Paläontol Z DOI 10.1007/s12542-010-0075-8 RESEARCH PAPER An earliest Givetian ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ in the Paraná Basin, and the collapse of the Malvinokaffric shelly fauna Elvio Pinto Bosetti • Yngve Grahn • Rodrigo Scalise Horodyski Paula Mendlowicz Mauller • Pierre Breuer • Carolina Zabini • Received: 22 December 2009 / Accepted: 16 June 2010 Ó Springer-Verlag 2010 Abstract An earliest Givetian ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ at Sı́tio Wolff and São Bento in the Paraná Basin occurred after an extinction event, possibly related to the latest Eifelian KAČÁK Event. The Malvinokaffric fauna was reduced from 65 genera before the extinction event to eight genera after the event. However, the abundance of the individual taxa is high. The size reduction of the surviving taxa was up to 90%. The palynomorphs during the extinction and post-extinction (‘‘Lilliput Effect’’) events are scarce. Normal palynomorph abundance and diversity is restored later in the early Givetian immediately after the post-extinction event. The relictual fauna in the beds with the ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ at Sı́tio Wolff and São Bento constitute the last survivors of the classical Malvinokaffric shelly fauna in the Paraná Basin, and are at these sites mixed with immigrants and alien elements (e.g. orthoconic nautiloids). Keywords ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ Earliest Givetian KAČÁK Event Malvinokaffric fauna Paraná Basin E. P. Bosetti Laboratório de Paleontologia, Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa, Rua Otaviano Macedo Ribas 164, Ponta Grossa, PR 84070-540, Brazil e-mail: [email protected] Y. Grahn (&) P. Mendlowicz Mauller Faculdade de Geologia, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Bloco A, Sala 4001, Rua São Francisco Xavier 524, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 20550-013, Brazil e-mail: [email protected] P. Mendlowicz Mauller e-mail: [email protected] R. S. Horodyski C. Zabini Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Bento Gonçalves 9500, BL L Prédio 43113, Campus do Vale, Porto Alegre, RS 91509-900, Brazil e-mail: [email protected] C. Zabini e-mail: [email protected] P. Breuer Saudi Aramco, Geological Technical Services Division, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia e-mail: [email protected] Kurzfassung Im Gebiet von Sı́tio Wolff und São Bento des Paraná-Beckens tritt im frühesten Givetium ein ,,Liliput-ffekt’’ auf, der einem Aussterbeereignis folgt, das möglicherweise Bezug zum KAČÁK-Event des späten Eifeliums hat. Die Malvinokaffrische Fauna wurde von 65 Gattungen vor dem Aussterbeereignis auf acht Gattungen danach reduziert. Dennoch bleibt die Häufigkeit individueller Taxa hoch. Die Größenreduktion überlebender Taxa erreicht 90%. Weiterhin sind Palynomorphen während des Aussterbeereignisses und des ,,Liliput-Effekts’’ selten. Normale Häufigkeit und Diversität erreichen die Palynomorphen erst später im frühen Givetium, unmittelbar nach dem Auftreten des ,,Liliput-Effekts’’. Die Reliktfauna aus den Lagen mit ,,Liliput-Effekt’’ im Gebiet von Sı́tio Wolff und São Bento beinhaltet die letzten Rudimente der klassischen Malvinokaffrischen Schalen-Fauna im Paraná-Becken. Sie vermischt sich hier mit eingewanderten Formen und exotischen Elementen (z. B. orthoconen Nautiloiden). Schlüsselwörter ,,Liliput-Effekt’’ frühestes Givetium KAČÁK-Event Malvinokaffrische Fauna Paraná-Becken 123 E. P. Bosetti et al. Introduction The term ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ was introduced by Urbanek (1993) to describe the size changes of faunas in extinction events. In the aftermath of biotic crises, the organisms tend to be much smaller than before the crises. According to Twitchett (2006), this effect is one of the most widespread evolutionary phenomena, but is virtually unstudied. Body size is a key element in animal evolution, and many paleontologists have observed that organisms that survived mass extinctions often have a much smaller body size than their predecessors. There are many reason why organisms shrink, including drastic environmental changes (e.g. effects of volcanic activity, increasing competition). By definition, size reduction of individual taxa from preextinction to immediate post-extinction is the ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ sensu stricto of Urbanek (personal communication to E.P.B. 2009). A drastic reduction of body size was observed in all megafossil taxa from the earliest Givetian part of the São Domingos Formation. This interval generally contains few body fossils, and all of them are reduced in size. The fossils are represented by conulariids, trilobites, nautiloids, and brachiopods (rhynchonellids, discinids, and lingulids). Additionally, ostracods, plant fragments, and ichnofossils are preserved. Palynomorphs are scarce, which is unusual for Middle Devonian strata in Western Gondwana. The scarcity of acritarchs and chitinozoans is probably because of the geochemical annexation of carbon and nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus during the black shale formation that characterized the KAČÁK Event (cf. Riegel 2008), thus tending to deprive the marine palynomorphs of essential food sources. Given the normal progressive reduction in quantities of terrestrial spores transported seawards from the shoreline, their rarity in the investigated (distal shoreface) strata is not unexpected. In comparison with the dimensions of a typical Malvinokaffric fauna, the sizes of the post-extinction fossils are reduced by up to 90%. One taphonomic aspect that may affect the size of the fossils in an assemblage is hydrodynamic sorting. This is probably not the case because of the low degree of fragmentation. Small ichnofossils are also present, corroborating the in situ size reduction. The specimens here described are adult organisms, and their preservation indicates autochthony or parautochthony