Actualilstic taphonomy of freshwater mollusks from the argentine pampas: an overview of recent research progress

DE FRANCESCO, CLAUDIO GERMÁN; TIETZE, ELEONOR; CRISTINI, PAULA ANDREA; HASSAN, GABRIELA SUSANA

Congreso; Taller de tafonomía actualista de america del sur; 2017

Historically the development of taphonomic studies in freshwater environments has been scarce and mainly restricted to the northern hemisphere , with almost no information on how taphonomic processes work (and eventually differ) in the southern hemisphere. We present here an overview of the main results obtained in actualistic taphonomic studies on freshwater mollusks conducted in the pampa plain of Argentina, since 2008. Research included patterns of disttribution of live and dead mollusks, live/dead fidelity at local and regional scales and dead and fossil shell preservation. Studies were conducted above and below the sediment water interface, including both descriptive and experimental approaches. Live/dead fidelity and taphonomic studies were compared between streams and lakes (the two most compiscuous aquatic environments in the area) and among shallow lakes exhibiting differences in water quality and substrate. Addiotionally