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02-04-2022, 09:06 PM
from Diario:
An investigation identifies 24 species of bivalves so far without mentioning on the Island
The project of this young scientist, initiated in 2017 and funded by the University of La Laguna, aims to continue the line of research initiated in the nineties by paleontologists such as Esther Martín González, Joaquín Meco and Francisco García Talavera. The discoveries carried out by these scholars, which were joined by other researchers, allowed us to delve into the knowledge of biodiversity in the Islands and to know what have been the changes that have occurred in the current fauna as a result of environmental changes in the last almost 20 million years.
Before delving into the content of his research and throwing the first conclusions of his study, Alberto stops to insist that "Fuerteventura is the island with the largest number of paleontological sites in the Canary Islands", a small oasis for geologists and paleontologists where fossil remains of the Jurassic, Oligocene, Neogene and Pleistocene can be located.
"The biodiversity that has been studied in these sites is very abundant and, in some cases, unique in the Canary Islands," he says. The paleontologists who have kicked the Majorero sites have not found dinosaurs, but they have found skeletal remains and eggs of extinct birds of the shearwater family and other groups, remains of lizards and turtles, small mammals and some invertebrates, among which would highlight the terrestrial snails and fossil traces of insects, in the form of cells or nesting capsules.
However, Alberto clarifies that it is in the marine fauna where "the greatest concentration of species and diversity is found" and recalls that remains of bony fish, crustaceans such as crabs, echinoderms such as sea urchins and corals have been found, although, without a doubt, the most abundant group is that of mollusks among which would be the bivalves, snails and cephalopods, representing more than half of the total species determined for the fossil record of the Canary Islands.
Alberto has focused his study on bivalves, exclusively marine mollusks that have two leaflets joined together and articulated by a charnela. Among them would be mussels, scallops, oysters and other animals that usually appear in paella. "They are very important from the fishing and economic point of view because they are consumed a lot in food," he explains.
The young man has taken as a base for his research the Museum of Nature and Archaeology of Tenerife. From there, he has been traveling, on several occasions, to Fuerteventura to kick the marine deposits in search of fossil remains. The objective of his university thesis is "to carry out a systematic review of all the species that are deposited in museums or sites; try to identify them as much as possible to the point of trying to know what species they are and, from there, see what set of species lived in those sites; how they have been distributed in these three islands and see if they are related to other deposits on the island or the other two islands (Lanzarote and Gran Canaria). Even if there may be any relationship with the south of the peninsula, the Azores or North Africa."
During the four years he has been immersed in the preparation of his doctoral thesis, Alberto has studied more than 30 paleontological sites in Fuerteventura and analyzed some 450 fossil remains of bivalves. These are dated between 17 and 4.8 million years ago, by measuring lava flows below and above the levels of marine fossils. Currently, he points out, "studies are being carried out on shell samples collected at these levels in order to better specify the age of the different deposits."
According to the researcher, the work carried out in the sites of Fuerteventura has resulted in "the identification of almost fifty species" and specifies: "Many of them are new appointments for the Neogene of the Canary Islands and the island of Fuerteventura".
Throughout his study, he has been able to identify 26 species of bivalves in Fuerteventura of which five are already extinct in Majorero territory. Among them, the species: Isognonommaxillata, Macrochlamyslatissima, a species of giant scallop and lucina columbella. Of the 26, 24 correspond to new appointments for Fuerteventura. Of these new appointments, some are for the whole Island such as Arca noae, commonly known as Noah's Ark, Isognomonmaxillata or Macrochlamyslatissima, and others for some sites where there was no evidence that they were previously (Pododesmuspatelliformis, Carditacalyculata or Gastranafragilis).
In addition, the biologist explains how the work carried out by Dr. Esther Martín continues with his research, which identified and described for the first time for science 12 species of fossil molluscs endemic to the Canary Islands present in Fuerteventura of which three are endemic to the Island of Majorera. These are, he points out, the Gibbulatindayaensis, Morulamionigra and Conusfuerteventurensis. All of them identified as sea snails.
"Some of these species are no longer located on the island, although most of them still live in the Atlantic. They may no longer be in the Canary Islands because the climatic conditions have changed and they have been moving to warmer areas, "he clarifies. Among them, the scallop, the shell that is identified with the Xacobeo and the Camino de Santiago. "They were very abundant in their time. There are fossil records in Gran Canaria and in the south of Fuerteventura, but they are no longer found," he says.
However, the most interesting result of his thesis is that he has been able to describe two new species for science, one of them existing in Fuerteventura and described for the first time for this Island. Alberto prefers, for the moment, to keep their names secret in the hope of being able to make them known in an international scientific publication after the defense of his thesis. And he specifies that "these findings are usually rare in this type of animal."
But what is the goal of studying fossil bivalves from islands like Fuerteventura? Alberto does not have to think to answer the question: "Both fossils and their deposits are part of the history, in this case geological, of the islands and all the knowledge we manage to obtain from them is part of our heritage and culture."
