The Pliocene world c.5.3 Ma to c.2.58 Ma exhibited a relatively stable climate with a warmer global mean surface temperature than present-day by ~2 °C to 3 °C, and palaeoclimate analysis from this interval is used to understand climate drivers in ‘warmer world’. Previous oxygen isotope thermometry investigations of Pliocene southern North Sea Basin (SNSB) Aequipecten opercularis from the Coralline Crag Formation in Suffolk, UK repeatedly reveal evidence of a cold-temperate climate regime. Contrastingly, other biological proxies record a warm-temperate/sub-tropical regime. This investigation concentrated on oxygen, carbon and microgrowth increment widths (MIWS) of fossil shell material from Pliocene SNSB spanning an interval of~4.4 Ma to ~2.5 Ma. The study sites included shallow marine Pliocene formations from the western and eastern SNSB, the Ramsholt Member of the Coralline Crag Formation, Suffolk UK, and the Luchtbal Sands and Oorderen Sands Members of the Lillo Formation, Belgium, and the Oosterhout Formation in the Netherlands. Oxygen isotopic palaeotemperature results showed cooler summer temperatures than presently in the SNSB, which were reflective of a cool-temperate regime. There was no evidence of warm-temperate or sub-tropical summer palaeotemperatures in the Pliocene SNSB as suggested by other planktonic proxies. This investigation discussed the possible causal factors for the cooler – than- expected winter and summer palaeotemperatures in the ‘warmer’ Pliocene world as recorded by this proxy. Discrepancies between the cool summer benthic palaeotemperatures from the bivalves and the warmer sub-tropical or warm-temperate summer palaeotemperature estimations from planktonic biological proxies was rectified by the application of a theoretical summer stratification factor (SSF). However, rectifying the discrepancies between cooler (cold-temperate) benthic winter palaeotemperatures and the warmer winter palaeotemperatures from other proxies was difficult because stratification does not occur during the winter. Dormancy behaviours in the warm- temperate –sub-tropical organisms was proposed as a suitable mechanism to allow their coexistence with the cool-tolerant bivalves, which were able to grow and feed underneath the thermocline during the summer months. Therefore, the investigation showed how the Pliocene SNSB exhibited a greater seasonality than occurs presently in the SNSB. The driver for the cooler winter temperatures in the Pliocene SNSB was not identified. Localised explanations including continental wind effects, interannual variations in MOC strength, and increased storm activity in the winter bringing cooler water into the SNSB were all suggested as potential drivers. Global features of climate including interglacial/glacial cycles and orbital forcing effects were factors also proposed for the overall mixed palaeotemperature signal in the Pliocene SNSB.

In this study reef corals from two Caribbean and adjacent regions in different periods were investigated. Sclerochronological records of corals from well preserved Miocene to Pleistocene reefs were used to document potential changes in seasonal and interannual climate associated with CAS uplift and closure. In southern Florida the Plio/Pleistocene Caloosahatchee Formation is cropping out. During the deposition of this stacked shallow marine sediments at the Plio/Pleistocene Florida carbonate platform, a rich coral fauna existed. Corals from the Caloosahatchee Formation were investigated herein, regarding to reveal high resolution (bimonthly) climatic archives in their skeletons. The second region investigated herein is the Cibao Valley in the Dominican Republic, where sediments of the Neogene Yaque Group are outcropping. Corals from the Late Miocene Cercado Formation and the Mio/Pliocene Gurabo Formation (both upper part of the Yaque Group) are discussed here. Both formations are mixed carbonate-siliciclastic deposits of the prograding inner-shelf and contain a well preserved faunal record. Sclerochronological methods are used to identify seasonal and interannual climatic variability. Especially radiography, stable isotope analysis and laser ablation measurements (LA-ICP-MS) were used and discussed with a special focus on the pristine preservation of the analysed coralline material.

