The present study describes carapace valve morphologies of conchostracans (Crustacea) from the Bromacker Horizon (Tambach Sandstone Member, Tambach Formation, Rotliegend Group; Early Permian) of the Bromacker Lagerstätte in the Thuringian Forest Basin (Thuringia, Central Germany). Variations in valve morphology separate two morphotypes. The dominating morphotype 1 is Lioestheria andreevi (Zaspelova, 1968), regarded here as synonymous with Lioestheria monticula Martens, 1983. Much rarer is morphotype 2 with some individuals showing transitions to morphotype 1. Mass occurrence of conchostracans underlines the wet-dry seasonality of the past climate at Bromacker. Preservation of “soft” parts in the postero-dorsal parts of the body occurs in some specimens highlighting the Fossil-Lagerstätte quality of the Bromacker site. The recent radiometric dating of the Bromacker site shifts the lower limit of the “Lioestheria andreevi–Pseudestheria form Wilhelmsthal assemblage zone” sensu Schneider Scholze (2018) to the Asselian.

The Echaz River is a third-order karst river and a tributary of the Rhine. It originates in the Swabian Alb and cuts a cuesta landscape until it flows into the Neckar River. Structural changes to the natural course and floodplain of the Echaz are mainly due to the exploitation of its water power by mills and the irrigation of the so-called „water meadows“ during the Middle Ages (the water meadows appear in written sources as early as 1289, the mills in 1138 in Reutlingen, and in 1297 in Pfullingen).This study presents the first steps towards a multidisciplinary reconstruction of the Fluvial Anthroposphere, by investigating local medieval pathways and land use in parts of the Echaz floodplain upstream of Pfullingen and downstream of Reutlingen. This reach of the Echaz was a centre of crafts, tanneries, dyeing and paper manufacturing in the Middle Ages. The upstream sites represent areas of anthropogenic influence, with water meadows presumably established in the High Middle Ages, while the sediments and soils of the downstream sites have archived signals of medieval and early modern craft activities (such as heavy metals: chromium, copper, iron, nickel, lead, zinc).These first steps of research comprise the digitisation of old maps combined with information from historical and archaeological archives. A digital relief model in combination with geophysical results from Electromagnetic Induction (EMI) and, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) are correlated with soil profiles and soil/sediment cores from the Echaz floodplain, and form the basis for the reconstruction of natural and anhtropogenic stratigraphies.Future work will include the establishment of a chronostratigraphic model with luminescence ages of sediments and radiocarbon dates of charcoal fragments, which will provide the basis for the selection of suitable sites for further analysis, including a combination of digital historical maps and physical-biogeochemical analyses (enzymes for excrement input, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAH] for fire use), stable isotope ratios of C and N for the differentiation of C3 and C4 plants, as well as XRF analysis (for heavy metal pollution) as well as mollusc and ostracod analyses for aquatic habitat and water quality reconstruction.

Tufa deposits are high-resolution archives of Quaternary environmental change, yet the interpretation of their fossil ostracod assemblages is often limited by a lack of well-calibrated modern analogues. This study addresses this gap by conducting a multi-proxy analysis and direct comparison of two tufa-depositing systems in Thuringia, Germany: the modern Pennickental stream and an early Holocene profile from Plinz. By integrating ostracod, mollusc, plant macrofossil, and sedimentological data within the established palynological and isotopic framework for the Plinz site, we reconstruct a three-stage hydrological succession. The record begins with a cool, stable, spring-fed stream during the post-glacial transition (Zone A), transitions to a shallow, standing-water pond during the climatic amelioration of the early Holocene (Zone B), and ends in a cool, groundwater-dominated mire following a late Preboreal/early Boreal cooling event. In contrast, multivariate analysis of the modern Pennickental system reveals a spatially heterogeneous community structured by contemporary hydrochemical and hydrodynamic gradients. This comparative framework allows for the decoupling of two fundamental modes of biodiversity organization: the high temporal beta diversity at Plinz, driven by long-term ecological succession and faunal turnover in response to major climatic forcing, versus the high spatial beta diversity at Pennickental, maintained by niche partitioning in a mature, stable ecosystem. Our findings indicate a “no-analogue problem” comparing the two data sets but provide a robust, multi-proxy framework for critically applying modern spatial data to the interpretation of temporally dynamic records of the past.

