Información tafónómica e infórmación paleobiológica ¿un falso dilema?

Résumé

Taphonomy has frequently been concerned with information losses in ¿te fossil reeord. Altbough in (he sixdes Tasch argued ¿te theoretical possibility for a complete removal of these informational gaps, paleontologists generally adopt the former viewpoint. A new way to deal with these prob¡erns has been the use of cvolutionary taphonomy, as developed by Fernández-López. This author states that taphonomical information is gained by taphonomic systems, but this does not necessarily involve losses of biological information. There is a dilemma between the traditional point of view of fossilization as a destructive process and this new one, that involves a ncgentropic situation. The traditional point of view produces another dilemma as well: when taphonomic information increases, the possibilities lo mier paleobiological information diminish. 1-lere it is shown how tapNonomical features, as derived from biological traits, can supply clues fin paleobiological rescarch; thus, there is not such a dilcmma. Taphonomists Nave tú interpret the ways by which a taphonomical feature has been denved from a biological trait and consequcntly, tú infer this last one. Tasch's relationships bctween taplionomy and information theory play an important role in this discussion. Paleobiological inference obtained from taphonomic analysis has been cited in Jurassic cninoids and in Precambrian Vendobionta. A preliminary approach, in terms of mathematica¡ set theory, for a tuture rcsearch in tNeoretical aspects of this topic is outlined. Cuade,ocs cíe Gcologíc¡ Ibér/ca, o? 23. 183--208. Servicio de Publicaciones. Universidad Coníplutense. Madrid. 1997. 184 Miquel De Renz/