This week's Fossil Friday is a Composita brachiopod from the early Carboniferous Banff Formation in Kananaskis! When it was deposited much of western North America was covered by a warm, shallow sea - the perfect environment for marine invertebrates like this to thrive!
The rings on the surface are beekite, which formed when the soft calcite / aragonite of the shell was replaced by more resistant silicate minerals.
#palaeontology #paleontology #fossilfriday #fossils #brachiopods #alberta
436-million-year-old #brachiopods used bristles to avoid crowding neighbors https://phys.org/news/2025-07-prehistoric-social-distancing-million-year.html paper: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2509354122
"Unlike some brachiopods, Nucleospira calypta lacked a stalk and had a smooth, disk-shaped shell—traits that likely let them slide slowly, mm at a time... When 2 individuals got too close, their setae would touch, prompting gradual adjustments over time. The result was a stable arrangement that minimized competition—critical for #FilterFeeders"
Enjoyed reading about this nice study @Palaeo3 about the relationship between Li/Ca ratios in #brachiopods and #temperature. The #dataset looks very robust and the empirical relationship highly promising for #paleoclimate #reconstructions!
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018225002135
The oldest known example in the #fossil record of an #evolutionary arms race.
The 517-million-year-old predator-prey interactions occurred in the ocean covering what is now South Australia between a small, shelled animal distantly related to #brachiopods and an unknown marine #animal capable of piercing its shell.
#evolution #biology
https://phys.org/news/2025-01-fossil-reveals-oldest-evolutionary-arms.html
A study led by researchers at the American Museum of Natural History presents the oldest known example in the fossil record of an evolutionary arms race. These 517-million-year-old predator-prey interactions occurred in the ocean covering what is now South Australia between a small, shelled animal distantly related to brachiopods and an unknown marine animal capable of piercing its shell.
Oldest-known evolutionary arms race https://phys.org/news/2025-01-fossil-reveals-oldest-evolutionary-arms.html
Adaptive responses in #Cambrian predator and prey highlight the arms race during the rise of #animals https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(24)01647-6
"These 517-million-year-old predator-prey interactions occurred between a small, shelled #animal distantly related to #brachiopods and an unknown marine animal capable of piercing its shell... an increase in shell wall thickness coincides with an increase in the number of perforated shells"
A study led by researchers at the American Museum of Natural History presents the oldest known example in the fossil record of an evolutionary arms race. These 517-million-year-old predator-prey interactions occurred in the ocean covering what is now South Australia between a small, shelled animal distantly related to brachiopods and an unknown marine animal capable of piercing its shell.
Remarkable marine animal forests found around #Wellington's coast in central #NewZealand https://phys.org/news/2024-09-remarkable-marine-animal-forests-wellington.html
Ecologically significant shallow-water (0–30 m) marine animal forests in central New Zealand https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424003445
"#MarineAnimalForests are habitats formed by big groups of #invertebrates—creatures such as #sponges, horse #mussels, and #brachiopods, which look a bit like #clams. These remarkable communities are increasingly being recognized as #biodiversity hotspots"
25-JUL-2024
Ancient marine animal had inventive past despite being represented by few species, new study finds
Brachiopods were evolving in new directions but this did not turn into evolutionary success in terms of the numbers of species, researchers at the University of Bristol, the Open University, and the China University of Geosciences have found.
Ancient marine #animal had inventive past despite being represented by few species https://phys.org/news/2024-07-ancient-marine-animal-species.html
Morphological innovation did not drive diversification in #Mesozoic–#Cenozoic brachiopods https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-024-02491-9
#Brachiopods were evolving in new directions but this did not become an evolutionary success in terms of the numbers of species... The findings shed light on some core principles of the #evolution of modern #biodiversity.
Brachiopods were evolving in new directions but this did not become an evolutionary success in terms of the numbers of species, researchers at the University of Bristol, the Open University, and the China University of Geosciences have found.
Alberta Palaeo Society
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Lukas VFN 🇪🇺
Niels de Winter
Mikko Tuomi
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michael