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...只有明确每一个演化支（clade）的相对保存潜力，才能全面理解地质深时（deep time）的全球生物多样性格局。海洋节肢动物演化支作为现代与古生态系统中物种多样且生态功能关键的组成部分，其相对保存潜力目前仍知之甚少。针对这一问题，我们在实验室开展了一项为期205天的综合性对比埋藏学（taphonomic）实验：针对7种甲壳动物与1种螯肢动物的多份标本（涵盖2种真蟹、1种虾、1种龙虾、1种寄居蟹、1种口足类、1种藤壶及1种鲎），共计记录最多10项埋藏学特征。尽管本研究结果尚属初步——因仅采用单一实验装置，且藻类生长一定程度上干扰了观测——但寄居蟹、口足类、游泳蟹以及藤壶的部分躯体相较于其他躯体部位腐烂更缓，这暗示物种内部存在差异化的保存潜力，该结论与这些类群的化石记录大体一致……