Environmental flexibility across dynamic Cambrian ecosystems fueled trilobite success

Abstract Trilobites, Paleozoic arthropods, have been viewed as marine animals. Using multiproxy geochemical analyses, we suggest that Cambrian Series 2 to early Miaolingian strata in Morocco, preserving three-dimensional trilobites, record deposition within a river- and wave-influenced delta with variable salinity and episodic freshwater influence, including brackish conditions. These populations persisted through environmental transitions, spanning cool, oxic, low-salinity arid conditions with periodic freshwater input during Cambrian Stage 3-4 to warmer, more humid, increasingly saline, and anoxic settings at the transition to Wuliuan. This transition coincides with an increase in trilobite body-size and the emergence of more stable, deeper, and marine salinity environments that could have contributed to enhanced biomineralization, ecological specialization, and habitat broadening. Smaller-bodied Stage 3–4 trilobites appear adapted to dynamic shelves, whereas larger-bodied Wuliuan forms exploited increasingly stable conditions that may have favored size enlargement and exoskeletal thickening. These patterns suggest a potential link between environmental conditions and body-size distribution, with possible implications for ecological structuring across Cambrian ecosystems.

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Publication Details

Journal
Communications Earth & Environment
Published
2026-11-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-04205-4
Primary Topic
Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Environmental flexibility across dynamic Cambrian ecosystems fueled trilobite success

Ernest Chi Fru, Anna El Khoury, Abderrazak El Albani, Loubna Terhzaz et al.
1 links
Communications Earth & Environment
Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
article

Environmental flexibility across dynamic Cambrian ecosystems fueled trilobite success

Ernest Chi Fru, Anna El Khoury, Abderrazak El Albani, Loubna Terhzaz, Arnaud Mazurier, Lalla Amina Ouzzaouit, Ibtissam Chraiki, El Hafid Bouougri, Claude Fontaine, Luís A. Buatois, Beatriz G. Waisfeld, María Gabriela Mángano, Larbi Boudad
article en

Abstract

Abstract Trilobites, Paleozoic arthropods, have been viewed as marine animals. Using multiproxy geochemical analyses, we suggest that Cambrian Series 2 to early Miaolingian strata in Morocco, preserving three-dimensional trilobites, record deposition within a river- and wave-influenced delta with variable salinity and episodic freshwater influence, including brackish conditions. These populations persisted through environmental transitions, spanning cool, oxic, low-salinity arid conditions with periodic freshwater input during Cambrian Stage 3-4 to warmer, more humid, increasingly saline, and anoxic settings at the transition to Wuliuan. This transition coincides with an increase in trilobite body-size and the emergence of more stable, deeper, and marine salinity environments that could have contributed to enhanced biomineralization, ecological specialization, and habitat broadening. Smaller-bodied Stage 3–4 trilobites appear adapted to dynamic shelves, whereas larger-bodied Wuliuan forms exploited increasingly stable conditions that may have favored size enlargement and exoskeletal thickening. These patterns suggest a potential link between environmental conditions and body-size distribution, with possible implications for ecological structuring across Cambrian ecosystems.

Communications Earth & Environment
Cadi Ayyad University (MA), Mohammed V University (MA), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (AR), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (AR), Institut Universitaire de France (FR), Université de Montpellier (FR), University of Saskatchewan (CA), Université de Poitiers (FR), Institut de Chimie des Milieux et des Matériaux de Poitiers (FR), Research Center on Earth Sciences (AR), Géosciences Montpellier (FR), Cardiff University (GB)
Openalex Percentile: Top 20%
Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
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