conditions (Kidwell and Bosence 1991). Fig. 1 a Map showing the localities discussed or investigated in this study. b Detail of the area studied. The dotted line shows the administrative city limits of Tibagi. c Sample points in the Barreiro section (localities 1–3) and at São Bento (locality 4) Estadual de Ponta Grossa (Paleontology Laboratory of the Geosciences Department). Approximately 700 samples were analyzed, each sample displaying one or more fossils. The megafossils were processed by means of fine brushes and needles. The microfossils were processed with Petrobras standard methods (Quadros and Melo 1987). The palynomorph material is housed in the collections of the Biostratigraphy and Paleoecology Management of Petrobras Research Center, Petrobras/Cenpes/Pdexp/Bpa, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil (BPA). Materials and methods Geologic setting The paleontological material was collected from the São Domingos Formation at Sı́tio Ari, Sı́tio Wolff, São Bento, and Casa de Pedra (Fig. 1). The material (DEGEO/MPI3230 to DEGEO/MPI-3930) is deposited at Universidade 123 The Paraná Basin (Fig. 1a) is classified as a polycyclic intracratonic and intercontinental basin. In Brazil it is represented by two sedimentary depocenters, i.e. the Earliest Givetian ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ in the Paraná Basin northern Alto Garças and southern Apucarana Sub-basins. The total extent of the Paraná Basin is ca. 1,600,000 km2 and includes parts of southern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, central Uruguay, and northeastern Argentina. Lange and Petri (1967) formalized the Devonian lithostratigraphic succession based on the geology of the Apucarana Subbasin. Their proposition was, in ascending order, Furnas Formation and the tripartite division of the Ponta Grossa Formation, viz., the Jaguariaı́va, Tibagi, and São Domingos Members. More recently, Grahn (1992), Gaugris and Grahn (2006), and Grahn et al. (2000, 2002, 2010) subdivided the Devonian of the Apucarana Sub-basin into three formations, in ascending order, Furnas, Ponta Grossa (including the Tibagi Member), and São Domingos. This nomenclature will be adhered to in this paper. The São Domingos Formation is dated as latest Emsian— late early Frasnian with miospores (Loboziak et al. 1988; Melo and Loboziak 2003; Mendlowicz Mauller 2008) and chitinozoans (Grahn et al. 2000, 2002, 2010; Gaugris and Grahn 2006; Mendlowicz Mauller et al. 2009). The ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ occurs at Sı́tio Wolff and São Bento (Fig. 1b–c) close to the top of the outcropping part of the São Domingos Formation, which is dated as early Givetian at the Casa de Pedra locality (Fig. 1b–c). It is preceded by the rocks at Sı́tio Ari (Fig. 1b–c), dated as no older than latest Eifelian and near the Eifelian/Givetian boundary from acritarch evidence. The Barreiro region, situated in the São Domingos district, Tibagi (Fig. 1b–c), is the type–area of the São Domingos Formation (Bodziak and Maack 1946). With the exception of Petri (1948), Lange and Petri (1967), Melo (1985), Bosetti (2004), and Bosetti et al. (2009), the references to the type-area are rarely based on field data from the region. However, the São Domingos shales reach their maximum surface thickness, ca. 90 m, in the type-area itself (Bodziak and Maack 1946; Lange and Petri 1967). According to Melo (1985), these shales overlap the Tibagi Member sensu stricto in virtually all its extent. The total thickness of the São Domingos Formation is estimated at ca. 350 m (Melo 1988; Grahn et al. 2010). Outcrops in the region vary in thickness between 1 and 25 m, and are commonly penetrated by diabase dikes. This makes continuous stratigraphic sampling over geographic distances difficult. However, similar lithologies are exposed along the Tibagi–Telêmaco Borba highway PR-340 (Bergamaschi 1999; Grahn et al. 2000, 2002), and in a road-cut at km 424 on highway BR-376 in the Imbaú region (Bergamaschi and Pereira 2001); these enable correlation of facies with the Barreiro section. Furthermore, a section with a ‘‘Lilliput’’ fauna followed by a normal-sized fauna dated as earliest Givetian is known from São Bento at km 280 along highway PR-340 (see below). Localities Sı́tio Ari (24°310 21.7300 S,50°280 10.1700 W) Sı́tio Ari is situated in the Barreiro region, São Domingos district, Tibagi (Fig. 1b–c). This outcrop is located in the basal part of the Barreiro section (Fig. 2) and in the São Domingos Formation. The exposed thickness is ca. 10 m. At the base occur cm-thick lenses of very fine to finegrained sandstone, and in the uppermost part siltstones with lingulids. These siltstones also contain rare palynomorphs (listed in Appendix 2). Of these, Chomotriletes vedugensis indicates an age not older than latest Eifelian. Sı́tio Wolff (24°330 4200 S,50°310 0000 W) Sı́tio Wolff is situated in the Barreiro region near Salto Santa Rosa waterfall, São Domingos district, Tibagi (Fig. 1b–c). The locality corresponds to the middle part of the Barreiro section (Fig. 2) and is within the São Domingos Formation. The exposed thickness is 20.5 m (Figs. 2 and 3). At this site bioclasts that represent the Malvinocaffric Realm with subnormal phenotypes are found (Bosetti et al. 2009). The Sı́tio Wolff outcrop is stratigraphically above the medium to coarse-grained fossiliferous sandstones at Sı́tio Ari referred to interval D3 by Lange (1967), corresponding to latest Emsian–Eifelian strata in the Apucarana Sub-basin. The silty shales, ca. 5–7 m below the top of the section, contain (in decreasing abundance order) ichnofossils (Phycosiphon), Spongiophyton fragments and other unidentified plant remains, conulariid fragments, discinid brachiopods, calmoniid trilobites, rhynchonellid brachiopods, ostracods, orthoconic nautiloids, lingulid brachiopods, and bivalves. The siltstones in the uppermost 5 m of the section contain (also in order of decreasing abundance) ichnofossils (Phycosiphon), Spongiophyton fragments and other unidentified plant remains, orthoconic nautiloids, calmoniid trilobites, discinid brachiopods, conulariid fragments, ostracods, and lingulid brachiopods (Fig. 3). A distinct feature of all bioclasts found in these beds is their small dimensions when compared with the same taxa in other facies of the Devonian sequences. Despite their reduced size, all taxa collected are in an advanced ontogenetic stage, and therefore represent adult forms. As they are not randomly distributed in the section (Figs. 2 and 3), the vertical distribution of the bioclasts is controlled by lithologic variation. The identified fossils are listed in Appendices 1 and 2. São Bento (24°280 11.2100 S, 50°320 08.4600 W) São Bento is situated at km 280 along highway PR-340 (Fig. 1b–c). The lower 30 m of this road-cut section 123 E. P. Bosetti et al. Fig. 2 Barreiro section with taxonomic and taphonomic distributions contain a ‘‘lilliput fauna’’ (mainly conulariids) mixed with normal-sized fossils in the upper part of the interval. The uppermost 10 m of the section feature normal-sized 123 brachiopods and trilobites, and ‘‘lilliput’’ bioclasts are less common. The total exposed thickness is ca. 40 m (Fig. 4). A siltstone sample, ca. 21.5 m above the base of the Earliest Givetian ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ in the Paraná Basin medium to coarse-grained siltstone with intercalated sandstone lenses showing distinct hummocky cross stratification. The sandstones seem to contain pebbles of the same type as in the basal siltstones. Towards the top are claystones and siltstones. The contact with the Pennsylvanian beds is discordant. The palynomorphs (listed in Appendix 2) are characteristic of the early Givetian and display a normal abundance and diversity. Normal–sized Lingulida spp., Pennaia pauliana and ichnofossils occur at the locality. The Malvinokaffric realm Fig. 3 a Occurrence and distribution of bioclasts in the different lithologies of the Sı́tio Wolff outcrop. b Relative abundance of the bioclasts in the Sı́tio Wolff outcrop section, yielded a characteristic earliest Givetian palynomorph assemblage. This indicates that the postextinction event with the ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ was short-lived and related to the initial Givetian transgression in the Paraná Basin. The identified palynomorphs are listed in Appendix 2. Casa de Pedra (24°340 0000 S, 50°300 5500 W) Casa de Pedra (Fig. 1b–c) is located in the São Domingos Formation at the top of the Barreiro section (Fig. 2). The exposed thickness is ca. 7.5 m. The base consists of ca. 1 m of dark gray, very fine-grained siltstone, with angular multi–faceted pebbles. These are overlain by 4.5 m of The term ‘‘Malvinokaffric’’ was introduced by Richter (1941) to replace the inappropriate term ‘‘austral’’ of Clarke (1913). The term ‘‘austral’’, which defined the Devonian forms in South America, became inadequate because it implied that all Southern Hemisphere Devonian faunas had an exclusively austral paleobiogeographic character. This is not the case, and the morphological characteristics of the euro-asiatic (boreal) faunas of New Zealand and Australia were already known. Clarke (1913) considered not only the trilobites but also a faunistic set that characterized a vast Southern Hemisphere region, and included different brachiopods and other invertebrate groups. The derivation of the term (Malvinocaffrische) came about with the reunion of two regions of occurrence of Clarke’s (1913) austral fauna: the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands and Cape Province (South Africa). Richter and Richter (1942) concluded that the Malvinokaffric Realm constituted one faunistic unit, as Clarke (1913) had already mentioned. However, they stressed through comparisons with the Northern Hemisphere fauna that this paleobiogeographic realm had been established during the Devonian, under constant migratory exchanges between the Malvinokaffric austral and boreal seas. Clarke (1913) conceived that the two isolated faunas experienced a parallel development since the Silurian (Bosetti 2004). The Paraná Basin is a center of the Malvinokaffric Realm in South America. This realm developed essentially in the Southern Hemisphere (South America, Antarctica, South Africa, and Ghana) during the Early Devonian and Eifelian. In contrast with the contemporaneous zoogeographical entities that dominated the shallow seas with warmer water in the Northern Hemisphere and Oceania, the Malvinokaffric was characterized by a low faunistic diversity, with few taxa represented by numerous individuals having extensive regional distribution (Shirley 1965). The Early Devonian–Eifelian strata in the Paraná Basin are characterized by the Malvinokaffric fauna. The entry of 123 E. P. Bosetti et al. Fig. 4 São Bento section with taxonomic and taphonomic distributions the extra-Malvinokaffric articulate brachiopod Tropidoleptus, in regions previously dominated by Malvinokaffric forms, is considered by most geologists to represent the irreversible decline of the faunistic realm defined by the Malvinokaffric shelly fauna. The Malvinokaffric extinction The causes of the extinction of the Malvinokaffric shelly fauna in Western Gondwana is a controversial matter involving geochronology and physical environmental factors. Copper (1977) stated that the mass extinction of the fauna occurred at the Frasnian–Famennian boundary. This assertion was founded on the hypothesis that an extremely cold climate would have caused recifal and peri-recifal faunal extinction. Isaacson (1978) agreed with Copper that the extinction resulted from a major marine regression at the end of the Devonian. According to Melo (1985), there were no records of Malvinokaffric forms in the upper part of the São Domingos Formation, but he conceded a 123 temporal expansion of the fauna (particularly trilobites, albeit uncommonly) into the Givetian. Assine