Climate Responses
"Knowing our past allows us to predict what our future would look like," says the researcher. Fossils can also find some answers to how to act in the face of the unstoppable effects of climate change. Extreme climatic episodes, sea level rise, disappearance of coastal areas... are several of the consequences and challenges facing the planet in the coming decades and fossils can find some answers.
Alberto explains how the tropicalization of regions such as the Canary Islands or the rise in sea level will seriously affect regions that "live" from the sea or that have a large part of their activities linked to it. However, he points out that these changes "are not new. The planet has already gone through these conditions before" and gives as an example the Neogene: "A warm period where the sea level was in the Canary Islands between 10 and 20 meters above the current level. We know that because we have found sites from that time at that point."
"The fauna we are studying from the Neogene is warm in the environment. During the Neogene, a period that began 23 million years ago and ended 2.59 million years ago, there was a tropical, not subtropical, environment, like the one we are in now, "he details. The researcher argues that being able to interpret what the ecosystem was like at that time "could help us, for example, to predict how the changes will be in the coming years as a result of climate change and global warming."
"The Neogene deposits are between five and 20 meters above sea level. Therefore, we can already predict how far the sea level reached with respect to that warm period," he says. A fact that, according to this fossil specialist, "could put us on the track of which areas should be protected in the face of a rise in sea level or study actions to be carried out when planning certain buildings in areas that may be affected by the rise in sea level".
Alberto also argues that the faunal associations of that time "are different" from those we have today. In the Neogene period, those with warmer and tropical waters predominated, very similar to those seen today in areas such as Cape Verde. "Knowing what these ecosystems of the past were like can help us understand how the current fauna will change in 10, 25 or 50 years and this from the point of view of the economic impact, for example, of fishery resources as relevant as mollusks, is privileged information and can lead to prepare a premature management of those resources."
FOSSIL TOURISM
"If what is intended is to promote quality tourism, paleontological resources can always be interesting," says researcher Alberto González, who recalls that scientific and nature tourism "moves many people."
In this sense, the scientist puts on the table success stories such as the paleontological park of Dinópolis, in Teruel, or the paleopark of Santa María, one of the islands of the Azores, with several sites, where a museum and guided tours have been created. "In the case of Fuerteventura, work could begin on a series of sites such as Ajuy or the area of Aljibe de la Cueva that, with a correct adaptation, could be a tourist attraction and would allow to show how its biological history has been".
This biologist regrets that the Canary Islands lack paleontological resources that are conditioned to be visited and recalls that "scientists do science not only to be able to continue increasing knowledge and discoveries but also so that society knows what is being done and the importance it has".
link to original article
An investigation identifies 24 species of bivalves so far without mentioning on the Island
- The biologist Alberto González has studied some thirty paleontological sites and 450 fossils located in Fuerteventura.
The project of this young scientist, initiated in 2017 and funded by the University of La Laguna, aims to continue the line of research initiated in the nineties by paleontologists such as Esther Martín González, Joaquín Meco and Francisco García Talavera. The discoveries carried out by these scholars, which were joined by other researchers, allowed us to delve into the knowledge of biodiversity in the Islands and to know what have been the changes that have occurred in the current fauna as a result of environmental changes in the last almost 20 million years.
Before delving into the content of his research and throwing the first conclusions of his study, Alberto stops to insist that "Fuerteventura is the island with the largest number of paleontological sites in the Canary Islands", a small oasis for geologists and paleontologists where fossil remains of the Jurassic, Oligocene, Neogene and Pleistocene can be located.
"The biodiversity that has been studied in these sites is very abundant and, in some cases, unique in the Canary Islands," he says. The paleontologists who have kicked the Majorero sites have not found dinosaurs, but they have found skeletal remains and eggs of extinct birds of the shearwater family and other groups, remains of lizards and turtles, small mammals and some invertebrates, among which would highlight the terrestrial snails and fossil traces of insects, in the form of cells or nesting capsules.
However, Alberto clarifies that it is in the marine fauna where "the greatest concentration of species and diversity is found" and recalls that remains of bony fish, crustaceans such as crabs, echinoderms such as sea urchins and corals have been found, although, without a doubt, the most abundant group is that of mollusks among which would be the bivalves, snails and cephalopods, representing more than half of the total species determined for the fossil record of the Canary Islands.
Alberto has focused his study on bivalves, exclusively marine mollusks that have two leaflets joined together and articulated by a charnela. Among them would be mussels, scallops, oysters and other animals that usually appear in paella. "They are very important from the fishing and economic point of view because they are consumed a lot in food," he explains.
The young man has taken as a base for his research the Museum of Nature and Archaeology of Tenerife. From there, he has been traveling, on several occasions, to Fuerteventura to kick the marine deposits in search of fossil remains. The objective of his university thesis is "to carry out a systematic review of all the species that are deposited in museums or sites; try to identify them as much as possible to the point of trying to know what species they are and, from there, see what set of species lived in those sites; how they have been distributed in these three islands and see if they are related to other deposits on the island or the other two islands (Lanzarote and Gran Canaria). Even if there may be any relationship with the south of the peninsula, the Azores or North Africa."
