Scientists from the University of Warsaw and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań have described an exceptionally complete reef from the Early Devonian period, discovered at the Wee Jasper site in New South Wales, Australia. The findings have been published in the journal Gondwana Research.
The research team, led by Professor Mikołaj Zapalski from the Faculty of Geology at the University of Warsaw, has now described a remarkably complete fossil reef dating back 395 million years, from the Early Devonian. This ecosystem, located at the Wee Jasper site in New South Wales, Australia, was built by corals from an extinct group called tabulate corals. The water column above the reef teemed with a diverse array of fish, primarily armored fishes known as placoderms. The entire reef developed along the continental shelf of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana.
Today, mesophotic coral reefs develop at intermediate depths of 30–150 meters and are constructed by corals in symbiosis with algae called zooxanthellae. Due to limited light at these depths, mesophotic corals typically form flat colonies that maximize light capture, functioning much like solar panels — explains Prof. Zapalski.
A similar ecosystem dominated by flat-forming corals has now been identified by the international research team. In addition to a relatively modest assemblage of reef-building corals, gastropods, crinoids, and other benthic organisms, researchers documented over 70 species of fish. These ranged from large predators, such as buchanosteids — likely ecological analogs to modern sharks — to bottom-dwelling armored fish, and small, likely schooling predatory fishes (such as Taemasacanthus), whose jaws were lined with sharp teeth.
The scientists concluded that the Wee Jasper ecosystem represents the most complete Paleozoic reef known to date. Although it was built entirely by extinct organisms, its ecological functioning was remarkably similar to that of modern reefs. The discovery of this ecosystem along the eastern margin of ancient Gondwana — alongside previously known reefs from other paleocontinents — highlights the widespread distribution of symbiotic coral reefs during the Devonian period.
The study, which also involved Professor Błażej Berkowski from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań and Professor Stanisław Skompski from the University of Warsaw, was published in Gondwana Research.
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