and Petri (1996) confirmed that the transgression at the Eifelian– Givetian transition led to a drastic ecological change that was responsible for the disappearance of the Malvinokaffric Realm. This conclusion is corroborated by this study and is discussed below. Although the magnitude of Devonian extinctions is widely accepted, the duration, number, and causes of these events remain controversial: in particular, whether an event should be considered as a prolonged extinction, or two separate events, or a series of events. Most geologists now regard the Frasnian–Famennian extinction as being the most significant during the Devonian. However, House (2002) stressed that some other Devonian crises were at least comparable with the F/F Event, and he pointed out that the Eifelian–Givetian (KAČÁK) Event might have been the most striking extinction. Most of these events are diagnosed by lithofacies and, according to House (2002), the 20 middle Paleozoic Earliest Givetian ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ in the Paraná Basin extinction events share many common characteristics. They are usually characterized by dark-colored sedimentary facies (indicative of dysoxia or anoxia), hosting a depauperate or no benthic fauna, and are frequently under and overlain by regressive facies. Many of these sediments are associated with faunal extinction. The primary cause of dysoxia or anoxia is still much debated, but this phenomenon has a clear short-term effect on contemporary sea beds. According to House (2002), many events show complex and progressive changes in oxygenated conditions during the Devonian, following a common pattern and probably also having a common cause. These changes may have been induced by climatic and consequential cycles of erosion or fluctuations in sea level (eustatic or epeirogenic). Related cyclic climate changes forced by orbital cycles (e.g. Milankovitch) may also be implicated. Most of the extinction events recorded in the Devonian are associated with a transgression followed by a regressive phase (House 2002 and references therein). These events are usually manifested globally, but local or regional variations of this pattern cannot be disregarded. It is unclear if the event represented in the São Domingos Formation was a consequence of one of these global events. However, the studied sequence does show sedimentary characteristics in accordance with the general regression/transgression model whereby shallow water ecosystems would be quickly replaced by anoxic deep water ecosystems. The black shales characterizing parts of the São Domingos Formation are accepted as maximum flooding surfaces (Lange and Petri 1967; Melo 1985, 1988; Assine and Petri 1996; Assine 1996; Bergamaschi 1999; Bergamaschi and Pereira 2001; Bosetti 2004), thus indicating dysoxic/anoxic conditions during the maximum marine inundation of the basin. Bosetti (2004) used a high resolution collecting taphonomic method and described in some detail part of the São Domingos Formation in the Barreiro region (Tibagi), and new finds of calmoniid trilobites, conulariids, and rhynchonellid brachiopods (Schuchertella, Australocelia, and Derbyina). All of these were supposedly extinct at this time of deposition. Bosetti (2004) also indicated that the Malvinokaffric fauna extended beyond the Eifelian–Givetian boundary, reaching into the Givetian, and without apparent modifications in its paleobiodiversity. However, later finds by Bosetti et al. (2009) in the same region demonstrated that only a few Malvinokaffric taxa transgressed this boundary and that these taxa are represented by phenotypes of subnormal dimensions compared with the typical representatives of the Malvinokaffric fauna. Therefore, this São Domingos shale fauna can be regarded as a relictual Malvinokaffric assemblage. It is generally believed that the Paraná Basin exposures of late Middle–Late Devonian strata are poorly fossiliferous, and that the major proportion of the invertebrates (especially cnidarians, trilobites, and articulate brachiopods) occurring in the Ponta Grossa Formation sensu stricto had become extinct before the early Givetian. However, this alone does not explain the absence of the paleofauna, because even in the lower sequences there are records of other trangressive peaks of equal intensity, and with an abundance of invertebrates. In the early Givetian, after the collapse of the classic Malvinokaffric shelly fauna, the effect of warm water faunas with an Appalachian affinity is obvious in the Amazonas Basin (Melo 1988; previously noted by Rathbun 1874). The situation is somewhat different in the Paraná Basin, where a calmoniid trilobite (i.e. Pennaia pauliana) ranges into the early Givetian after the collapse of the classic Malvinokaffric shelly fauna. Relictual assemblage in the São Domingos formation The appearance of relictual fossil assemblages is common in global paleontological records, especially during immediate post-extinction events (e.g. latest Ordovician Event; Ireviken Event, Silurian of Sweden, Erlfeldt 2006; Trangrediens Event, Siluro—Devonian boundary in Eastern Europe, Urbanek 1993; Late Devonian (Frasnian/ Famennian) Event and Permo—Triassic Event, Twitchett 2007; Late Triassic Event; K/T Event, etc.). Urbanek (1970) defined relictual assemblages as sets of low-diversity species or monospecific occurrences that survived environmental disturbances in a given area. It is the immediate effect of the extinction, associated with each biotic crisis that leads to a drastic reduction of the number of species as a result of ecological change. Such changes open possibilities for new species to occupy the affected area via speciation or immigration. Once the dispersion of the species has been established, the local area is rapidly recolonized (Krebs 1986). Urbanek (1993) stated that in some cases the relictual assemblages exhibit attributes of post-event syndrome, for example extremely low diversity, high