The Bahariya formation is one of the most productive in Africa in terms of fossil material. This paper conducts a comprehensive review of the flora & fauna and creates ecological reconstruction of this ssemblage based on modern analogues. There is no evidence that the major vertebrate components of this biome were mangrove adapted taxa & most were commuters from the surrounding mainland. The high number of theropod species is overstated as niche partitioning between them lowers the predator/prey ratios and is a result of this habitat developing from the broader North African ecosystems with its limited vegetation. While Bahariya had great diversity of predators, the populations of most were limited; further offsetting the predator/prey imbalance; although its currently impossible to differentiate local population patterns from the general population trends in this ecosystem as a whole. The rarity of ornithopods can now be seen as a result of aridity and simplified forest structure. Crustaceans can be confirmed as forming a major trophic base but new emphasis needs to be placed on Bahariyan gastropods as potential ecosystem engineers. Although some questions still remain concerning missing faunal elements; Bahariya’s reportedly substantial productivity, and later over-productivity, can now be confirmed.
A reconstruction of the Paleoecology and environmental dynamics of the Bahariya formation of Egypt
Year: 2016
