Taphonomy

Skeleton in cave

LaBreaTarPitsExcavation2008

Skull burial

Australopithecus africanus - Cast of taung child

ElrathiakingiUtahWheelerCambrian

Lizard-Green River Fm

Taphonomy is the branch of paleontology that studies the processes of fossilization and the environmental conditions affecting animal and plant remains after death. It encompasses the transition of organic matter from the biosphere into the lithosphere, creating a crucial framework for understanding the preservation, decay, and the eventual information fossils can provide about past life and environments. Taphonomy bridges the gap between the death of an organism and its discovery as a fossil, including processes such as decomposition, transport, chemical alteration, and mineralization.

Overview

The term "taphonomy" was coined in the early 20th century by Russian scientist Ivan Efremov to describe the study of the transition of remains, parts, and products of organisms from the biosphere to the lithosphere. It is a key concept in paleoecology, archaeology, and forensic science, offering insights into the conditions and processes that affect organic remains after death.

Processes Involved

Taphonomy covers a wide range of processes that can affect organic remains from the point of death to the point of discovery. These include:

• Biological decay: The breakdown of organic tissues by bacteria, fungi, and other decomposers.
• Physical and chemical weathering: The alteration of remains through exposure to water, air, pressure, and chemical reactions.
• Transport: The movement of remains by water, wind, or other forces, which can scatter and sort parts of organisms.
• Burial: The covering of remains by sediment, which protects them from further decay and scattering.
• Diagenesis: The chemical, physical, and biological changes that occur to remains after burial, including fossilization.

Fossilization

Fossilization is a rare event that requires specific conditions for organic remains to be preserved over geological time scales. Taphonomic studies help scientists understand the biases present in the fossil record and the environmental conditions that favor preservation. Common modes of fossilization include permineralization, casts and molds, amber entrapment, and freezing.

Taphonomic Bias

Taphonomic bias refers to the differential preservation of organisms, body parts, and life stages in the fossil record. Factors such as the material properties of bones and shells, the environment of deposition, and the time since death can all influence what gets preserved. Understanding taphonomic bias is crucial for reconstructing past ecosystems and evolutionary histories accurately.

Applications

Taphonomy has applications in several fields, including:

• Paleoecology: Understanding the living conditions and interactions of past organisms.
• Archaeology: Interpreting human and animal activity patterns through the study of bone assemblages and artifact deposition.
• Forensic science: Estimating time since death and reconstructing events leading up to and following death in legal investigations.

See Also

• Paleontology
• Fossil
• Decomposition
• Fossilization
• Paleoecology
• Archaeology