Tardigrades are a diverse group of charismatic microscopic invertebrates that are best known
for their ability to survive extreme conditions. Despite their long evolutionary history and …

Because it is biased compared to the reality of ancient life, the fossil record requires specific
terminology when dealing with possible ancient biological associations of organisms. …

Symbiosis [1], understood as prolonged interspecific association, is as ancient as the
eukaryotic cell [2, 3]. A variety of such associations have been reported in the continental fossil …

In the 19th century, natural mummies of amphibians were discovered in the Quercy Phosphorites.
The specific collection site was never formally reported, which hampers precise dating …

Peracarida (eg woodlice and side-swimmers) are, together with their sister-group Eucarida (eg
krill and decapods), the most speciose group of modern crustaceans, suggested to have …

Background Dispersal is essential for terrestrial organisms living in disjunct habitats and
constitutes a significant challenge for the evolution of wingless taxa. Springtails (Collembola), …

Evidencing ancient interspecific associations in the fossil record may be challenging,
particularly when bacterial organisms have most likely been degraded during diagenesis. Yet, …

Fossil symbioses (Bary 1879) that are not recognized in modern assemblages are rare. This
holds true especially because fossil remains of interspecific association are sporadic and …

With approximately 1,500 extant species, freshwater crabs (Decapoda: Brachyura) are
among the most diverse decapod crustaceans. Nevertheless, their fossil record is extremely …

Teredinidae are obligate xylophagous bivalves that colonize drift wood. They display a
highly derived anatomy with a reduced shell; most of their body consists of soft tissues. …