This study reconstructs the Early Pleistocene paleoenvironment of the Yuanmou Basin through coproecology of the third member of the Yuanmou Formation. We examined 38 exceptionally well-preserved coprolites from a new fossil locality, and attributed the putative defecating agent to the hypercarnivorous diet canid, Sinocuon yuanmouensis through geochemical and quantitative analyses. A new ichnogenus and ichnospecies, Cuocopros yuanmouensis igen. et. isp. nov., was established based on distinctive characteristics. Multi-disciplinary analysis, including sediment palynology and lithostratigraphy, helped primarily reconstruct a significant climatic event during the early Pleistocene, coinciding with the emergence of Yuanmou Man during the fourth member of the Yuanmou Formation\'s deposition. The findings provide insights into coexistence between canids, hyaenas, hominoids, and other fauna, revealing a rich paleoecosystem and food chain in the region\'s history. This study contributes to understanding the complex ecological dynamics during this period in the Yuanmou Basin.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the presence of protozoan parasites in bird coprolites from the Tremembé Formation (Oligocene of the Taubaté Basin).
METHODS: Twenty avian coprolites embedded in pyrobituminous shale matrices.
METHODS: Samples were rehydrated and subjected to spontaneous sedimentation.
RESULTS: Paleoparasitological analyses revealed oocysts compatible with the Eimeriidae family (Apicomplexa) and one single Archamoebae (Amoebozoa) cyst.
CONCLUSIONS: The present work increases the amount of information about the spread of infections throughout the Cenozoic Era and reveals that the Brazilian paleoavifauna played an important role in the Apicomplexa and Amoebozoa life cycles.
CONCLUSIONS: This is the first record of protozoans in avian coprolites from the Oligocene of Brazil. These findings can help in the interpretation of phylogenies of coccidian parasites of modern birds, as certain taxonomic characters observed in the Oligocene Protozoa characterize monophyletic groups in current molecular phylogenetic analyses.
CONCLUSIONS: None of the oocysts were sporulated; therefore, it is not possible to identify the morphotypes to genus or species.
UNASSIGNED: Our results create new perspectives related to biogeographic studies of the parasitic groups described and may improve the understanding of the temporal amplitude of parasitic evolutionary relationships between Protozoans and birds.

The optimization of techniques for recovering parasitic remains is key in paleoparasitology. The Mini-FLOTAC technique (MF) is based on passive flotation and is used for diagnosis of parasites and was never tested on ancient samples. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of MF in paleoparasitology, aiming at improving the techniques for the recovery of parasitic remains in order to upgrade the interpretative potential of the paleoparasitological evidence. Three techniques were tested: MF, spontaneous sedimentation (SS), and centrifugation-sucrose flotation (CF) testing camelid and goat coprolites. Statistical tests were performed with the R software. Our result displayed that, in the case of SAC samples, MF recovered less number of parasitic species than SS, but obtained a greater number of positive samples for protozoa. For goat samples, MF recovered a higher number of positive samples and parasitic species than SS, added that it was the technique that recovered a greater number of parasite structures. Therefore, results vary according to the zoological origin of the samples and the parasitic species recorded. We suggest starting using MF on ancient samples as a complementary method to those traditionally used in paleoparasitology. It is important to highlight that MF was a simple and faster way. The incorporation of reliable quantitative techniques opens the door to a new way of analyzing archaeological remains, deepening the study of the parasite-host relationships and its evolution through time with an epidemiological approach. Although further studies are needed, our results suggest the complementarity of these techniques in future paleoparasitological studies.

We report the use of a mobile laboratory set up to extract ancient DNA (aDNA) from 34 human coprolites (fossilized faeces) samples. Our approach enabled the rapid genetic characterization of 5,000 years old archeological samples. It is useful for the on-site screening of museums and freshly excavated samples for DNA. This approach is accessible to other investigators as the mobile laboratory was set up using commercially available instruments.

We analyzed human coprolites from the Sacred City of Caral, the oldest civilization in America (3000- and 1800-years BC). Our objective was to know the microbial diversity of the Caral Civilization through the use of a mobile ancient laboratory. DNA extraction conducted in a mobile laboratory placed near the collection site to reduce exposure of samples to contaminants and favor a rapid molecular processing. Using 16S rRNA and ITS 1 amplicon sequencing, we have elaborated the first list of the microbiomes of Caral, based on the bacterial and fungal community fingerprints detected in the coprolites recovered in six sectors of that ancient urban center. Among the most abundant sequences were those associated with Firmicutes for bacteria, Ascomycota and Basidiomycota for fungi. Bacillus was the most abundant bacterial genera in all samples analyzed, compromising up to 24.81% of the total bacterial abundance; while Aspergillus (11.43%) was the most abundant genera among fungal communities.