The article is a continuation of systematic studies of marine ostracods of South Africa. The synonymies of the species Aurila dayii (Aurila strongyle "syn. nov.") and Aurila petricola (Hemicythere? sp. "syn. nov.") are proposed. For the first time, diagnostic characters of the species Hemicythere californiensis, Aurila petricola, Aurila kliei, and Mutilus bensonmaddocksorum have been identified. The presence/absence of the diagnostic "Aurila-Tooth" and its variability in the species Aurila dayii and Aurila petricola are discussed. SEM/DM images of generic and specific taxonomic characters are given. For the first time, sexual dimorphism of the shell was identified for the species Hemicythere californiensis and Urocythereis arcana, and supplemented for Aurila dayii, A. petricola, A. kliei, Mutilus bensonmaddocksorum, and M. malloryi. North Atlantic, North Pacific, and endemic zoogeographical groups of ostracods were identified, and it was concluded that endemics (70% of the total number of described species) dominate the biotopes of the southern and eastern coasts of South Africa. Data on the ecology, stratigraphic position, and geographical distribution of South African ostracods have been supplemented. Conclusions were made regarding the varying degrees of study of ostracods of the genera Hemicythere, Aurila, Mutilus, Urocythereis, and the need for further study of intraspecific variability, sexual dimorphism, and ontogenesis of ostracods in shell morphology, which are important for correct species identification.

Evolutionary developmental biology seeks to elucidate the developmental mechanisms underlying phenotypic evolution. Central to this endeavor is the quantitative analysis of morphological variation, for which morphometric approaches have become indispensable tools. While morphometric methods have been extensively applied in paleontological research across diverse fossil groups, certain taxa remain underexplored. Among these, ostracods (Crustacea) represent a particularly promising yet underutilized group for such analyses. The suitability of ostracods for evolutionary and developmental investigations stems from several key attributes: their near-ubiquitous distribution across aquatic habitats, a remarkable taxonomic and morphological diversity, and an exceptional fossil record spanning geological time scales. Traditional morphometric approaches are constrained by the time-intensive nature of data acquisition, limiting the extent of achievable datasets. To address this bottleneck, we evaluate the efficacy of AutoMorph, a high-throughput imaging pipeline, for automated extraction of size and shape data from ostracod valves. We apply this approach to two ostracod species, Leucocythere dorsotuberosa and Leucocytherella sinensis, sampled from six lakes across the Tibetan Plateau, a region offering aquatic ecosystems with high endemism, providing an ideal setting for investigating ecological and evolutionary responses through morphological approaches. Our findings demonstrate that the AutoMorph pipeline successfully extracts morphometric measurements and coordinate data from ostracod valves, substantially reducing processing time while minimizing subjective bias inherent in manual approaches. This methodological advancement facilitates the generation of extensive datasets, thereby enabling more comprehensive investigations of ecological and evolutionary processes on large spatial and temporal scales.

The present study provides one of the few records of cave ostracods in Greece, specifically focusing on the Cave of the Lakes in the Chelmos-Vouraikos UNESCO Global Geopark. Ostracods, known for their sensitivity to environmental variations, were collected from seven surface samples within the cave, leading to the identification of three taxa: Mixtacandona kastriensis nov. sp., Neglecandona vernalis, and Schellencandona sp. A total of 1 687 valves were identified, including the newly described species Mixtacandona kastriensis nov. sp. Additionally, the studied samples revealed the presence of gastropods of the Hydrobiidae family. This study underscores the substantial biodiversity of cave ostracods in the region and their potential role in palaeoecological research, highlighting the need for further exploration of the understudied karstic systems of Greece.

