Paleoenvironmental reconstruction of aĀ Jurassic LakeĀ
Ā
I have made this illustration for a scientific paper by Van Damme & Kotov (2016, Earth-Science Reviews) on the fossil record of the Cladocera or waterfleas,Ā a major group of zooplankton and a vital component inĀ aquatic food webs.
Dr. Kay Van Damme provided the concept of the reconstruction, describing the paleoenvironment with its plant and animal species. The illustration shows aĀ hypothetical mid-Mesozoic freshwater lake (Jurassic-Early Cretaceous) with emphasis on the waterfleas.Ā