Graptolite Paleobiology (eBook)

Jörg Maletz (Autor)

eBook Download: PDF

2017
John Wiley & Sons (Verlag)
978-1-118-51570-9 (ISBN)

Infos

The graptolites constitute one of the geologically most useful taxonomic groups of fossils for dating rock successions, understanding paleobiogeography and reconstructing plate tectonic configurations in the Lower Palaeozoic. Graptolites were largely planktic, marine organisms, and as one of the first groups that explored the expanses of the world's oceans are vital for understanding Palaeozoic ecology.  They are the best and often the only fossil group for dating Lower Palaeozoic rock successions precisely. Thousands of taxa have been described from all over the planet and are used for a wide variety of geological and palaeontological (biological) research topics. The recent recognition of the modern pterobranch Rhabdopleura as a living benthic graptolite enables a much better understanding and interpretation of the fossil Graptolithina.

In the decades since the latest edition of the Graptolite Treatise, the enormous increase of knowledge on this group of organisms has never been synthesised in a compelling and coherent way, and information is scattered in scientific publications and difficult to sort through. This volume provides an up-to-date insight into research on graptolites. Such research has advanced considerably with the use of new methods of investigation and documentation.  SEM investigation and research on ultrastructure of the tubaria has made it possible to compare extant and extinct taxa in much more detail.  Cladistic interpretation of graptolite taxonomy and evolution has advanced the understanding of this group of organisms considerably in the last two decades, and has highlighted their importance in our understanding of evolutionary processes. This book will show graptolites, including their modern, living relatives, in a quite new and fascinating light, and will demonstrate the impact that the group has had on the evolution of the modern marine ecosystem.

This book is aimed not only at earth scientists but also at biologists, ecologists and oceanographers. It is a readable and comprehensible volume for students at the MSc level, while remaining accessible to undergraduates and non-specialists seeking up-to-date information about this fascinating topic in palaeobiology.

Jörg Maletz is a researcher based at the Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.