A central objective of the NamCore ICDP project is to understand Quaternary biotic dynamics—specifically species diversity, distribution, and evolution—in relation to Asian monsoon variability and orbitally driven climate change. Lacustrine ostracodes are therefore ideal indicators to assess (1) whether Nam Co served as a glacial refugium for cold-adapted species during glacial periods, (2) how biota responded to glacial–interglacial environmental transitions, and (3) whether the lake exhibits a high ecological resilience to environmental change.To address these objectives, a multi-scale analytical approach was applied. Ostracode valve analyses were conducted on 43 core catcher samples spanning depths from 8 m to 470 m b.l.f., corresponding to a stratigraphic resolution represented by intervals of 3–35 m, to provide an overview of broad-scale changes in ostracode distribution and abundance. To obtain higher-resolution data on species distribution and morphological variability, additional samples from core sections within the upper 33 m b.l.f. were analyzed at 16 cm intervals. Morphometric analyses of valve outline shape and size are intended to identify either gradual or abrupt changes in morphological variability. Environmentally driven morphological responses are expected to manifest as gradual shifts in size and/or shape, whereas re-colonization from other lakes may produce distinct morphological signatures, resulting in discontinuous variation in size or shape.Preliminary results indicate that ostracode abundance and species composition are highly variable, with ostracodes absent below 470 m b.l.f. In total, ten species were identified, with a maximum of five species per sample. Generally, samples from the uppermost 30 m contain four species that are absent in the lower sections of the record. Although Leucocytherella sinensis and ?Leucocythere dorsotuberosa represent the most abundant taxa, no species occurs continuously throughout the sedimentary record.Detailed analyses of species composition, combined with morphometric investigations, are expected to elucidate whether the discontinuous ostracode distribution pattern reflects repeated lake colonization events associated with, e.g. glacial–interglacial cycles. Such findings would have significant implications for understanding the role of the Tibetan Plateau as a biodiversity refugium during Quaternary climate oscillations and for reconstructing paleoenvironmental conditions from ostracode assemblages in high-altitude lake systems.

The Nam Co Drilling Project (NamCore) is a multinational and interdisciplinary research initiative designed to understand long-term climatic variability and associated environmental change on the Tibetan Plateau. The project primarily targets the timing and magnitude of Indian/East Asian monsoon variability and its interplay with the Westerlies. Thereby, the glacial-interglacial history and dynamics at high altitude; the impact of geological and environmental changes on (micro-)biological processes; the evolution and resilience of high-altitude ecosystems, including the deep biosphere; and geomagnetic variations during the Quaternary are of special interest.For in-depth investigations regarding the outlined research purposes, the (mostly) calcareous sediments of Nam Co, one of the largest and deepest lakes on the Tibetan Plateau, were targeted within the framework of the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) and cored in May-July 2024 (ICDP Expedition 5073). Altogether, 1415.45 m was drilled and 1175.99 m cored, with 950.77 m of sediment recovered (core recovery of 80.8 %) from seven holes at one site (5073_1) situated at a water depth of similar to 93 m, reaching a maximum depth of 510.2 m below the lake floor. Initial results from core descriptions and preliminary core catcher analyses suggest that the sediments of Nam Co reflect the evolution of a dynamic high-altitude lake system over multiple glacial-interglacial cycles. Four major lithologies are observed in the drill cores (calcareous mud, non-calcareous mud, calcareous mud with ferric staining and sand) and grouped into five major lithological units based on their physicochemical characteristics obtained from core catcher material. Micropaleontological results from core catcher material reveal a general absence of diatoms, due to unsuitable growing and/or preservation conditions, while ostracods abundances, preservation, and species composition vary, which might be linked to environmental changes and/or changing preservation conditions. Shifts in n-alkane chain length might be attributable to lake-level variations and/or glacial-interglacial cycles.

