Bioerosion on brachiopod shells – a Cenozoic perspective

Abstract

This study describes bioerosion traces ascribed to either predation or endo- and epibiont activity in twenty assemblages from the Mediterranean region and Paratethys, spanning in age from Eocene to Recent. Statistical analysis of the distribution of bioerosion traces among genera and assemblages revealed that there is higher drilling predation intensity on smaller species. Larger species seem to be primarily affected by non-drilling predators. Greatest variety in types of bioerosion could be related to species’ ecology and body size. Both major categories of bioerosion (etchings and traces of predatory activity) vary considerably among samples. Different genera show significant differences in the frequency of different bioerosion types. Shell size seems a major factor contributing to these differences.