Inhalt

Title Page 5
Copyright Page 6
Contents 7
List of contributors 9
Preface 10
Acknowledgments 12
Chapter 1 Graptolites: An Introduction 15
Biology 16
Evolution 17
Stratigraphy 19
Ecology 20
Paleogeography 22
Colony Shapes 23
History of Research 27
Outlook 28
Chapter 2 Biological Affinities 29
Graptolites as Organisms 30
Hemichordata 30
Pterobranchia 35
Communality and Coloniality 36
Ontogeny and Astogeny 38
Cephalodiscida 40
Graptolithina 43
Outlook 44
Chapter 3 Construction of Graptolite Tubaria 45
Naming the Tubarium Features 46
Construction Material 46
Tubarium Design 48
Tubarium size 48
Branching style 49
Colony shapes 50
Thecal Tubes 52
Autothecae and bithecae 52
Dicalycal thecae 53
Seriality 54
Thecal morphology 54
Thecal isolation 55
Thecal folding 56
Colony Growth 56
Metasicula 58
Nema 58
Origin of the first theca 58
Extrathecal Developments 59
Nematularia 59
Proximal membranes 61
Additional nemal constructions 62
Lacinia 62
Ancora development 62
Outlook 62
Chapter 4 Paleoecology of the Pterobranchia 64
Mode of Life 65
Benthic Graptolites 65
Planktic Graptolites 66
Synrhabdosomes 68
Locomotion 68
Graptolites and Sediments 70
Patterns of Occurrence 71
Population Structure 72
The Graptoloid Habitat 73
Spatial Distribution 74
Depth Distribution 74
Biogeography 76
Historical Biogeography 78
Graptolite Life History 79
Graptolite life span 79
Growth limitations 81
Graptolites and the Food Chain 82
Feeding Style 84
The Diet 85
Parasitism 85
Tubarium Repair 87
Outlook 89
Chapter 5 Graptolites as Rock Components 90
Graptolite Taphonomy and Preservation Potential 91
Death on the Sea Floor 92
In Situ Death Assemblages 95
Transport of Graptolite Tubaria 95
Burial and Preservation 96
Diagenesis 97
Metamorphism and Organic Maturation 100
Mineral Replacement 102
Tectonic Deformation 103
Weathering 106
Outlook 107
Chapter 6 Graptolites and Stratigraphy 108
Biostratigraphy and Graptolites 109
Types of Graptolite Zones 112
Graptolites and Chronostratigraphy 116
Graptolites and Absolute Ages 117
Graptolite Biozonations 118
Graphic Correlation 121
Graptolites and Exploration 121
Oil and Gas 122
Uranium Exploration 123
Outlook 124
Chapter 7 Taxonomy and Evolution 125
Graptolites and Taxonomy 126
Nomenclature 127
Monophyly in Graptolite Taxonomy 129
Graptolite Cladistics 129
Relationships of the Major Graptolite Groups 132
Extinction Events and Radiations 132
Evolutionary Lineages 133
Convergent Evolution 134
Outlook 136
Chapter 8 Bound to the Sea Floor: The Benthic Graptolites 138
“Rooting” the Graptolite Colony 139
The Graptolithina 141
Family Rhabdopleuridae 141
Camaroids and Crustoids 142
The Cyclograptidae 143
The Dithecodendridae 144
The Dendroidea 145
The Mastigograptidae 145
The Dendrograptidae 146
The Acanthograptidae 149
The Extinction 149
Algae or Graptolites? 151
Outlook 152
Chapter 9 The Planktic Revolution 153
Why Move into the Water Column? 154
What has Changed in Colony Development? 155
Attachment and the Free Nema 157
Increase in Symmetry 159
The “Dendroid” Bithecae 159
Increasing Diversity and Disparity 161
The Graptoloidea 161
Anisograptidae as Inventors 161
Proximal Development 162
Evolutionary Changes and Biostratigraphy 162
Turnover in the Late Tremadocian 163
Outlook 166
Chapter 10 Early Ordovician Diversity Burst 167
The Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event 168
Change in the Colony Design 169
Suborder Sinograpta 171
Family Sigmagraptidae 172
Family Abrograptidae 173
Thecal Complexity 175
The genus Sinograptus 178
Suborder Dichograptina 178
Family Tetragraptidae 180
Family Didymograptidae 182
Family Pterograptidae 183
Symmetry and the Glossograptina 185
Family Isograptidae 185
The Manubrium 185
Scandency and Biserial Tubaria 187
Family Glossograptidae 189
Outlook 194
Chapter 11 The Biserial Graptolites 195
The Axonophora Concept 196
Early Biserial Axonophorans 197
An Axis for Support 198
The Axonophoran Sicula 199
The Virgella 200
Proximal Development Types 201
The Thecal Styles 204
The Median Septum 204
The Diplograptina 205
Family Diplograptidae 208
Orthograptinae and the Antivirgellar Spine 209
Family Lasiograptidae 209
Family Climacograptidae 210
Family Dicranograptidae 212
The Neograptina 215
Outlook 220
Chapter 12 The Retiolitid Graptolites 221
Tubarium Reduction? 222
Retiolitid Origins 223
Ancora Umbrella and Ancora Sleeve 224
Reticulum and Clathrium 225
Early Ancora Sleeve Development 227
The Retiolitinae 228
The Plectograptinae 228
Appendix and the Retiolitid Extinction 232
Outlook 233
Chapter 13 The Monograptids 235
Monograptid Construction 236
Family Dimorphograptidae 237
Monograptid Thecal Styles 238
Tubarium Shapes 240
Cladia 241
Llandovery Diversification 242
Rastritid Monograptids 242
Streptograptids 244
Spirograptus, Cyrtograptus and their Relatives 247
Pristiograptus Clade 249
Aftermath of the Lundgreni Extinction 250
Cucullograptinae and Neocucullograptinae 251
Linograptinae 252
Kozlowskii Event 254
Final Extinction 256
Outlook 257
Chapter 14 Collection, Preparation and Illustration of Graptolites 258
Collecting Graptolites 259
Physical Preparation 261
Chemical Preparation 263
Methods of Illustration 264
Permanent Storage 265
Outlook 267
Chapter 15 History of Graptolite Research 268
The First Collected Graptolite? 269
Foundation of Graptolite Research 270
The British Dominance 273
Early Graptolite Research in Scandinavia 274
Graptolites from “Down Under” 276
The 20th Century Graptolites 277
Graptolites in China and Russia 278
The Pterobranch Connection 279
Graptolite Reconstructions through Time 280
The Kirk Hypothesis – A Controversy 281
Outlook 283
References 284
Index 325
Supplemental Images 338
EULA 354

