpterygoid vacuity and the posterior extension of the pterygoids, shaped the internal carotid patterns as seen in modern turtles.
Reassessment of the phylogenetic interrelationships of basal turtles (Testudinata)
Authors: Anquetin Jérémy
Published: July 2018

Recent discoveries from the Late Triassic and Middle Jurassic have significantly improved the fossil record of early turtles. These new forms offer a unique opportunity to test the interrelationships of basal turtles. Nineteen fossil species are added to the taxon sample of the most comprehensive morphological phylogenetic analysis of the turtle clade. Among these additional species are recently discovered forms (e.g., Odontochelys semitestacea, Eileanchelys waldmani, Condorchelys antiqua), taxa generally omitted from previous analyses (e.g., chengyuchelyids, Sichuanchelys chowi) and species included in a phylogenetic analysis for the first time (Naomichelys speciosa and Siamochelys peninsularis). The coding of several characters is reassessed in light of recent observations, but also in order to reduce unwarranted assumptions on character and character state homologies. Additional characters from previous analyses, as well as five new ones, are also included, resulting in a data matrix of 178 characters scored for 86 turtle species and 7 fossil outgroups.The data set resolves the relationships of most newly included taxa, with the exception of Sichuanchelys chowi and ‘Chengyuchelys’ dashanpuensis. The phylogenetic placement of Heckerochelys romani, Condorchelys antiqua and Eileanchelys waldmani as stem turtles more derived than Kayentachelys aprix but more basal than Meiolania platyceps and Mongolochelys efremovi is corroborated. The relationships of chengyuchelyids remain unclear and more investigation is needed regarding these forms, yet interestingly they are unstable with respect to stem turtles. In contrast to previous analyses, Arundelemys dardeni is placed within pleurosternids. Siamochelys peninsularis falls within xinjiangchelyids. Perhaps the most salient conclusion of the present study is the placement of Naomichelys speciosa as a basal member of a clade uniting meiolaniids, Mongolochelys efremovi and Otwayemys cunicularius. This clade of rather large stem turtles was spread worldwide during the Mesozoic at least and persisted up until the Pleistocene with meiolaniids.
Reply to Comment on "Aysheaia prolata from the Utah Wheeler Formation (Drumian, Cambrian) is a frontal appendage of the radiodontan Stanleycaris" with the formal description of Stanleycaris
Authors: Pates Stephen , Daley Allison C. , Ortega-Hernández Javier
Published: July 2018

As part of a comprehensive examination of all radiodontans from Cambrian localities in the USA, Pates et al. (2017a, b) and Pates and Daley (2017) revised the taxonomic affinities of several described specimens. This included the reinterpretation of two putative lobopodians, one from the Wheeler Formation (Utah, USA) and one from the Valdemiedes Formation (Spain), as frontal appendages of the radiodontan genera Stanleycaris and Caryosyntrips respectively. In their comment, Gámez Vintaned and Zhuravlev (2018) disagree with these conclusions and raise three topics for discussion: (i) anatomical features they suggest support a lobopodian affinity for “Mureropodia”; (ii) the identity of Caryosyntrips as a radiodontan, and the assignment of certain specimens to this genus; and (iii) the nomenclatural status of Stanleycaris hirpex as an invalid taxon. For (i), we dispute that the anatomical features put forward by Gámez Vintaned and Zhuravlev (2018) are biological and conclude that a lobopodian affinity for Mureropodia is untenable. In response to (ii), we provide further evidence supporting a radiodontan affinity for Caryosyntrips, and those specimens ascribed to this genus. Finally, we concur with (iii) Stanleycaris as an invalid taxon according to the International Code on Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN), and have rectified the situation by providing a valid systematic description.
A reassessment of the Late Jurassic turtle Eurysternum wagleri (Eucryptodira, Eurysternidae)
Authors: Anquetin Jérémy , Joyce Walter G.
Published: July 2018

Eurysternum wagleri is one of the first named, yet most poorly understood turtles from the Late Jurassic of Europe. Over the years, many specimens have been referred to and many species synonymized with E. wagleri, but little consensus is apparent, and the taxonomy is therefore highly confusing. Based on the rare, only known illustration of the lost holotype and on the reassessment of select individuals, the species E. wagleri is recharacterized herein. Eurysternum wagleri is diagnosed by a deep pygal notch, a carapace with a pentagonal outline, a contribution of vertebral 5 to the posterior carapace margin, three cervical scales, very wide vertebral scales with a well-developed radiating pattern, well-developed costoperipheral fontanelles in medium-sized individuals, a plastron connected to the carapace by ligaments, gracile, peg-like bony projections of the hyo- and hypoplastra, and large, oval-to-quadrangular lateral plastral fontanelles. A lectotype is designated for Acichelys redenbacheri, and this taxon is interpreted as the junior subjective synonym of Eurysternum wagleri. All other, previously proposed synonymies are rejected, because they lack characters that would allow diagnosing them as E. wagleri.