During the four years he has been immersed in the preparation of his doctoral thesis, Alberto has studied more than 30 paleontological sites in Fuerteventura and analyzed some 450 fossil remains of bivalves. These are dated between 17 and 4.8 million years ago, by measuring lava flows below and above the levels of marine fossils. Currently, he points out, "studies are being carried out on shell samples collected at these levels in order to better specify the age of the different deposits."
According to the researcher, the work carried out in the sites of Fuerteventura has resulted in "the identification of almost fifty species" and specifies: "Many of them are new appointments for the Neogene of the Canary Islands and the island of Fuerteventura".
Throughout his study, he has been able to identify 26 species of bivalves in Fuerteventura of which five are already extinct in Majorero territory. Among them, the species: Isognonommaxillata, Macrochlamyslatissima, a species of giant scallop and lucina columbella. Of the 26, 24 correspond to new appointments for Fuerteventura. Of these new appointments, some are for the whole Island such as Arca noae, commonly known as Noah's Ark, Isognomonmaxillata or Macrochlamyslatissima, and others for some sites where there was no evidence that they were previously (Pododesmuspatelliformis, Carditacalyculata or Gastranafragilis).
In addition, the biologist explains how the work carried out by Dr. Esther Martín continues with his research, which identified and described for the first time for science 12 species of fossil molluscs endemic to the Canary Islands present in Fuerteventura of which three are endemic to the Island of Majorera. These are, he points out, the Gibbulatindayaensis, Morulamionigra and Conusfuerteventurensis. All of them identified as sea snails.
"Some of these species are no longer located on the island, although most of them still live in the Atlantic. They may no longer be in the Canary Islands because the climatic conditions have changed and they have been moving to warmer areas, "he clarifies. Among them, the scallop, the shell that is identified with the Xacobeo and the Camino de Santiago. "They were very abundant in their time. There are fossil records in Gran Canaria and in the south of Fuerteventura, but they are no longer found," he says.
However, the most interesting result of his thesis is that he has been able to describe two new species for science, one of them existing in Fuerteventura and described for the first time for this Island. Alberto prefers, for the moment, to keep their names secret in the hope of being able to make them known in an international scientific publication after the defense of his thesis. And he specifies that "these findings are usually rare in this type of animal."
But what is the goal of studying fossil bivalves from islands like Fuerteventura? Alberto does not have to think to answer the question: "Both fossils and their deposits are part of the history, in this case geological, of the islands and all the knowledge we manage to obtain from them is part of our heritage and culture."
Climate Responses
"Knowing our past allows us to predict what our future would look like," says the researcher. Fossils can also find some answers to how to act in the face of the unstoppable effects of climate change. Extreme climatic episodes, sea level rise, disappearance of coastal areas... are several of the consequences and challenges facing the planet in the coming decades and fossils can find some answers.
Alberto explains how the tropicalization of regions such as the Canary Islands or the rise in sea level will seriously affect regions that "live" from the sea or that have a large part of their activities linked to it. However, he points out that these changes "are not new. The planet has already gone through these conditions before" and gives as an example the Neogene: "A warm period where the sea level was in the Canary Islands between 10 and 20 meters above the current level. We know that because we have found sites from that time at that point."
"The fauna we are studying from the Neogene is warm in the environment. During the Neogene, a period that began 23 million years ago and ended 2.59 million years ago, there was a tropical, not subtropical, environment, like the one we are in now, "he details. The researcher argues that being able to interpret what the ecosystem was like at that time "could help us, for example, to predict how the changes will be in the coming years as a result of climate change and global warming."
"The Neogene deposits are between five and 20 meters above sea level. Therefore, we can already predict how far the sea level reached with respect to that warm period," he says. A fact that, according to this fossil specialist, "could put us on the track of which areas should be protected in the face of a rise in sea level or study actions to be carried out when planning certain buildings in areas that may be affected by the rise in sea level".
Alberto also argues that the faunal associations of that time "are different" from those we have today. In the Neogene period, those with warmer and tropical waters predominated, very similar to those seen today in areas such as Cape Verde. "Knowing what these ecosystems of the past were like can help us understand how the current fauna will change in 10, 25 or 50 years and this from the point of view of the economic impact, for example, of fishery resources as relevant as mollusks, is privileged information and can lead to prepare a premature management of those resources."
FOSSIL TOURISM
"If what is intended is to promote quality tourism, paleontological resources can always be interesting," says researcher Alberto González, who recalls that scientific and nature tourism "moves many people."
In this sense, the scientist puts on the table success stories such as the paleontological park of Dinópolis, in Teruel, or the paleopark of Santa María, one of the islands of the Azores, with several sites, where a museum and guided tours have been created. "In the case of Fuerteventura, work could begin on a series of sites such as Ajuy or the area of Aljibe de la Cueva that, with a correct adaptation, could be a tourist attraction and would allow to show how its biological history has been".
This biologist regrets that the Canary Islands lack paleontological resources that are conditioned to be visited and recalls that "scientists do science not only to be able to continue increasing knowledge and discoveries but also so that society knows what is being done and the importance it has".
link to original article