Application of Micro Computed-Tomography in the characterisation of Early Triassic coprolite microstructures and microfossils from the Burgersdorp Formation (Tarkastad Subgroup, Beaufort Group) of South Africa
Date
2022
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Abstract
Driefontein 11, a farm in the Free State province of South Africa, is a fossiliferous Early Triassic locality with a diverse and prolific coprolite assemblage. This study used micro-CT to characterise the coprofabrics and coprolite inclusions of 47 coprolites from this assemblage, and assesses how well these variables correlate with their respective morphotype assignations. Three different coprofabrics were characterised: homogenous massive, heterogenous massive and heterogenous zoned. Homogenous massive coprofabrics are indicative of coprolite perpetrators with high digestive efficacy, whereas both types of the heterogenous coprofabrics are indicative of individuals with varying digestive strategies. The coprolites document several microfossil inclusions including fish, tetrapods and the second instance of Early Triassic beetles and freshwater bivalves. The coprolite ordination shows that there is no unambiguous correlation between morphotypes or coprofabrics and microfossil inclusions. This contribution is a first step in the understanding of the fauna that inhabited this Early Triassic ecosystem and their feeding ecology.
Description
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2022
Keywords
Micro Computed-Tomography, Early Triassic coprolite microstructures, Microfossils