 |
Hi-tech scans catch prehistoric mite hitching ride on spider
November 09, 2011Scientists have produced amazing three-dimensional images of a prehistoric mite as it hitched a ride on the back of a 50 million-year-old spider.
At just 176 micrometres long and barely visible to the naked eye, University of Manchester researchers and colleagues in Berlin believe the mite, trapped inside Baltic amber (fossil tree resin), is the smallest arthropod fossil ever to be scanned using X-ray computed tomography (CT) scanning techniques.
They say their study - published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters today (Wednesday, 9 November) - also sets a minimum age of almost 50 million years for the evolution among these mites of phoretic, or hitchhiking, behaviour using another animal species.
"CT allowed us to digitally dissect the mite off the spider in order to reveal the important features on the underside of the mite required for identification," said Dr David Penney, one of the study's authors based in the Faculty of Life Sciences. "The specimen, which is extremely rare in the fossil record, is potentially the oldest record of the living family Histiostomatidae.
"Amber is a remarkable repository of ecological associations within the fossil record. In many cases organisms died instantaneously and were preserved with lifelike fidelity, still enacting their behaviour immediately prior to their unexpected demise. We often refer to this as 'frozen behaviour' or palaeoethology and such examples can tell us a great deal about interactions in ecosystems of the past. However, most amber fossils consist of individual insects or several insects together but without unequivocal demonstrable evidence of direct interaction. The remarkable specimen we describe in this paper is the kind of find that occurs only once in say a hundred thousand specimens."
Fellow Manchester biologist Dr Richard Preziosi said: "Phoresy is where one organism uses another animal of a different species for transportation to a new environment. Such behaviour is common in several different groups today. The study of fossils such as the one we described can provide important clues as to how far back in geological time such behaviours evolved. The fact that we now have technology that was unavailable just a few years ago means we can now use a multidisciplinary approach to extract the most information possible from such tiny and awkwardly positioned fossils, which previously would have yielded little or no substantial scientific data."
Co-author Professor Phil Withers, from Manchester's School of Materials, said: "We believe this to be the smallest amber inclusion scanned anywhere to date. With our sub-micron phase contrast system we can obtain fantastic 3D images and compete with synchrotron x-ray systems and are revealing fossils previously inaccessible to imaging. With our nanoCT lab systems, we are now looking to push the boundaries of this technique yet further."
Dr Jason Dunlop, from the Humboldt University, Berlin, added: "As everyone knows, mites are usually very small animals, and even living ones are difficult to work with. Fossil mites are especially rare and the particular group to which this remarkable new amber specimen belongs has only been found a handful of times in the fossil record. Yet thanks to these new techniques, we could identify numerous important features as if we were looking at a modern animal under the scanning electron microscope. Work like this is breaking down the barriers between palaeontology and zoology even further."
University of Manchester
Related Fossil Record Current Events and Fossil Record News Articles
The eloquence of the otoliths
Fish fossils that are about 23 million years old give unprecedented insight into the evolutionary history of the gobioid order, one of the most species-rich groups among the modern bony fishes.
Scientists discover oldest evidence of split between Old World monkeys and apes
Two fossil discoveries from the East African Rift reveal new information about the evolution of primates, according to a study published online in Nature this week led by Ohio University scientists.
Study provides insight into nesting behavior of dinosaurs
A university study into the incubation behavior of modern birds is shedding new light on the type of parental care carried out by their long extinct ancestors.
Clam fossils divulge secrets of ecologic stability
Clam fossils from the middle Devonian era - some 380 million years ago - now yield a better paleontological picture of the capacity of ecosystems to remain stable in the face of environmental change, according to research published May 15 in the online journal PLOS ONE.
Dietary flexibility may have helped some large predators survive after last ice age
During the late Pleistocene, a remarkably diverse assemblage of large-bodied mammals inhabited the "mammoth steppe," a cold and dry yet productive environment that extended from western Europe through northern Asia and across the Bering land bridge to the Yukon.
Scientists Reveal New Species of Bone-Headed Dinosaur Hinting at Higher Diversity of Small Dinosaurs
Scientists have named a new species of bone-headed dinosaur (pachycephalosaur) from Alberta, Canada. Acrotholus audeti (Ack-RHO-tho-LUS) was identified from both recently discovered and historically collected fossils.
The Black Sea is a goldmine of ancient genetic data
When Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) marine paleoecologist Marco Coolen was mining through vast amounts of genetic data from the Black Sea sediment record, he was amazed about the variety of past plankton species that left behind their genetic makeup (i.e., the plankton paleome).
No evidence for theory humans wiped out megafauna
Most species of gigantic animals that once roamed Australia had disappeared by the time people arrived, a major review of the available evidence has concluded.
What Happened to Dinosaurs' Predecessors After Earth's Largest Extinction 252 Million Years Ago?
Predecessors to dinosaurs missed the race to fill habitats emptied when nine out of 10 species disappeared during Earth's largest mass extinction 252 million years ago.
University of Tennessee professor links massive prehistoric bird extinction to human colonization
Research by a University of Tennessee, Knoxville professor has found that about a thousand bird species became extinct following human colonization.