The AD 365 and the AD 1303 tsunamis are known extreme wave events that caused severe damage and fatalities along the coastlines of the eastern Mediterranean Sea. We analysed geomorphological and sedimentological data from the Korission Lagoon (Corfu Island, Greece) and compared them with results of numerical simulations. Washover fans and sediment cores reveal coarse-grained high-energy deposits intersecting prevailing lagoonal conditions. Geochemical and microfaunal analyses document a marine origin of these deposits. Results of radiocarbon dating suggest that they may correlate with the 365 AD and 1303 AD tsunami events. Numerical simulations of the 365 AD tsunami suggest the formation of several generations of tsunami waves during tsunami landfall. Erosion of the beach ridge and sedimentation in the lagoon increases with higher tsunami wave heights and flow velocities and is strongly controlled by the local topography. Generally, we found good agreement between field data and numerical simulation. Our model validation allows to investigate the morphodynamic response of the 365 AD tsunami along other coastlines of Greece. The current study demonstrates that numerical morphodynamic models can successfully be applied for a comparison with historical tsunami events, if tsunami deposits are well-preserved and sufficient information on the tsunami trigger mechanism is available.

Ontogenetic information remains limited for many cypridoid ostracods despite its importance for reliable taxonomy, species identification, and the interpretation of ecological patterns based on size and morphology. This is particularly relevant in paleoecological studies, where, usually, only valves are preserved. We investigated post-embryonic development in three asexual species of Heterocypris inhabiting ephemeral aquatic environments: Heterocypris exodonta from the Tibetan Plateau, Heterocypris incongruens from Mexico, and Heterocypris salina from Germany. Based on laboratory cultures maintained under controlled conditions, egg morphology, juvenile valve development, and ontogenetic growth were quantified using measurements of valve length and height. All three species exhibited nine developmental stages, comprising eight juvenile instars and one adult stage. Eggs possess a rough external surface and a distinct internal eggshell structure. Early juvenile stages display a marked polygonal reticulation pattern on their valves that progressively weakens and disappears in adults. Growth ratios, defined as the proportional increase in valve size between successive developmental stages, averaged values close to those expected under geometric growth. However, considerable variation is reported among species and developmental stages. The results provide reference data on ontogenetic development and diagnostic morphological characters, improving the distinction between juvenile stages and both intraspecific and interspecific variation and supporting the interpretation of modern and fossil assemblages.

Research on non-marine ostracods in Yunnan Province, especially in desiccated and irrigation environments, is limited, restricting our understanding of their survival strategies, adaptation mechanisms, and biogeographical patterns within this region. The present study investigates ostracods across 43 sites in eastern Yunnan, including desiccated rice fields, ditches, rivers, ponds, vegetable fields, karstic cave, spring, and stream. A total of 483 living ostracod individuals were collected from 15 out of the 43 sampling sites, encompassing eleven species predominantly from the Cyprididae family, accompanied by species from the Candonidae, Cyclocyprididae and Ilyocyprididae families. Our results of culturing experiments with dried muds indicated survival of dormant ostracods, as an important strategy of recolonizing non-permanent water bodies after dry phases. Thus, recolonization is realized through an ‘ostracod bank’, not only an egg bank. Significant differences in species composition were observed across regions, reflecting the dynamic responses of ostracods to agricultural practices and environment. Furthermore, documented elevational distributions of some species could be extended based on our study areas in an elevation of 887‒2064 m asl. The study also documents three species new to Yunnan, increasing the number of known recent non-marine ostracod species in this province to 33. The newly recorded species are Stenocypris hirutai Smith and Kamiya (Hydrobiologia 559: 331–355, 2006), Stenocypris viridis Okubo, 1990 and Hemicypris ovata Sars, 1903. These findings provide insights into ostracod ecology, biogeography, and aquatic ecology, revealing adaptive and resilient mechanisms of ostracods in temporary, eutrophic habitats.