This thesis investigates the potential of the bivalve Arctica islandica (Linnaeus, 1767) from fjordic sites in NW Scotland for reconstructing past marine environmental /climatic variability. Using dendrochronological and sclerochronological techniques, six master chronologies were created which when compared show little common variability between the sites, indicating no common response to regional scale forcing. The chronologies were compared to local and regional scale SST and land based datasets, with no significant, time stable responses to climate found. It is clear the growth/climate response of A. islandica from these sites is complex, potentially due to the shallow nature of the sample sites, direct local drivers such as food availability and, potentially, anthropogenic activity in the region. Geochemical analyses of the shell material were undertaken to examine the timing and magnitude of the radiocarbon bomb-peak and the stable carbon isotope signature of the oceanic Suess Effect. The timing of the radiocarbon bomb-peak in Loch Etive does not appear to match previously published results from other marine locations and are a potentially serious challenge to the assumption that A. islandica GI are always annual features. Results comparing δ¹³C values and the age of the specimen when these values are incorporated into the shell material strongly indicate an ontogenetic control over δ¹³C, meaning the Suess Effect could not be effectively investigated. To take these ontogenetic influences into account it is suggested that any data from the juvenile period of shell life is not used. Analysis of shell biometrics and morphology indicate significant relationships between shell age and height and age and weight, however the errors for these are large (±78 years and ±80 years respectively). These results indicate that despite large errors shell height, as a predictor of age, has the potential to be used for in situ population studies.

This paper presents a multilevel analysis of palaeoecological aspects of the process of the Rhynchostreon genera evolution. According to the latest results of research, the process of genus appears to be more dynamic than previously assumed.The processes of internal dynamics of the environment in conjuncture with other studied aspects of the late cretaceous environment (e.g. paleotemperature, salinity, etc.) were a significant factor that initiated the activity of selective pressure and represents an important factor in group evolution. In this work we provide the overall hypothesis about co-evolution of two intrageneric (sisters) lineages in Rhynchostreon genera. The definiton of evolutionary trends of intrageneric lineages within the presented hypothesis (including a new description of oyster species) is supported by various analytical methods, which anchors them in the current zoological nomenclature system. An electron microscopy, isotopes and biometrical analysis of a shell in cooperation with some of the sedimentologic methods suggest a relation of lithology (as a result of environmental aspect) and evolution process. The transregional concept of proposed ecological-evolutionary models, based on materials studies from various paleogeographic regions of cretaceous world, increases the...

