Data from: Comparative experimental taphonomy of eight marine arthropods indicates distinct differences in preservation potential

Global biodiversity patterns in deep time can only be understood fully
when the relative preservation potential of each clade is known. The
relative preservation potential of marine arthropod clades, a diverse and
ecologically important component of modern and past ecosystems, is poorly
known. We tackled this issue by carrying out a 205-day long comprehensive,
comparative, taphonomic experiment in a laboratory by scoring up to ten
taphonomic characters for multiple specimens of seven crustacean and one
chelicerate species (two true crabs, one shrimp, one lobster, one hermit
crab, one stomatopod, one barnacle and one horseshoe crab). Although the
results are preliminary because we used a single experimental setup and
algal growth partially hampered observations, some parts of hermit crabs,
stomatopods, swimming crabs and barnacles decayed slowly relative to other
parts, implying differential preservation potentials within species,
largely consistent with the fossil record of these groups. An inferred
parasitic isopod, manifested by a bopyriform swelling within a hermit crab
carapace, decayed relatively fast. We found limited variation in the decay
rate between conspecifics, and we did not observe size-related trends in
decay rate. Conversely, substantial differences in the decay rate between
species were seen after c. 50 days, with shrimps and stomatopods decaying
fastest, suggesting a relatively low preservation potential, whereas the
lobster, calico crabs, horseshoe crabs and barnacles showed relatively
slow decay rates, suggesting a higher preservation potential. These
results are supported by two modern and fossil record-based preservation
potential metrics that are significantly correlated to decay rate ranks.
Furthermore, we speculate that stemward slippage may not be ubiquitous in
marine arthropods. Our results imply that diversity studies of true crabs,
lobsters, horseshoe crabs and barnacles are more likely to yield patterns
that are closer to their true biodiversity patterns than those for
stomatopods, shrimps and hermit crabs.