Peer-reviewedCC BYiScience
Multi-staged mineralization and biomarker preservation in a 113-million-year-old pterosaur bone via redox shifts in diagenesis
11 affiliations
- 1Western Australian Organic and Isotope Geochemistry Centre, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
- 2Institute of Geosciences, Christian-Albrechts-University, Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
- 3Department of Biological Sciences, Regional University of Cariri, Crato, Ceará, Brazil
- 4Geochemistry and Isotope Biogeochemistry, Leibniz-Institute for Baltic Sea Research (IOW), Warnemünde, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
- 5Interdisciplinary Faculty, University of Rostock, Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
- 6Marine Geochemistry, University of Greifswald, Greifswald, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
- 7Microanalysis Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
- 8John de Laeter Centre, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
- 9Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, CT, USA
- 10Laboratory of Systematics and Taphonomy of Fossil Vertebrates, Department of Geology and Paleontology, Museu Nacional (MN)/Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- 11Azolla Biodesign, Sedona, AZ, USA
Abstract
The combined preservation of soft tissues, biomineralized structures, and molecular biomarkers is rare; yet, such finds offer key insights into ancient physiology, ecology, and taphonomy. We integrate organic geochemical analyses with high-resolution micro-mineral imaging of a three-dimensionally preserved Cretaceous pterosaur wing phalanx from Brazil to reveal steroid biomarkers and multi-stage mineralization pathways underlying its preservation. A localized redox shift toward acidic, oxidative conditions around the carcass played a central role. Microbial decay generated acidity that promoted early phosphate mineralization (fluorapatite), stabilizing tissues. This fluorapatite is associated with barite and celestite indicating a microenvironment with enhanced microbial sulfate production. Following phosphatization, three phases of carbonate mineralization encapsulated organic compounds, protecting them from diagenetic alteration. Molecular analyses report steroids in pterosaurs, with δ 13 C values indicating a fish- and cephalopod-based diet, highlighting early mineralization as key to long-term biomolecule preservation.
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BibTeX
@article{grice2026multistaged,
title = {{Multi-staged mineralization and biomarker preservation in a 113-million-year-old pterosaur bone via redox shifts in diagenesis}},
author = {Kliti Grice and Stephen F. Poropat and Lorenz Schwark and Maria A. Diaz-Mateus and Paul F. Greenwood and Luke M. Brosnan and Madison Tripp and Amy L. Elson and Andrew Jian and Antônio Álamo Feitosa Saraiva and Renan Alfredo Machado Bantim and Julien Demore and Alex I. Holman and Michael E. Böttcher and Adele H. Pentland and Robert H.C. Madden and Peter Hopper and Xiao Sun and Aaron C. Dodd and Arthur V. de Oliveira and Pieter T. Visscher and William D.A. Rickard and Juliana Manso Sayão and Hossein Rahimpour-Bonab and Iris Schmiedinger and Victor O. Leshyk and Alexander W. A. Kellner},
journal = {iScience},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1016/j.isci.2026.116199},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.116199},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Multi-staged mineralization and biomarker preservation in a 113-million-year-old pterosaur bone via redox shifts in diagenesis
AU - Kliti Grice
AU - Stephen F. Poropat
AU - Lorenz Schwark
AU - Maria A. Diaz-Mateus
AU - Paul F. Greenwood
AU - Luke M. Brosnan
AU - Madison Tripp
AU - Amy L. Elson
AU - Andrew Jian
AU - Antônio Álamo Feitosa Saraiva
AU - Renan Alfredo Machado Bantim
AU - Julien Demore
AU - Alex I. Holman
AU - Michael E. Böttcher
AU - Adele H. Pentland
AU - Robert H.C. Madden
AU - Peter Hopper
AU - Xiao Sun
AU - Aaron C. Dodd
AU - Arthur V. de Oliveira
AU - Pieter T. Visscher
AU - William D.A. Rickard
AU - Juliana Manso Sayão
AU - Hossein Rahimpour-Bonab
AU - Iris Schmiedinger
AU - Victor O. Leshyk
AU - Alexander W. A. Kellner
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/18
JO - iScience
DO - 10.1016/j.isci.2026.116199
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2026.116199
AB - The combined preservation of soft tissues, biomineralized structures, and molecular biomarkers is rare; yet, such finds offer key insights into ancient physiology, ecology, and taphonomy. We integrate organic geochemical analyses with high-resolution micro-mineral imaging of a three-dimensionally preserved Cretaceous pterosaur wing phalanx from Brazil to reveal steroid biomarkers and multi-stage mineralization pathways underlying its preservation. A localized redox shift toward acidic, oxidative conditions around the carcass played a central role. Microbial decay generated acidity that promoted early phosphate mineralization (fluorapatite), stabilizing tissues. This fluorapatite is associated with barite and celestite indicating a microenvironment with enhanced microbial sulfate production. Following phosphatization, three phases of carbonate mineralization encapsulated organic compounds, protecting them from diagenetic alteration. Molecular analyses report steroids in pterosaurs, with δ 13 C values indicating a fish- and cephalopod-based diet, highlighting early mineralization as key to long-term biomolecule preservation.
SN - 2589-0042
ER -