Triassic sedimentary units are widespread in Chile, but the fossil record has been characterized mainly by macrofloral remains, with comparatively scarce evidence of other groups. We present the first description of a relatively complete Triassic continental paleoecosystem from the El Mono Formation of northern Chile. The El Mono Formation is a mainly siliciclastic continental unit deposited in a fluvial-lacustrine syn-rift setting during the initial stages of the Gondwana break-up, preserving a diverse fossil record largely unknown until now. The studied sections at the different localities are interpreted as lacustrine environments. The recorded biota represents the most complete continental Triassic paleoecosystem found to date in the Southwestern Gondwana margin, with a trophic chain spanning terrestrial producers, primary and secondary consumers of both continental and aquatic origin, and aquatic top predators. Recorded fossil organisms include macroflora, insects, conchostracans (clam shrimps), ostracods (seed shrimps), unionid bivalves, freshwater sharks, and bony fishes. The newly discovered biota, particularly insects and freshwater sharks and other fishes, represents a major advance for Chilean paleontology, shedding light on fossil groups that have remained largely unknown or unstudied. This unit also represents a promising target for basin analysis studies, as it records a relatively complete rift system evolution. Furthermore, it exhibits preservational features characterized by high concentrations of macrofloral remains and freshwater invertebrates, grouped fossilization of several organisms within single beds, and the preservation of delicate remains including insect wings and articulated fish skeletons. Accordingly, a Konservat-Lagerstatte designation for this fossiliferous unit is proposed here for the first time.

The region encompassing the Sahara and the Arabian Peninsula has seen dramatic changes in Holocene moisture availability. While the highlands of Yemen are sensitive to moisture dynamics, their history remains poorly known. This study provides new information on Holocene environmental change in the Yemeni highlands through analyses of the lithostratigraphy and ostracod stratigraphy of two localities. The diversity and abundance of ostracod populations serve as key environmental indicators, reflecting stability and change in aquatic habitats. Six time periods are identified, each representing distinct phases of environmental and climatic change. Undated gravelly fine sands, possibly of late-glacial or Early Holocene age, indicate dry conditions. Subsequent stages indicate a progression of moister conditions and warmer climates characterized by the formation of ponds and lakes and fluctuations in water availability. Shifts occurred between oligotrophic and eutrophic conditions, and between desiccation trends and wetter conditions. We found the taxonomic composition of ostracod populations in Yemen’s highlands to include species from mountainous regions of Africa and the broader Palaearctic. This research aligns with previously reported data and expands our understanding of past ecosystems and climatic conditions in highland Yemen.

The drinking water supply in the Medieval and Early Modern Hanseatic town of Stralsund was not based on ground water wells, but a wooden pipeline system taking the water from the surrounding ponds, which was distributed by hydrostatic pressure to the private plots and public wells in the town. The Strandwerk pipeline system running below the street Wasserstraße at the waterfront was built of drilled pine pipes in the late seventeenth century and operated until the nineteenth century. During archaeological excavations an infill with sediment containing rich zoobenthos was detected in a pipe dendrochronologically dated to 1749 WK. The dominating mollusc taxa are the bivalve Sphaerium corneum and the gastropod Bithynia tentaculata. The microfauna is dominated by ostracods, chironomid head capsules and statoblasts of freshwater bryozoans. The fauna and their taphonomy document an artificial light-less but well populated habitat within the water pipeline, slow and episodic currents, and water coming from the ponds of the city.

The current state of floodplains - their morphology, sedimentation regimes and rates, biochemistry and ecosystem health - highlights the interconnectedness of human activities and natural ecosystems. Over the centuries, floodplains have been used for and transformed by many anthropogenic purposes including agriculture, industry and urban development. These activities have resulted in the accumulation of pollutants in highly vulnerable floodplains, yet we understand little about the historical evolution of Fluvial Anthropospheres. The Eger floodplain study site is located 2 km downstream of the mediaeval city walls of Nördlingen in southern Germany. In the Middle Ages, the city became an important and prosperous urban trade and craft centre due to its location at the crossroads of two major trade routes (Frankfurt-Würzburg-Augsburg and Nürnberg-Ulm). This data manuscript documents four alluvial soil-sediment profiles, NEP 1 to NEP 4, that were excavated and investigated in the floodplain section. The dataset includes grain-size data, element-specific X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) data, anthracological data, quantitative data of mollusc and microfossil assemblages from the sand-sized sediment fraction, pedological field parameters, biogeochemical soil properties and numerical data relating to radiocarbon and luminescence dating. These data provide the basis for reconstructing the Late Holocene biochemostratigraphy of the Eger River floodplain with respect to anthropogenic impacts and paleoenvironmental history.

