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Lindgren J, Sjövall P, Carney RM, Cincotta A, Uvdal P, Hutcheson SW, Gustafsson O, Lefèvre U, Escuillié F, Heimdal J, Engdahl A, Gren JA, Kear BP, Wakamatsu K, Yans J, Godefroit P. Molecular composition and ultrastructure of Jurassic paravian feathers. Sci Rep 2015; 5:13520. [PMID: 26311035 PMCID: PMC4550916 DOI: 10.1038/srep13520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Accepted: 07/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Feathers are amongst the most complex epidermal structures known, and they have a well-documented evolutionary trajectory across non-avian dinosaurs and basal birds. Moreover, melanosome-like microbodies preserved in association with fossil plumage have been used to reconstruct original colour, behaviour and physiology. However, these putative ancient melanosomes might alternatively represent microorganismal residues, a conflicting interpretation compounded by a lack of unambiguous chemical data. We therefore used sensitive molecular imaging, supported by multiple independent analytical tests, to demonstrate that the filamentous epidermal appendages in a new specimen of the Jurassic paravian Anchiornis comprise remnant eumelanosomes and fibril-like microstructures, preserved as endogenous eumelanin and authigenic calcium phosphate. These results provide novel insights into the early evolution of feathers at the sub-cellular level, and unequivocally determine that melanosomes can be preserved in fossil feathers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johan Lindgren
- Department of Geology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Peter Sjövall
- SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Chemistry, Materials and Surfaces, 501 15 Borås, Sweden
| | - Ryan M Carney
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, USA
| | - Aude Cincotta
- Operational Direction 'Earth and History of Life', Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Geology, University of Namur, 5000 Namur, Belgium
| | - Per Uvdal
- MAX-IV laboratory, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden.,Chemical Physics, Department of Chemistry, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | - Steven W Hutcheson
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Ola Gustafsson
- Department of Biology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Ulysse Lefèvre
- Operational Direction 'Earth and History of Life', Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.,Department of Geology, Liège University, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Jimmy Heimdal
- MAX-IV laboratory, Lund University, 221 00 Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Johan A Gren
- Department of Geology, Lund University, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Benjamin P Kear
- Museum of Evolution, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.,Palaeobiology Programme, Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Kazumasa Wakamatsu
- Department of Chemistry, Fujita Health University School of Health Sciences, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan
| | - Johan Yans
- Department of Geology, University of Namur, 5000 Namur, Belgium
| | - Pascal Godefroit
- Operational Direction 'Earth and History of Life', Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
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52
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De Baets K, Littlewood DTJ. The Importance of Fossils in Understanding the Evolution of Parasites and Their Vectors. ADVANCES IN PARASITOLOGY 2015; 90:1-51. [PMID: 26597064 DOI: 10.1016/bs.apar.2015.07.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Knowledge concerning the diversity of parasitism and its reach across our current understanding of the tree of life has benefitted considerably from novel molecular phylogenetic methods. However, the timing of events and the resolution of the nature of the intimate relationships between parasites and their hosts in deep time remain problematic. Despite its vagaries, the fossil record provides the only direct evidence of parasites and parasitism in the fossil record of extant and extinct lineages. Here, we demonstrate the potential of the fossil record and other lines of geological evidence to calibrate the origin and evolution of parasitism by combining different kinds of dating evidence with novel molecular clock methodologies. Other novel methods promise to provide additional evidence for the presence or the life habit of pathogens and their vectors, including the discovery and analysis of ancient DNA and other biomolecules, as well as computed tomographic methods.
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