What can be gained from studying coprolite taphonomy: the case of Villanueva-1 (Palencia, Spain)

ABSTRACT

Coprolites are relatively common trace fossils in Quaternary sites and are used to obtain a variety of information that goes from environment reconstruction to dating sites or recovering DNA among others. However, little attention is given to taphonomic processes undergone by the coprolites that might compromise their validity as sources of information. In this paper, we present the study of the Middle Pleistocene coprolites of Villanueva-1 from a taphonomic point of view and discuss the results of the analyses performed and how the taphonomic alterations identified have an effect on palaeoecological interpretations based on these fossils. Modifications prior to burial may be determined by direct observation of shape, colour, fractures and inclusions. Some diagenetic alterations can also be inferred from colour differences, but mostly require destructive analyses in order to identify the degree of chemical and structural changes that might interfere with content preservation, such as pollen, DNA, or organic carbon for dating purposes.

KEYWORDS:

• Diagenesis
• hyaena
• Quaternary
• SEM
• thin sections
• X-ray diffraction

Acknowledgments

We thank the team of the research project in Villanueva-1 and Guantes cave fossil sites Dr. César Laplana, Dr. Ana Mateos and Dr. Jesús Rodríguez, who collected part of the coprolites described in this paper; and the director of ’Museo Arqueológico de Palencia’ who authorised the loan of the Villanueva-1 coprolites stored in their facilities. We also thank the laboratory technicians from the Stratigraphy area of the Faculty of Geological Science, Juan Carlos Salamanca Mateos and Beatriz Moral Alcaide who prepared the thin sections; Carlos Alonso Recio from the photography laboratory of Palaeontology area for the pictures of the coprolites; and the technicians from the Laboratory of Geochemical and Environmental Analysis in the Faculty of Geological Science of Complutense University of Madrid for the chemical analysis, especially Dr. Xavier Arroyo Rey for his assistance in the X-ray diffraction and SEM analysis of the samples. Special appreciation to Dr. Eduardo Barrón and Eleuterio Baeza from the Spanish Geological Survey (IGME) for the pollen analysis.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministerio de Universidades [FPU20/00341] (Government of Spain); Universidad Complutense de Madrid [970827] (Quaternary Ecosystems UCM Research group). Managing Director of Patrimony of Junta de Castilla y León and the National Research Center of Human Evolution (CENIEH) have supported the excavations of Villanueva-1 fossil site.