abundance of individuals, and subnormal phenotype like reduction in size. They represent a brief delay in the evolutionary changes of a specific fauna, before adaption to new environmental conditions. The fossil assemblages studied here can be regarded as representatives of a relictual assemblage because, as typical Malvinokaffric fauna, they show low taxonomic diversity and great abundance in the Sı́tio Wolff and São Bento outcrops. The distinctive factor of this new assemblage is that the diversity is even lower than that 123 E. P. Bosetti et al. characterizing the typical Malvinokaffric endemic fauna, and the abundance levels of each taxon are high. The fact that the fossil adult forms found in these localities are much smaller than normal, and that alien elements (orthoconic nautiloids) are present in these beds (as likely immigrants) suggest that the conditions inferred by Urbanek (1970, 1993) were established at these localities during the Eifelian–Givetian transition. In the post-crisis phase two lines of development in the relictual assemblages are envisaged: 1. 2. A great numerical abundance creates favourable conditions for generating a sufficient variation (‘‘raw material’’ later used in adaptive radiation), and some expansion of the niche is also involved, because of both the abundance and increased variation of the relictual species (Urbanek 1993). These factors obstruct, at least in part, the invasion of empty habitats by immigrants, thus facilitating rapid local speciation of native elements. In a relatively short time, the main niches available are inhabited again by new settlers, hindering the possibility of entry of alien forms. These latter are thus restricted but not necessarily absent (Urbanek 1993). When a delay of the evolutionary response of the indigenous relictual species does not show distinct post-event syndrome, and, especially, no sign of a population explosion, the habitats remain sufficiently empty to eventually be colonized by immigrants. The delayed response to ecological change could create an opportunity for rapid habitation by immigrants (Urbanek 1993). In the São Domingos Formation, the faunal composition, distribution, and abundance indicate the first situation, where the relictual assemblage itself occupies a substantial part of the benthic niches; and the only alien element of the assemblage, the immigrant orthoconic nautiloids, occupy the newly created pelagic niches. The lithologic variation observed in the study area was produced by pronounced eustatic variations, considering the modest lithologic variation in major parts of the Ponta Grossa and São Domingos formations. These strata signify a succession of paleoenvironments; i.e. a pattern of coarse sediments, at shoreface, to fine offshore sediments, according to Walker and Plint (1992) and Reading and Collinson (1996). The paleoenvironments progress from proximal shoreface to distal offshore. The base is represented by a coarse regressive phase with the occurrence of conglomeratic (quartzite and quartz pebbles, maximum diameter ca. 1 cm), very coarse-grained unfossiliferous sandstones (6 m thick at Sı́tio Wolff) suggestive of a proximal shoreface environment. Above this facies is a succession of fine-grained sandstone to 123 medium-grained siltstone (2 m thick at Sı́tio Wolff) with ichnofossils (Phycosiphon) and fragmented plants (mm to cm-sized, parallel to the bedding planes); this culminates with an argillaceous dark shale (5 m thick at Sı́tio Wolff) lacking benthic fossils and indicating a distal offshore, retrogradational environment, below storm wave base (SWB). Towards the top a conglomeratic sandstone bed (maximum thickness 0.5 m at Sı́tio Wolff), similar to the basal one represents a sudden recurrence of the shore facies (proximal shoreface). Above this sequence, silty shales (2 m at Sı́tio Wolff) are covered by coarse to finegrained siltstones with wavy stratification (5 m at Sı́tio Wolff), similar to distal shoreface environments near fair weather wave base (FWWB). These latter two facies are abundantly fossiliferous, and contain subnormal-size phenotypes. The distribution and abundance of the fossils in the section are not random; they are linked to the depositional tracts recognized by the sedimentary facies analysis. At Sı́tio Wolff at least three main bathymetric changes are recognizable, reflecting changes in temperature and oxygenation. The base of the section represents the shore facies and the absence of bioclasts can be explained taphonomically, whereby the preservation of fossils in conglomeratic coarse-grained sandstones is less probable. The middle part represents a brief interval of maximum flooding; i.e. at the extreme peak of the local transgression. The fact that no megafossils or ichnofossils occur in this facies is evidently a consequence of anoxia or extremely low oxygenation of the sea floor. The post-event syndrome would be expected in the upper part of the section (distal shoreface environment) where the bioclasts represent a phenotypic reaction to conditions unfavourable for growth of individuals (conulariids, brachiopods, and molluscs) and the natural selection of specimens and species of smaller size (ichnofossils produced by small organisms, ostracods, and trilobites). The conditions envisaged by Urbanek (1970, 1993) are exemplified by these facies of the São Domingos Formation. To conclude, the stratigraphic intervals investigated here are considered to have been deposited during the collapse of the Malvinokaffric shelly biota, and the fauna can therefore be considered as relictual with subnormal-size phenotypes. This distinctive fauna clearly exemplifies the post-event syndrome. Brayard et al. (2010) studied Early Triassic gastropods in the aftermath of the Permian–Triassic mass extinction. They found that large specimens had already developed some 1–2 Ma following the mass extinction, and concluded either that the lilliput effect was an artifact (or not particularly