Rezensionen

Graptolites might have lost some of their utilitarian appeal even to Palaeozoic biostratigraphers but they have gained in palaeobiological interest over the last few decades. Graptolite Paleobiology marks a useful point in graptolite studies when it is appropriate to take stock of what has been achieved.

Arguably the last time this happened was in 1955 when Bulman wrote the first edition of the graptolite volume of the Treatise. Maletz and contributors are to be congratulated on pulling together such a considerable body of research, stretching back nearly 300 years, and for producing such a beautifully illustrated and informative book, which deserves a place in every geological library.

It was 1735 when Linnaeus first noticed this somewhat enigmatic group of fossils. He coined the name Graptolithus, derived from the Greek via modern Latin and meaning 'written rock', although he thought that they were the fossil remains of plants.

Maletz reviews the progress that has been made, especially since the early decades of the 19th Century. At that time, graptolite studies were broadly divided between a European academic tradition with a biological approach to the fossils (especially in Sweden and subsequently Poland), whereas in Britain the approach was more utilitarian and biostratigraphical. Although there was of course a more general international interest in the taxonomy and evolution of the graptolites, this progressed quite independently of any need to understand their biological affinities. Conodont research had a similar history of development.

Only in the mid-20th Century did palaeobiological and biostratigraphical approaches begin to merge. As with that other group of enigmatic marine Palaeozoic fossils (conodonts), the underlying biological problem with graptolites was the zoological identity of the graptolite organism. Although microscope studies of chemically isolated specimens by Swedish palaeontologists had already presented clues as to the graptolites' pterobranch affinity, it took another 70 years before the new technologies of scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed the true connection.

Despite a diminishing number of researchers, great progress has been made across the whole range of graptolite studies in recent decades. Palaeobiology cannot stand alone without support from taxonomic and evolutionary research. As Maletz shows so clearly, all have benefited from the ability to examine chemically isolated specimens by electron microscopy both SEM and TEM. Crowther's 'breakthrough' recognition in the late 1970s of the nature and origin of cortical 'bandages' in the structure of the graptolite stipe led the way.

Much of the graptolite research literature is notoriously scattered and often hard to access but Graptolite Paleobiology provides an excellent digest and is essential reading for all advanced students. (Reviewed by Douglas Palmer)

"Maletz and contributors are to be congratulated on pulling together such a considerable body of research... a beautifully illustrated and informative book." (Geoscientist, March 2018)

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 14.3.2017
• Reihe/Serie: TOPA Topics in Paleobiology
• Reihe/Serie: TOPA Topics in Paleobiology
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Archäologie
• Themenwelt: Geschichte ► Allgemeine Geschichte ► Vor- und Frühgeschichte
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Geologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften ► Geowissenschaften ► Mineralogie / Paläontologie
• Themenwelt: Technik
• Schlagworte: benthic graptolite • biologists • Biowissenschaften • dating Lower Palaeozoic rock successions • dating rock successions • earth sciences • earth scientists • ecologists • evolutionary biology • Evolutionsbiologie • fossils • Geological research • Geowissenschaften • graptolite evolution • Graptolite Paleobiology • graptolites • graptolite taxonomy • Graptolite Treatise • Graptolithen • Graptolithina • Jan Zalasiewicz • Jorg Maletz • Life Sciences • Marine ecosystem • Oceanographers • palaeobiology • palaeontological research • Palaeozoic ecology • Paläontologie • Paläontologie, Paläobiologie u. Geobiologie • Paleobiogeography • Paleontology, Paleobiology & Geobiology • pterobranch Rhabdopleura • reconstructing plate tectonic configurations in the Lower Palaeozoic • SEM investigation
• ISBN-10: 1-118-51570-6 / 1118515706
• ISBN-13: 978-1-118-51570-9 / 9781118515709