Wee Jasper, an unusually complete mesophotic reef ecosystem

[Halichoeres]

This paper describes the Wee Jasper reef system, which is unusual in a few ways. One, it's a mesophotic (slightly deeper water, not shallow and brightly lit like most reefs). Two, it fossilizes both vertebrate remains and invertebrate remains, which can sometimes be hard from a chemistry standpoint. And three, it includes both benthic (bottom-dwelling) and nektonic (swimming) animals. Altogether, it's an exceptionally complete ecosystem preserved in fossils, which can tell us a lot about the Devonian world.

Here's a representation by Bogusław Waksmundzki:

(Good inspiration for a diorama)

Open access in Gondwana Research: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1342937X25000887

[TheCambrianCrusader]

Oh wow that's really cool!