significant), or that the postextinction recovery in the marine realm was rapid, in the Earliest Givetian ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ in the Paraná Basin Fig. 5 Conulariids (a–g) and brachiopods (h–j) from Sı́tio Wolff. a Conularia quı´chua. MPI 3697. b Paraconularia ulrichana. MPI 3654. c Paraconularia ulrichana with plant fragments. MPI 3751. d Paraconularia ulrichana. MPI 3772. e Paraconularia ulrichana. MPI 3401. f Paraconularia ulrichana with plant fragments. MPI 5678. g Paraconularia ulrichana. MPI 3707. h Schuchetella agassizi. MPI 3664. i Australocoelia palmata. MPI 5679. j Australocoelia palmata. MPI 3599 order of 1–2 Ma. Our results suggest that the recovery after the KAČÁK Event was indeed rapid and probably less than 1 Ma. 2. Taphonomic considerations The taphonomic analysis aimed primarily at determining the following attributes: 1. the degree of valve fragmentation; 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. the degree of disarticulation of valves and component parts; the position of valves and parts in relation to bedding planes; the effects of bioerosion; the effects of abrasion; the degree of packing; and distribution and abundance levels (Appendix 1). The conulariids are very fragmented, whereas brachiopods and molluscs are intact, with the exception of one, 123 E. P. Bosetti et al. Fig. 6 Bivalves (a) and trilobites (b–e) from Sı́tio Wolff. a Nuculana? viator. MPI 3535. b Thorax of Pennaia pauliana. MPI 3818 c Pygidium of Pennaia pauliana. MPI 3662. d Cephalon of Pennaia pauliana. MPI 3748–B. e Pennaia pauliana. MPI 3367–A partly fragmented specimen of Schuchertella agassizi Hartt 1874. Trilobites are mostly articulate (entire specimens and articulated thorax/pygidium), isolated pygidia and cephala being incommon. 123 Apart from Spongiophyton, the plant fragments are difficult to classify. There are no bioclasts with evidence of bioerosion and abrasion, and the bioclasts are poorly packed and matrix-supported. Earliest Givetian ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ in the Paraná Basin Fig. 7 Brachiopods (a–d), nautiloids (e–f), and ichnofossils (g–h) from Sı́tio Wolff. a Orbiculoidea baini, Brachial valve uncompressed. MPI 3669. b Orbiculoidea excentrica (1– ventral valve; 2– brachial valve). MPI 3663. c Lingulid indet in ‘‘scissor’’–position. MPI 3582. d Lingulid indet. MPI 3769–B. e ?Ctenoceras sp. MPI 5680. f ?Ctenoceras sp. MPI 5681. g Phycosiphon isp. MPI 3666. h Phycosiphon isp. MPI 5682 123 E. P. Bosetti et al. Morphological variations and apparently subnormal size phenotypes must be carefully analyzed, because the fossilization processes, especially diagenetic factors, can affect the original morphology of the bioclasts. Lucas (2001) introduced the term ‘‘taphotaxa’’, referring to taxa based on morphological characters produced by the fossilization processes. The identification of invalid taxa in the Ponta Grossa Formation (conulariids and trilobites) by Simões et al. (2003) and Soares et al. (2008), demonstrates that diagenetic and weathering alterations can modify the original structure of fossils, thus leading to erroneous taxonomic assignments. The subnormal-sized phenotypes have been described above and compared with those of normal size that occur in other facies; and taphotaxa have not been found in the analyzed concentration, because morphological alterations linked to taphonomic characteristics have not been observed. Moreover, all the fossils display growth lines, striae, and morphological features of the carapaces and exuviae indicative of advanced ontogenetic growth. Twitchett (2007) stressed that, in relation to body size of specimens, some preservational aspects can affect the totality of the fossils in an assemblage, and the hydrodynamic selection of bioclasts (by some kind of water flux) is one of the factors to be considered in search of taphonomic bias. In this study, entire fossils and fragments of variable size occur in the same sample and on the same bedding plane. Fragile plant fragments are intimately associated with entire trilobite carapaces and minute orbiculoid valves, all of them of different sizes and densities, but occurring side by side. This suggests that, if transportation of bioclasts had occurred, it was insufficient to cause selection by size or density. Taphonomic classes linked to paleobathymetry and to autochthony/parautochthony/allochthony factors were proposed by Rodrigues et al. (2003) based on conulariids, and by Simões et al. (2009) based on homalonotid trilobites. The conulariids (Fig. 5) are represented at Sı́tio Wolff by isolated, horizontally oriented and incomplete specimens without apertural parts and are attributable to taphonomic class 3-IV of Rodrigues et al. (2003). They occur in bioturbated siltstones (bioturbation index 3 of Miller and Smail 1997) at the FWWB. The taphonomy of the conulariids indicates that the taphocoenosis is parautochthonous to allochthonous. In relation to the degrees of disarticulation and fragmentation, the basic, distinctive morphologies of the diverse taxonomic groups was considered. All rhynchonellids and bivalves (Figs. 5, 6) are disarticulated and concordant with the bedding planes, thus suggesting a time interval between death and ultimate burial of the bioclasts, but without hydrodynamic selection. Regarding 123 the trilobites (Fig. 6), three situations are evident (in descending frequency): 1. 2. 