More Fossil Record Current Events and Fossil Record News Articles
 |
The Fossil Record by John D. Morris (Author), Frank J. Sherwin (Author) |
 |
Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature by Brian Switek (Author) Switek seamlessly intertwines two types of evolution: one of life on earth and the other of paleontology itself.”Discover MagazineIn delightful prose, [Switek] . . . superbly shows that [i]f we can let go of our conceit,’ we will see the preciousness of life in all its forms.”Publishers Weekly (starred review)Highly instructive . . . a warm, intelligent yeoman’s guide to the progress of life.”Kirkus ReviewsMagisterial . . . part historical account, part scientific detective story. Switek’s elegant prose and thoughtful scholarship will change the way you see life on our planet. This book marks the debut of an important new voice.”Neil ShubinElegantly and engagingly crafted, Brian Switek’s narrative interweaves stories and characters not often... |
 |
Break the Fossil Record (Ivy + Bean, Book 3) by Annie Barrows (Author), Sophie Blackall (Illustrator) World-record fever grips the second grade, and soon Ivy and Bean are trying to set their own record by becoming the youngest people to have ever discovered a dinosaur. But how hard is it to find one? |
 |
Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters by Donald R. Prothero (Author), Carl Buell (Illustrator) Over the past twenty years, paleontologists have made tremendous fossil discoveries, including fossils that mark the growth of whales, manatees, and seals from land mammals and the origins of elephants, horses, and rhinos. Today there exists an amazing diversity of fossil humans, suggesting we walked upright long before we acquired large brains, and new evidence from molecules that enable scientists to decipher the tree of life as never before.The fossil record is now one of the strongest lines of evidence for evolution. In this engaging and richly illustrated book, Donald R. Prothero weaves an entertaining though intellectually rigorous history out of the transitional forms and series that dot the fossil record. Beginning with a brief discussion of the nature of science and the "monkey... |
 |
Human Origins : The Fossil Record by Clark Spencer Larsen (Author), Robert M. Matter (Author), Daniel L. Gebo (Author) An up-to-date pictorial review of the major fossil finds in the world! This updated, introductory guidebook to the fossil record of prehuman and human evolution presents detailed drawings of complete or nearly complete specimens representative of particular grades of evolution. Each drawing (usually shown at 75 percent of original size) is accompanied by appropriate information, including geographical location, approximate age, and general description. Descriptions include information on the context of the discovery and summary anatomical details. The detailed drawings in this highly regarded volume make it an excellent sourcebook for use in departments with limited fossil cast collections. |
 |
Rereading the Fossil Record: The Growth of Paleobiology as an Evolutionary Discipline by David Sepkoski (Author) Although fossils have provided some of the most important evidence for evolution, the discipline of paleontology has not always had a central place in evolutionary biology. Beginning in Darwin’s day, and for much of the twentieth century, paleontologists were often regarded as mere fossil collectors by many evolutionary biologists, their attempts to contribute to evolutionary theory ignored or regarded with scorn. In the 1950s, however, paleontologists began mounting a counter-movement that insisted on the valid, important, and original contribution of paleontology to evolutionary theory. This movement, called “paleobiology” by its proponents, advocated for an approach to the fossil record that was theoretical, quantitative, and oriented towards explaining the broad patterns of... |
 |
Introduction to Paleobiology and the Fossil Record by Michael J. Benton (Author), David A. T. Harper (Author) This book presents a comprehensive overview of the science of the history of life. Paleobiologists bring many analytical tools to bear in interpreting the fossil record and the book introduces the latest techniques, from multivariate investigations of biogeography and biostratigraphy to engineering analysis of dinosaur skulls, and from homeobox genes to cladistics. All the well-known fossil groups are included, including microfossils and invertebrates, but an important feature is the thorough coverage of plants, vertebrates and trace fossils together with discussion of the origins of both life and the metazoans. All key related subjects are introduced, such as systematics, ecology, evolution and development, stratigraphy and their roles in understanding where life came from and how it... |
 |
Evolution and the Fossil Record by John Pojeta Jr. (Author), Dale Springer (Author) Evolution and the Fossil Record, an eye-catching booklet produced by the American Geological Institute in cooperation with the Paleontological Society, aims to help the general public gain a better understanding of one of the fundamental underlying concepts of modern science. This booklet has many colorful photos, drawings, and illustrations which complement the authors' conversational style as they discuss geologic time; change through time; Darwin's theory of evolution; evolution as a mechanism for change; the nature of species; the nature of theory; paleontology, geology, and evolution; and determining the age of fossils and rocks. Four "case study" examples from the fossil record - evolution of vertebrate legs, evolution of birds, evolution of mammals, and evolution of whales - are... |
 |
Antelopes, Deer, and Relatives: Fossil Record, Behavioral Ecology, Systematics, and Conservation by Elizabeth S. Vrba (Editor), George B. Schaller (Editor) From the era of early cave paintings to the present time, ruminants - deer, antelopes, cattle, buffalo, goats, giraffes and their relatives - have captured the human imagination. Present on every continent except Australia and Antarctica, they have also been more important to human subsistence than any other mammalian group. This book is a discussion of the evolution, biology, relationships, and conservation of this fascinating and ecologically important group of mammals. Eminent authorities from around the world have contributed to this book on ruminants, integrating information from palaeontology, molecular and population genetics, anatomy, morphology, and field studies of behaviour, ecology, and the effects of climate change. Also covered are the genetics, morphology, and behaviour of... |
 |
Mammoths, Mastodonts, and Elephants: Biology, Behavior and the Fossil Record by Gary Haynes (Author) The diminishing population of African and Asian elephants can be compared to the extinction of other elephant-like species, such as mammoths and mastodonts, which occurred more than ten thousand years ago. The purpose of this book is to use the ecology and behavior of modern elephants to create models for reconstructing the life and death of extinct mammoths and mastodonts. The source of the models is a long-term and continuing study of elephants in Zimbabwe, Africa. These models are clearly described with respect to the anatomical, behavioral, and ecological similarities between past and present proboscideans. The implications of these similarities on the life and death of mammoths and mastodonts is explored in detail. The importance of this book is primarily its unifying... |
| © 2013 BrightSurf.com |