To gain insights into the trichurid diversity in pre-Hispanic remains of South American camelids (SACs), as well as into modern SAC populations, a bibliographic search was carried out to find parasitological studies. Results showed that a total of 17 studies were performed at archaeological and paleontological sites, in which a total of 213 samples were examined. The sample set was used as the unit of analysis, and 83% of 52 pre-Hispanic sample sets were positive for parasites. Parasitological studies confirmed the pre-Hispanic presence of diverse trichurids: two Trichuris species and capillariid eggs with morphological differences that allowed them to be assigned to three different species. Currently, the richness of the native trichurid assemblages in SACs has been extended by the inclusion of two species (Trichuris sp. 2 and Capillariinae gen. sp. 1). Modern T. tenuis Chandler, 1930, considered SAC-specific, would have invaded SAC populations during the European colonization. The estimate of regional and temporal trichurid prevalence and paleoecological information allowed us to propose a possible origin for some of them. Although the present analysis is exploratory, it should stimulate future studies about the biogeographic history of SAC helminths, provide relevant information to improve descriptions of the Holocene ecology, and identify threatened helminths.

Exceptional preservation of fossils has often been attributed to the actions of bacteria that aid in the preservation of soft tissues that normally decay rapidly. However, it is well known that fungi play a major role in organic matter decomposition, biogeochemical cycling of elements, and metal-mineral transformations in modern ecosystems. Although the fungal fossil record can be traced back over a billion years, there are only a few recorded examples of fungal roles in fossilization. In this research, we have carried out a detailed geobiological investigation on early Pleistocene hyena coprolites (fossilized dung) in an attempt to ascertain possible fungal involvement in their formation. Using an advanced microscopic and mineralogical approach, we found that numerous hydroxyapatite nanofibers (25-34 nm on average), interwoven to form spheroidal structures, constituted the matrix of the coprolites in addition to food remains. These structures were found to be extremely similar in texture and mineral composition to biominerals produced during laboratory culture of a common saprophytic and geoactive fungus, Aspergillus niger, in the presence of a solid source of calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P). This observation, and our other data obtained, strongly suggests that fungal metabolism can provide a mechanism that can result in fossil biomineralization, and we hypothesize, therefore, that this may have contributed to the formation of well-preserved fossils (Lagerstätten) in the geological record. The characteristic polycrystalline nanofibers may also have served as a potential biosignature for fungal life in early Earth and extraterrestrial environments.

The reconstruction of ancient trophic networks is pivotal to our understanding of ecosystem function and change through time. However, inferring dietary relationships in enigmatic ecosystems dominated by organisms without modern analogues, such as the Carboniferous Mazon Creek fauna, has previously been considered challenging: preserved coprolites often do not retain sufficient morphology to identify the dietary composition. Here, we analysed n = 3 Mazon Creek coprolites in concretions for dietary signals in preserved biomarkers, stable carbon isotope data, and macromolecular composition. Cholesteroids, metazoan markers of cholesterol, show an increased abundance in the sampled coprolites (86 to 99% of the total steranes) compared to the surrounding sediment, indicating an endogenous nature of preserved organics. Presence of unaltered 5α-cholestan-3β-ol and coprostanol underline the exceptional molecular preservation of the coprolites, and reveal a carnivorous diet for the coprolite producer. Statistical analyses of in situ Raman spectra targeting coprolite carbonaceous remains support a metazoan affinity of the digested fossil remains, and suggest a high trophic level for the coprolite producer. These currently oldest, intact dietary stanols, combined with exquisitely preserved macromolecular biosignatures in Carboniferous fossils offer a novel source of trophic information. Molecular and biosignature preservation is facilitated by rapid sedimentary encapsulation of the coprolites within days to months after egestion.

The aim of this research was to analyse the variability of parasite assemblages on a small spatial scale, by examining carnivore coprolites from the archaeological site Campo Moncada 2 (CM2), Piedra Parada area, Chubut province, Argentina, and comparing the results with those previously obtained from the archaeological site Campo Cerda 1 (CCe1), located in the same area. Six carnivore coprolites from CM2 were analysed: 4 obtained in sub-level 2a and 2 obtained in sub-level 2a/b. Two radiocarbon dates associated with the coprolites placed the samples chronologically between 780 ± 80 and 860 ± 80 years before present. The rehydrated sediments were sieved and then allowed to sediment spontaneously. The sediment was used for parasitological examination under light microscopy. Conservative estimation of total parasite richness resulted in 21 parasitic taxa. The taxa with the highest fecal prevalence (>50%) corresponded to parasites prevalent in modern carnivores (Alaria sp., Toxocara cf. canis, Toxascaris sp., Eucoleus cf. aerophila, Trichuris sp. and Ancylostomatidae gen. sp.). Assuming that the fox coprolites are contemporaneous, the total fecal parasite richness estimated for CM2 and previously for CCe1 was similar. The high total parasite richness found suggests a network of host–parasite relationships that could include regional hunter-gatherers. The results obtained in carnivore coprolites allow us to infer a very diverse biological community in Piedra Parada area, so the regional caves and rockshelters could have a proportional epidemiological importance as parasite exchange nodes.

Coprolites of the hyena Pachycrocuta brevirostris from the Lower Pleistocene (Upper Villafranchian) of Taurida Cave (Crimea) were studied. One of the three hyena coprolites contained helminth eggs. These eggs were assigned to Toxocara sp. based on their size and morphology. Toxocariasis was evidently a very common infestation among extinct hyena species. The find of toxocara in P. brevirostris coprolite from the Taurida Cave is the earliest evidence of roundworm infestation in P. brevirostris.