3. the predominant occurrence of complete exuviae (extended skeleton); the occurrence of articulated thorax/pygidium; and subordinate occurrence of isolated pygidia, and more rarely isolated cephala. Overall, this points to autochthony/parautochthony (Fig. 6). Discinid brachiopods (Fig. 7) are abundant and represented exclusively by the genus Orbiculoidea. The typical dorso-ventral flattening of the brachial valve was not observed. Dorsal and ventral valves normally occur disarticulated, but very close to each other and, in some cases, they belong to the same individual. Lingulids (Fig. 7), are normally concordant with the bedding planes, complete or with the valves in scissor position, demonstrating that there was no significant transport of these specimens; hence they are regarded as autochthonous to parautochthonous. Nautiloids (Fig. 7) are relatively rare in the Paraná Basin, and only two genera are known (Orthoceras and Spyroceras). Orthoconic nautiloids, here referred questionably to ?Ctenoceras Noetling 1884, are abundant in the studied area and are recorded for the first time in the São Domingos Formation. These bioclasts are found complete or without the apical extremity, concordant with the bedding planes, and without preferred orientation, thus indicating the absence of paleocurrents or occurrence in the nearshore swash zone (Grahn 1986). The cyrtoconic shell of the orthoceratids is strongly curved, and when fragmented can be confused with the shells of tentaculitds of the genus Fig. 8 Selected acritarchs (a–b), miospores (c–o), and chitinozoans c (p–t) from the Barreiro section and São Bento. The scale bar represents 20 lm. a Chomotriletes vedugensis. Sı́tio Ari, sample 2, BPA 200912041, G67/3. b Lunulidia micropunctata, Sı́tio Wolff, sample 7, BPA 200912046, O45/3. c Grandispora mammillata, Casa de Pedra, BPA 200904539, D43. d Craspedispora paranaensis, Casa de Pedra, BPA 200904539, D54. e Grandispora pseudoreticulata, Casa de Pedra, BPA 200904539, J61. f Chelinospora ligurata, Casa de Pedra, BPA 200904539, G51/2. g Zonotriletes armillatus, Casa de Pedra, BPA 200904539, K41/4. h Leiotriletes balapucensis, Casa de Pedra, BPA 200904539, O54. i Cristatisporites sp.1, Casa de Pedra, BPA 200904539, R50. j Archaeozonotriletes variabilis, Casa de Pedra, BPA 200904539, S40. k Dibolisporites turriculatus, Casa de Pedra, BPA 200904539, U40/3. l Grandispora douglastownense, São Bento, BPA 200913384, L39/1. m Verrucosisporites premnus, São Bento, BPA 200913384, V58/4. n Grandispora permulta, São Bento, BPA 200913384, W61/4. o Chelinospora timanica, São Bento, BPA 200913384, M52. p Alpenachitina matogrossensis?, São Bento, BPA 200913384, D65c. q Alpenachitina petrovinensis, São Bento, BPA 200913384, E42c. r Ancyrochitina sp. cf. A. cornigera, São Bento, BPA 200913384, L38/1. s Ramochitina aff. R. boliviensis, Casa de Pedra, BPA 200904539, Q38/4. t Ramochitina ramosi. Casa de Pedra, BPA 200904539, Q55 Earliest Givetian ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ in the Paraná Basin 123 E. P. Bosetti et al. Homoctenus Ljaschenko 1955, which was recorded by Ciguel (1989) in strata dated as Givetian. Despite the similarities, the specimens studied are clearly chambered, longer than tentaculitids and the curvature is located near the midline of the shell, rather than in the apical region. Because of the characteristic morphology of the shell it was decided to use the genus ?Ctenoceras to define this group; however, taxonomic studies are clearly necessary. Ichnofossils (Fig. 7) belonging to the ichnogenus Phycosiphon (ichnofacies Zoophycos) occur as U–shaped loops, frequently ramified, and when in great numbers they form large systems parallel or oblique to the bedding planes. These structures are recorded for the first time in the Paraná Basin, and the animal that originated them was probably a small (possibly mm-sized) vermiform organism. This ichnofossil has been recorded in the Devonian of the Parnaı́ba Basin, and is likely to represent another migratory element in the assemblages here analyzed. Palynomorphs (Fig. 8) are scarce immediately before the extinction event (Sı́tio Ari) and during the post– extinction ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ (Sı́tio Wolff and São Bento), but become common subsequently (Casa de Pedra). The siltstones above the basal sandstones at Sı́tio Ari contain, inter alia, Chomotriletes vedugensis, an acritarch that first occurs in latest Eifelian strata near the Eifelian–Givetian boundary (Le Hérissé, personal communication 2009) in Bolivia (base of Los Monos Formation). Lunulidia micropunctata, an ecological phenotype of Navifusa bacilla, that occurs at Sı́tio Wolff and has been recorded in stressed environments of latest Emsian–Frasnian age in the Paraná Basin. Thus, its presence at Sı́tio Wolff likewise signifies a stressed environment. Miospores and chitinozoans from São Bento and Casa de Pedra are diversified and abundant (Appendix 2), and indicative of earliest and early Givetian age, respectively (the miospore index species Chelinospora ligurata is present at Casa de Pedra). The section at São Bento also contains chitinozoans restricted to the earliest Givetian (i.e. Alpenachitina matogrossensis? and Alpenachitina petrovinensis). On the basis of all the data obtained from this taphonomic analysis, it can be concluded that the taphocoenose is parautochthonous being preserved essentially in a near life position with little or no evidence of transportation. (Figs. 1 and 2) have been investigated. They demonstrate a pre-extinction Malvinokaffric sequence at Sı́tio Ari; followed at Sı́tio Wolff and São Bento, by an extinction event possibly related to the latest Eifelian KAČÁK Event, and an earliest Givetian post-extinction event characterized by the ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’. The extinction event reduced the Malvinokaffric genera from 65 to eight in the post-extinction event. The individual taxa from the surviving genera are notably abundant and, as a manifestation of the ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’, they display a size reduction of up to 90%. Palynomorphs are scarce during the extinction and post-extinction events. The Malvinokaffric relictual fauna at Sı́tio Wolff and São Bento represents the last survivors of the distinctive Malvinokaffric fauna in the Paraná Basin. They are here mixed with immigrants and alien elements (e.g. orthoconic nautiloids). At Casa de Pedra, the São Domingos Formation is stratigraphically