Otra de las contribuciones presentadas por los miembros del Grupo de Biología Evolutiva de la UNED en la octava edición del Turtle Evolution Symposium (Friburgo, Suiza) fue la presentación titulada “Pathological anomalies in Cretaceous and Paleogene pleurodiran turtles of Spain: an update”. En este trabajo se presenta un análisis de las anomalías de origen patológico en los caparazones de diversos grupos de tortugas fósiles de España, evaluando las posibles etiologías y mejorando nuestra comprensión sobre su patogénesis. El estudio proporciona una perspectiva integral sobre los factores externos que influían en estas tortugas y refuta diagnósticos anteriores, ofreciendo nuevas interpretaciones sobre su paleoecología. A continuación, el resumen de dicha presentación:
Fossilized turtle shells often display anomalies of pathological origin. This provides tangible evidence that, like their current representatives, extinct turtles were also exposed to various external agents capable of compromising the shell integrity. Accurate interpretation of the shell pathologies is crucial for several purposes. Specifically, it allows to understand the paleoecology of extinct turtle species, providing insights into the diseases that have affected this lineage over time, as well as the subsequent healing stages experienced throughout the lives of these extinct organisms. In this context, our study synthesizes the main cases of pathological anomalies in the fossilized remains of different exclusively freshwater to inhabitants of brackish to marine coastal waters turtle taxa from the Spanish Upper Cretaceous and Eocene records, all of them belonging to Pan-Pleurodira (i.e., several representatives of Dortokidae, Bothremydidae, and Podocnemididae). Through this analysis, we identify diverse typologies of anomalies of pathological origin evaluating their corresponding etiologies, contributing to a deeper understanding of the various causative agents associated with prevalent shell anomalies. Likewise, we discuss previously proposed hypothetical clinical diagnoses by other authors for some specimens, refuting them by justifying different causal agents. As a result, the integration of data on anomalies of pathological origin affecting multiple taxa provides a comprehensive perspective on the diverse external factors influencing the shells of pan-pleurodiran turtles in the Spanish record, offering a better understanding of their lifestyle.
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