The impact of human activities on aquatic ecosystems has been a growing concern requiring reliable bioindicators for monitoring environmental changes. Ostracods, a group of small crustaceans, have shown great potential in this role due to their sensitivity to various pollutants and environmental conditions. We review all studied responses of Ostracoda to anthropogenic environmental stresses, covering different types of water bodies worldwide. The review is intended to summarize and highlight benefits of ostracods as indicators for potential implementation in water quality and other studies related to human impacts, including palaeo-research. We document the high value of ostracods for indicating anthropogenic pressures on aquatic ecosystems such as nutrients input, pollution by heavy metals, fertilizers, oil spills and even nuclear pollution with steadily increasing publication output since 1969. Most studies focus on eutrophication so far, but results on metalloids, pesticides, and hydrocarbons look very promising for further exploration. We expect future applications in the field of thermal and nuclear pollution as well as microplastic contamination, where almost no information concerning ostracods exists so far. Analytical methods in use involve indicator species approaches, including toxicity tests, association analysis, morphological variability, and shell chemistry with a recent trend of increasing numbers of papers on ecotoxicology.

A new ostracod species, Heterocypris exodonta Bonilla-Flores & Karanovic, sp. nov. is described from a high-altitude temporary pond near Nam Co, Southern Tibetan Plateau. Detailed morphological analyses of valves, soft body, and the partial mitochondrial COI (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) sequence distinguish this species from its close congeners, Heterocypris incongruens and Heterocypris salina. Key taxonomic features include the morphology of the female genital lobe and the structure of the internal opening of normal pores, particularly variations in the female genital aperture at the intersection of the seminal duct and the oviduct. Pore openings in H. exodonta Bonilla-Flores & Karanovic, sp. nov. and H. incongruens exhibit a turbine shape, while in H. salina they display a simple aperture. Phylogenetic analysis based on the COI dataset supports the new species description and suggests potential synonymy and cryptic species within the H. salina and H. incongruens complexes. Ecologically, these species mainly inhabit temporary water bodies with high oxygen levels and likely follow an r-type ecological strategy, being opportunistic in colonizing new habitats, reproducing via parthenogenesis, and undergoing rapid population growth. This study enhances the understanding of Southern Tibetan Plateau ostracod biodiversity, providing crucial morphological and molecular data for species identification, particularly for parthenogenetic species lacking standard male morphological characters. Additionally, this research offers methods to prevent misidentifications and misinterpretations in (paleo-)ecological studies, contributing significantly to the broader knowledge of taxonomy and ecology of ostracods from the Southern Tibetan Plateau. Due to the high morphological plasticity of Heterocypris incongruens, our findings highlight the need for caution when identifying similar species, as external resemblance may conceal genetic divergence.

Variations in mid-latitude westerlies have an important influence on climate change, but their impact on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) since the Last Glacial Maximum is still debated, due to shortage of direct proxies reflecting the variations in the westerlies. Here we present an exotic (Cedrus) pollen record from the interior of the TP since 26.5 cal ka BP to reconstruct the changes in westerlies. Combined with its modern distribution, the Cedrus pollen in our record is considered to reflect the change in the intensity and position of the westerlies. Increased Cedrus pollen inputs are consistent with cooling phases during the Heinrich Stadial (HS) 2, HS 1a, HS 1c and Younger Dryas, suggesting that the westerlies were abruptly enhanced and southward-shifted, which can be attributed to the increased equator-to-pole temperature gradients and sea ice advance. Our record over the TP is in agreement with other reconstructions from the lower altitudes suggests a synchronous change in the westerlies at different levels.