Taphonomic field experiment in a freshwater shallow lake: alteration of gastropod shells below the sediment–water interface

Abstract

We conducted a taphonomic field experiment to evaluate the effects of (1) depth below the sediment-water interface (SWI) and (2) time of exposure on the accrual of damage (particularly through dissolution) to empty mollusc shells in freshwater environments. The experiment, which lasted 30 months, was carried out in the littoral area of Lake Nahuel Rucá, a shallow freshwater lake in the Pampa plain of Argentina. Bags (0.5-cm mesh) containing empty, cleaned shells of the freshwater gastropods Heleobia parchappii, Biomphalaria peregrina and Pomacea canaliculata were buried at three different depths (5, 20 and 35 cm) below the SWI. Damage was assessed every 3 months. All experimental shells exhibited fine-scale surface alteration, but the extent of this damage was relatively low, even in shells recovered after 30 months of exposure. Most of the damage consisted of minor pitting. For H. parchappii and B. peregrina, shell surface alteration varied significantly with depth, but not with time; in both species, alteration occurred mainly at the beginning of the experiment. For P. canaliculata, shell surface alteration varied significantly only with respect to time and this was the case for all three burial depths. All shells of this species exhibited a lower level of damage than what was observed for H. parchappii and B. peregrina. These differences may be related to the fact that P. canaliculata is characterized by a larger and thicker shell than the other two species. The shell attributes of larger size and greater thickness are known to confer a greater resistance to shell dissolution. In addition, the reactive surface area available for dissolution varies with shell size. Larger-sized shells have a lower potential for dissolution than smaller shells due to their lower surface-Area-To-volume ratio. In contrast, species such as H. parchappii and B. peregrina, which have smaller and thinner shells, are likely to be more rapidly destroyed because they are more vulnerable to dissolution and have less preservation potential. Our results demonstrate that dissolution is a significant taphonomic process affecting shells even during burial and that the influence of dissolution on shell alteration might be significant in cases of long persistence within the taphonomically active zone. Consequently, we suggest that when working on taphofacies in the context of aquatic environments, assessments of taphonomic alteration should include changes at and below the SWI.