Deep echinoderm phylogeny preserved in organic molecules from Paleozoic fossils

Isolation of organic molecules directly from Paleozoic to Cenozoic fossils has been documented, which raises important, new questions about the conditions of preservation and the range of paleobiological issues that can be addressed with these new data. Herein, molecules are isolated from fossil ech...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geology (Boulder) 2016-05, Vol.44 (5), p.379-382
Main Authors: O'Malley, Christina E, Ausich, William I, Chin, Yu-Ping
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
biologic evolution
Brackish
cladistics
Comparative analysis
Echinodermata
Fluorescence
Fossils
Invertebrata
invertebrate
Marine
Molecules
organic compounds
paleobiology
Paleontology
Paleozoic
Phylogenetics
phylogeny
preservation
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Summary:Isolation of organic molecules directly from Paleozoic to Cenozoic fossils has been documented, which raises important, new questions about the conditions of preservation and the range of paleobiological issues that can be addressed with these new data. Herein, molecules are isolated from fossil echinoderms exceeding 445 Ma in age. Previously, morphological data have been insufficient to establish a consensus regarding early echinoderm evolution. Thus, organic molecules extracted from fossil echinoderm specimens (mostly Paleozoic) belonging to the classes Asteroidea, Blastoidea, Crinoidea, Diploporita, Echinoidea, and Edrioasteroidea are used to assess the position of crinoids and blastozoans within competing echinoderm phylogenetic hypotheses. Fluorescence excitation-emission spectroscopy of organic molecules in fossil extracts are used to compare relationships among hypotheses. These new data support the hypothesis that living eleutherozoans diverged early from stemmed echinoderms, crinoids are nested within the clade that includes other blastozoans, and edrioasteroids are a distinct clade.
ISSN:0091-7613
1943-2682
DOI:10.1130/G37761.1