Les rivières des systèmes insulaires de la région Indo-Pacifique abritent de nombreuses espèces d’organismes migrateurs qui sont les seules espèces capables de coloniser naturellement les cours d’eau. Les stratégies de dispersion de ces organismes diadromes représentent un moteur essentiel de la structuration et de la persistance des communautés allant de l’échelle locale du cours d’eau, d’une île ou d’un archipel, à l’échelle régionale. En raison de l’isolement, les populations locales n’assurent leur pérennité qu’en maintenant une dispersion marine forte, permettant la colonisation de milieux nouveaux et un recrutement indépendant des conditions locales de reproduction. Chez les mollusques Gastéropodes, la famille des Neritidae est constituée d’espèces diadromes amphidromes à répartition restreinte et d’espèces à plus large répartition. Nous avons essayé, par l'étude des traits de vie de ces espèces, de contribuer, notamment, à la compréhension des facteurs qui régulent la dispersion et le recrutement, afin d'aider à la gestion durable de ces taxons et de leurs habitats, et ce dans un contexte de changement global et d'anthropisation croissante. Après avoir effectué la synthèse des connaissances actuelles sur les nérites amphidromes, nous avons réalisé une révision taxinomique du complexe 'Neritina pulligera' et étudié la phylogéographie de deux espèces, N. stumpffi et N. canalis, à l'aide du barcoding moléculaire et d'études morphologiques. Nous avons ainsi mis en évidence la présence d'espèces cryptiques au sein du complexe étudié, et le rôle de deux barrières biogéographiques régulant la circulation des larves, la première entre le Pacifique ouest et le Pacifique central, la seconde entre l'océan Pacifique et l'océan Indien. Enfin, notre travail a également ouvert, à travers le marquage vital et la microchimie, des perspectives intéressantes dans l'étude de l'opercule qui pourrait être utilisé comme outil multiusage et archive environnementale permettant de décrypter les traits de vie des nérites. / Rivers in Indo-Pacific islands are colonised by diadromous species, and as migrating species, they are the only ones capable of naturally colonising insular freshwaters. Dispersal strategies of these diadromous species are essential for the colonisation and the persistence of freshwater communities at a local scale, but also at the island and regional scales. Because of their isolation, local populations can only be perennially maintained by an important marine dispersal, allowing the colonisation of new environments with a recruitment independent from the local reproduction conditions. Within the gastropod molluscs, the Neritidae family is composed of diadromous amphidromous species; there are widespread species and others have a more restricted distribution area. By analysing life history traits of these species, we contributed to the understanding of the factors regulating dispersal and recruitment. In the context of global change and rising human impacts on the environment, our results will bring knowledge for the sustainable management of these taxa. After having synthesised the present knowledge on amphidromous neritids, we undertook the taxonomic revision of the ‘Neritina pulligera’ complex. We also studied the phylogeography of two species, N. stumpfii and N. canalis by a molecular barcoding approach. Our results show the presence of cryptic species within the complex studied. We also show that there are two biogeographic barriers, one between the West Pacific and the Central Pacific, and the other between the Indian and the Pacific oceans, playing an important role in the regulation of oceanic larval circulation. Finally, our work on the vital marking and the microchemical analysis of the operculum, has given rise to new interesting research perspective. Indeed, the operculum could be used as an environmental archive allowing deciphering some life history traits of this group.

Les cours d’eau des îles tropicales abritent des organismes qui ont développé un cycle de vie diadrome, partagé entre une phase adulte en eau douce et une phase larvaire marine : l’amphidromie. Parmi ces organismes, dans la zone Indo-Pacifique, on trouve les crevettes du genre Caridina H. Milne Edwards, 1837. Avec plus de 300 espèces décrites, il s’agit du genre le plus diversifié de l’infra-ordre des Caridea, avec une systématique extrêmement confuse et compliquée. Au sein de ce genre, deux complexes d’espèces sont particulièrement bien représentés dans les systèmes insulaires de l’Indo-Pacifique, le complexe Caridina nilotica et le complexe C. weberi. Grâce au développement de nouvelles techniques de séquençage de nouvelles méthodes de taxonomie dite intégrative sont apparues, permettant de résoudre une partie des problèmes taxonomiques de ces groupes. L’objectif de la thèse était d’appliquer une approche de taxonomie intégrative aux espèces des complexes C. nilotica et C. weberi afin de clarifier leur systématique et, de fait, mieux appréhender leur biologie et fournir les outils aux gestionnaires pour mettre en place une meilleure conservation de ces espèces et de leurs milieux. Après avoir montré que certains caractères morphologiques traditionnellement utilisés pour décrire les espèces étaient influencés par l’environnement et donc fortement variables, l’étude de taxonomie intégrative a été conduite sur 92 espèces, permettant d’obtenir 1682 séquences auxquelles s’ajoutent 32 génomes mitochondriaux complets et 97 partiels, mettant en évidence 43 espèces nouvelles, certaines décrites au cours de la thèse. Les relations phylogénétiques entre les espèces des deux complexes ont été reconstruites à partir d’un grand jeu de données moléculaires, permettant de montrer que les complexes sont des groupes monophylétiques avec des différences en terme d’habitats occupés. Enfin, la faisabilité de l’étude sclérochronologique de l’amphidromie chez une espèce du complexe C. weberi (C. multidentata) a été testée sur la cuticule du pédoncule oculaire, avec une étude de l’ultrastructure de la cuticule, décrite pour la première fois chez cette espèce. / Rivers of tropical islands harbor organisms that have developped a diadromous lifecycle, shared between a freshwater adult phase and a marine larval phase: amphidromy. Among these organisms, in the Indo-Pacific area are found shrimps of the genus Caridina H. Milne Edwards, 1837. With more than 300 described species it is the most speciose genus of the infra-order Caridea, with a most confused and complicated taxonomy. Within this genus, two species complexes are particularly well-represented in insular systems of the Indo-Pacific, the C. nilotica complex and the C. weberi complex. Thanks to the development of new sequencing techniques, new methods of integrative taxonomy appeared, allowing to resolve part of the taxonomic complexity of these taxa. The aim of the thesis was to apply an integrative taxonomy approach to species belonging to C. nilotica and C. weberi complexes in order to clarify their taxonomy and have a better understanding of their biology and provide tools to managers for establishing a better conservation of these species and their environments. After showing that some morphological characters traditionally used to describe species were influenced by the environment and so, highly variable, the integrative taxonomy was led on 92 species, allowing to obtain 1,682 sequences to which are added 32 complete and 97 partial mitochondrial genomes, highlighting 43 new species, some of them described during the thesis. Phylogenetic relationships among the species of the two complexes were reconstructed from a large molecular dataset, allowing to show that the complexes are monophyletic groups, with habitat differences. Finally, the feasibility of a sclerochronological study of amphidromy in a species of the C. weberi complex (C. multidentata) was tested on the eyestalk cuticle, with a study of the ultrastructure of the cuticle, described for the first time in this species.

