Hadrosaurid Bonebeds and Their Palaeobiological Significance

Abstract

<p>The term ‘bonebed’ refers to a relative concentration of vertebrate remains from at least two individuals, localised both stratigraphically and geographically (Rogers & Kidwell, 2007). Bonebeds are primarily classified based on their origin, proximity to the death site, and bioclast size (Table 1.1). Bonebeds originate either through attritional processes in which remains accumulate over time or through mass mortality events in which the bonebed’s constituents succumb to a single killing event (Rogers & Kidwell, 2007). Attritional bonebeds, particularly of microfossil composition, can provide a broad overview of ancient community structure and faunal shifts through space and time (Brinkman et al., 2004; Brinkman et al., 2005; Pirkenseer et al., 2011; Cullen & Evans, 2016; Gilbert et al., 2018). Alternatively, the more taxonomically informative mass mortality bonebeds allow for insights into habitat associations (e.g. Garrison et al., 2007), population structure (e.g. Berger et al., 2001), and interspecific interactions in extinct communities (e.g. Maxwell & Ostrom, 1995).</p>