immediately above the postextinction beds and yields an early Givetian warmer water assemblage with Malvinokaffric survivors (e.g. Pennaia pauliana). Acknowledgments Elvio Pinto Bosetti acknowledges Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico (CNPq, PQ 480427/2007-0), Rafael Costa da Silva CPRM-RJ, for improving ichnofossil taxonomy, Juliana de Morais Leme (Universidade de São Paulo—USP), for improving conulariid taxonomy, and Dmitry A. Ruban (Rostov-na-Donu, Russia), for valuable suggestions. Yngve Grahn thanks the Faculty of Geology at Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) and Dr C. S. Valladares, head of the post-graduate program at the Faculty of Geology, for access to the facilities, and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico (CNPq, PQ 309751/2007-1) which made his work possible through grants. Rodrigo Scalise Horodyski thanks CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nı́vel Superior), Paula Mendlowicz Mauller CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nı́vel Superior, BEX 4515/05-6), and Carolina Zabini the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico (CNPq, 140659/2007-2) for grants. Pierre Breuer acknowledges the Saudi Arabian Oil company (Saudi Aramco) for granting permission to work on this published material. Prof. emer. Art Boucot (Corvallis, Oregon) and Prof. emer. Adam Urbanek (Warsaw, Poland) read the manuscript, and their comments were most useful. The comments and linguistic correction by the two reviewers, Prof. emer. Art Boucot (Corvallis, Oregon) and Prof. emer. Geoffrey Playford (Brisbane, Australia) greatly improved the content of the manuscript. Dr Thomas Heuse (Jena, Germany) made the German translations. Willian Mikio Kurita Matsumura (UEPG, Ponta Grossa) is acknowledged for help in field and improvement of the illustrations. Our sincere thanks to all. Concluding remarks Three sections (Sı́tio Ari, Sı́tio Wolff, and Casa de Pedra) in the lower part of the São Domingos Formation in its type area near Tibagi and at a locality at São Bento 123 Appendix 1 See Table 1. Earliest Givetian ‘‘Lilliput Effect’’ in the Paraná Basin Sample 2 Table 1 Fossils and taphonomic data from Sı́tio Wolf Taxon Fragmentation Articulation Position VF X OB VF X OB Conulatae Conularia quı´chua Ulrich 1890 Paraconularia ulrichana Clarke 1913 Lingulida Acritarchs: Chomotriletes vedugensis Naumova 1953, ?Navifusa sp, and Tasmanites spp. Sı́tio Wolf Sample 3 Orbiculoidea baini Sharpe 1856 NF D OB Orbicoloidea excentrica Lange 1943 Lingulids indet NF D OB NF D OB Sample 4 Derbyina whitiorum Clarke 1913 NF D OB Spores: Spore gen. sp. indet Australocoelia palmata NF D OB Sample 5 F D OB Acritarchs: cf. Dactylofusa sp., Acritarcha gen. sp. indet. Chitinozoans: Ancyrochitina? spp. Spores: Spore gen. sp. indet. Rhynchonellida (Morris and Sharpe 1846) Schuchertella agassizi Hartt 1874 Barren Sample 6 Bivalvia Nuculana? viator Reed 1925 NF D OB LF X OB Nautiloida ?Ctenoceras sp. Noetling 1884 Trilobita Pennaia pauliana Clarke 1913 Barren Sample 7 Acritarchs: Lunulidia micropunctata Pöthe de Baldis 1979 X D–A OB Sample 8 Crustacea Ostracoda indet. NF A OB Barren X X OB Sample 9 F X OB Barren Zoophycos Phycosiphon isp Spongiophytaceae Spongiophyton spp. Kräusel 1954 São Bento Algae Algae indet. VF X OB F fragmented, VF very fragmented, LF little fragmented, NF not fragmented, D disarticulated, A articulated, OB on the bedding plane, X not considered Sample 1 Barren Sample 2 Appendix 2: Palynomorphs from Sı́tio Ari, Sı́tio Wolf, São Bento, and Casa de Pedra Sı́tio Ari Sample 1 Acritarchs: Leiosphaeridia spp. Acritarchs: Navifusa bacilla (Deunff) Playford 1977 and other unidentified acritarchs. Chitinozoans: Alpenachitina matogrossensis? Burjack & Paris 1989, Alpenachitina petrovinensis Burjack & Paris 1989, Ancyrochitina langei Sommer & Boekel 1964, Ancyrochitina sp. cf. A. cornigera Collinson & Scott 1958, Ancyrochitina spp., Fungochitina pilosa Collinson & Scott 1958, and Ramochitina sp. 123 E. P. Bosetti et al. Spores: cf. Acinosporites lindlarensis Riegel 1968, Chelinospora timanica (Naumova) Loboziak & Streel 1989, Grandispora douglastownense McGregor 1973, cf. Grandispora douglastownense McGregor 1973, Grandispora libyensis Moreau–Benoit 1980, Grandispora permulta (Daemon) Loboziak, Streel & Melo 1999, cf. Grandispora sp., Muraticavea sp., Verrucosisporites premnus Richardson 1965. Casa de Pedra Acritarchs: Gorgonisphaeridium spp., Leiosphaeridia spp., Navifusa bacilla (Deunff) Playford 1977, and other unidentified acritarchs. Chitinozoans: Ancyrochitina spp., Ancyrochitina langei Sommer & Boekel 1964, Ramochitina aff. R. boliviensis Grahn 2002, R. ramosi Sommer & Boekel 1964, Sphaerochitina? spp., and Chitinozoa gen. et sp. indet. Spores: Acinosporites acanthomammillatus Richardson 1965, A. lindlarensis Riegel 1968, A. macrospinosus Richardson 1965, Apiculiretusispora spp., Archaeozonotriletes variabilis (Naumova) Allen 1965, Auroraspora minuta Richardson 1965, Camarozonotriletes? concavus Loboziak & Streel 1989, Chelinospora ligurata Allen 1965, C. timanica (Naumova) Loboziak & Streel 1989, Craspedispora paranaensis Loboziak, Streel & Burjack 1988, Cristatisporites sp.1, Diatomozonotriletes franklinii McGregor & Camfield 1982, Dibolisporites turriculatus Balme 1988, Emphanisporites mcgregorii Cramer 1966, E. rotatus McGregor 1961, Geminospora svalbardiae (Vigran) Allen 1965, Grandispora incognita (Kedo) McGregor & Camfield 1976, G. libyensis Moreau–Benoit 1980, G. mammillata Owens 1971, G. permulta (Daemon) Loboziak, Streel & Melo 1999, G. pseudoreticulata (Menéndez & Pöthe de Baldis) Ottone 1996, Leiotriletes balapucensis di Pasquo 2007, Retusotriletes paraguayensis Menéndez & Pöthe de Baldis 1967, Retusotriletes spp., Samarisporites spp., Verrucosisporites scurrus (Naumova) McGregor and Camfield 1982, Verrucosisporites spp., and Zonotriletes armillatus Breuer et al. 2007. 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