Sclerochronology was conducted on the pedicle valves of four Sakmarian-age brachiopods (Squamaria moorei) to constrain climate model predictions of temperature seasonality along western equatorial Pangaea (WEP). The brachiopods are from a Lower Permian section within the Robledo Mountains, NM, and they reveal seasonal trends of δ18O and temperature for that interval that suggest global warming and moderation of seasonality. Elemental and SEM analyses verified the specimens were well preserved. δ18O profiles show a relatively rapid and consistent two-year growth rate corresponding to the organism's juvenile stage, followed by a slower, seasonal growth rate corresponding to the organism's sexually mature stage typical of most organismal growth. Their initial two-year cycles show consistent, high-amplitude profiles that captured virtually complete records of annual δ18O values, and these profiles were used for seasonality interpretations. The specimen from the stratigraphically lowest layer shows δ18O values varying from -4.26 to -2.17 minimum winter temperatures (MWT) and maximum summer temperatures (MST) of 25.2C and 35.7C, respectively; and a seasonal temperature variation ΔTs of 10.0C. The overlying horizon yielded two specimens showing δ18O values ranging from a minimum of -4.54 to a maximum of -2.79; MWT ranging from 28.2 to 29.6C; MST ranging from 34.9 to 37.2C; and ΔTs ranging from 6.7 to 7.6C. The uppermost layer yielded a specimen that shows δ18O values ranging from -4.49 to -3.03; MWT of 31.3C; MST of 37.0C; and ΔTs of 5.7C. The specimens show overall high seasonality for an equatorial regime, but the general trend shows increasing winter temperatures and a moderation of seasonality. The data supports climate-model predictions for the Permian of more equable temperatures, higher winter temperatures, and decreased seasonality. Three numerical climate models of Permian temperatures were evaluated against the brachiopod data, and their model predictions for ΔTs along WEP range from as high as 10C to as low as C. The models were supported somewhat by the independently derived temperature proxy data measured in this study.

