Exploring abnormal Cambrian-aged trilobites in the Smithsonian collection.

Abnormalities Cambrian Explosion Durophagy Escalation Healed injuries Trilobites

Journal

PeerJ
ISSN: 2167-8359
Titre abrégé: PeerJ
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 101603425

Informations de publication

Date de publication:
2020
Historique:
received: 21 10 2019
accepted: 23 12 2019
entrez: 3 3 2020
pubmed: 3 3 2020
medline: 3 3 2020
Statut: epublish

Résumé

Biomineralised trilobite exoskeletons provide a 250 million year record of abnormalities in one of the most diverse arthropod groups in history. One type of abnormality-repaired injuries-have allowed palaeobiologists to document records of Paleozoic predation, accidental damage, and complications in moulting experienced by the group. Although Cambrian trilobite injuries are fairly well documented, the illustration of new injured specimens will produce a more complete understanding of Cambrian prey items. To align with this perspective, nine new abnormal specimens displaying healed injuries from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History collection are documented. The injury pattern conforms to the suggestion of lateralised prey defence or predator preference, but it is highlighted that the root cause for such patterns is obscured by the lumping of data across different palaeoecological and environmental conditions. Further studies of Cambrian trilobites with injuries represent a key direction for uncovering evidence for the Cambrian escalation event.

Identifiants

pubmed: 32117612
doi: 10.7717/peerj.8453
pii: 8453
pmc: PMC7003707
doi:

Types de publication

Journal Article

Langues

eng

Pagination

e8453

Informations de copyright

©2020 Bicknell and Pates.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors declare there are no competing interests.

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Auteurs

Russell D C Bicknell (RDC)

Palaeoscience Research Centre, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia.

Stephen Pates (S)

Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Boston, United States of America.

Classifications MeSH