Coral-based climate reconstructions typically have not used multiple cores from a region to capture and replicate a climate signal largely because of concerns focused on coral conservation, analytical expense, and time constraints. Coral Sr/Ca reproducibility through the 20th century was investigated using three intra-colony and three inter-colony coral records, from the reefs offshore of Amédée Island, New Caledonia. Different sampling resolutions were examined in coral Sr/Ca (fortnightly and monthly) and delta 18O (fortnightly, monthly, and seasonally) as well as similar scale subsampling of the daily in situ SST record. The mean coral Sr/Ca, delta 18O, and daily SST values do not change as a function of sampling resolution. The coral Sr/Ca signal is highly reproducible; the average absolute offset between coeval Sr/Ca determinations between any two coral Sr/Ca time series is 0.036 mmol/mol (approximately 0.65°C), which is less than twice the analytical precision of the coral Sr/Ca measurements. The stack average of the monthly coral Sr/Ca variations and monthly anomalies are significantly correlated with monthly in situ SST (r equals -0.95, -0.56, respectively) for the period 1967 to 1992 and monthly 1-degree gridded SST data product (r equals -0.95, -0.53, respectively) for the period 1900 to 1999. The coral Sr/Ca-SST reconstruction exhibits decadal-scale fluctuations that exceed those observed in the gridded SST time series, which may reflect true differences between the SST at a shallow reef site and those averaged over a 1-degree grid box or they may reflect inadequacies in the methodology used to create the gridded SST product when few observations are available. A warming trend of approximately 0.6°C is observed in the coral Sr/Ca-SST record. Monthly coral Sr/Ca records and seasonally resolved coral delta 18O record from this site share variance in the latter half of the 20th century, but not in the early 20th century, suggestive of a change in seawater delta 18O.

ABSTRACT Recent archaeological investigations indicate that coastal Fort Walton cultures in the St. Joseph Bay region of northwest Florida emphasized marine and estuarine foraging. These late prehistoric (A.D. 1000-1500) peoples collected fish, shellfish, and other aquatic resources. At the Richardson's Hammock site (8Gu10), radiocarbon-dated to about A.D. 1300, as at dozens of other shell middens around this salty bay, large gastropods were a major subsistence component. This adaptation is in sharp contrast with that of contemporaneous inland Fort Walton societies, who relied on maize agriculture. It is unknown whether coastal groups represent separate hunter-gatherer-fisher populations or seasonal migrations by inland farming villagers. This thesis research uses stable oxygen and carbon isotope analysis on lightning whelks (Busycon sinistrum) to determine the seasonality of Fort Walton foraging, and compares the environment of prehistoric St. Joseph Bay with that of the modern bay. Oxygen isotope profiles suggest that shellfish collecting was relegated primarily to the summer months, producing a scheduling conflict with the primary growing season for maize in northwest Florida. Thus, it is argued that coastal and inland Fort Walton probably represent separate culture groups. The relationship between d18Oshell and d13Cshell indicates similar environmental and climatic conditions between prehistoric St. Joseph Bay and today. However, modern whelks are depleted in d13C compared to Fort Walton whelks, which reflects both twentieth century CO2 emissions and years of dredging and wastewater pollution entering the bay.

In this study reef corals from two Caribbean and adjacent regions in different periods were investigated. Sclerochronological records of corals from well preserved Miocene to Pleistocene reefs were used to document potential changes in seasonal and interannual climate associated with CAS uplift and closure. In southern Florida the Plio/Pleistocene Caloosahatchee Formation is cropping out. During the deposition of this stacked shallow marine sediments at the Plio/Pleistocene Florida carbonate platform, a rich coral fauna existed. Corals from the Caloosahatchee Formation were investigated herein, regarding to reveal high resolution (bimonthly) climatic archives in their skeletons. The second region investigated herein is the Cibao Valley in the Dominican Republic, where sediments of the Neogene Yaque Group are outcropping. Corals from the Late Miocene Cercado Formation and the Mio/Pliocene Gurabo Formation (both upper part of the Yaque Group) are discussed here. Both formations are mixed carbonate-siliciclastic deposits of the prograding inner-shelf and contain a well preserved faunal record. Sclerochronological methods are used to identify seasonal and interannual climatic variability. Especially radiography, stable isotope analysis and laser ablation measurements (LA-ICP-MS) were used and discussed with a special focus on the pristine preservation of the analysed coralline material.