Invertebrate paleontology 274685 225226924 2008-07-12T15:53:00Z Abyssal leviathin 611413 /* External links */ [[Image:OilShaleFossilsEstonia.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Bryozoan]] fossils in an [[Ordovician]] [[oil shale]] from [[Estonia]]. Field of view is 15 cm across.]] [[Image:Aviculopecten subcardiformis01.JPG|thumb|right|250px|''Aviculopecten subcardiformis''; an extinct pectenoid from the Logan Formation (Lower [[Carboniferous]]) of [[Wooster, Ohio]] (external mold).]] ''Invertebrate paleontology''' (also spelled '''Invertebrate palaeontology''') is sometimes described as '''Invertebrate paleozoology''' and/or '''Invertebrate paleobiology'''. Whether it is considered to be a subfield of [[paleontology]], [[paleozoology]], and/or [[paleobiology]], this discipline is the [[scientific]] study of '''[[prehistoric]] [[invertebrate]]s''' by analyzing '''[[invertebrate]] [[fossil]]s''' in the [[geologic time|geologic record]]. By ''invertebrates'' are meant the ''non-vertebrate'' creatures of the [[Kingdom (biology)|kingdom]] [[Animalia]] (or [[Metazoa]]+b vmbn[[Parazoa]]) in the [[Biota|biotic]] [[domain (biology)|domain]] of [[Eukaryota]]. By [[Binomial nomenclature|phyletic]] definition, these [[multicellular|many-celled]], ''sub-vertebrate'' animals lack a [[vertebral column]], [[spinal column]], [[vertebrae]], [[backbone]], or long, full-length [[notochord]] -- in contrast, of course, to the [[vertebrate]]s in the one phylum of [[Chordata]]. Relatedly, invertebrates have never had a [[cartilaginous]] and/or [[bone]]y internal [[skeleton]], with its [[skeletal]]supports, [[gill slit]]s, [[rib]]s and [[jaw]]s. Finally, throughout [[geologic time]], invertebrates have remained non-[[craniate]] [[creature]]s; that is, they never developed a [[cranium]], [[nerve]]-[[chord]] [[brain]], [[skull]], or hard protective [[braincase]]. ==Invertebrate terminology in science== In the many decades since [[Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck]], a pioneering [[biologist]] and [[evolutionist]], first conceptualized and coined the category "[[Invertebrata]]" (between [[1793]] and [[1801]]) and the term "[[Biology]]" (in 1802), [[zoology]] has come to recognize that the ''non-vertebrate'' category is not a [[Validity|scientifically-valid]], [[monophyletic]] [[taxon]]. [[Evolutionary biology]] and [[developmental biology]] (a.k.a. "[[evo-devo]]") now consider the term "Invertebrata" to be both [[polyphyletic]] and [[paraphyletic]]. Nevertheless, most [[earth science]] departments continue to employ this term; and [[paleontologist]]s find it both useful and practical in evaluating '''fossil invertebrates''' and -- consequently -- '''invertebrate evolution'''. However, there is one contemporary caveat: [[Paleontologist|Paleobiologist]]s and [[microbiologist]]s in the 21st century no longer [[Classification|classify]] [[one-celled]] "animal-like" [[microbe]]s ''either'' as [[invertebrate]]s ''or'' as [[animal]]s. For example, the commonly-[[fossilized]] [[foraminifera]] ("forams") and [[radiolarians]] -- [[zooplankton]] both formerly grouped under either an animal phylum or animal sub-kingdom called [[Protozoa]] ("first animals") -- are now placed in the kingdom or super-kingdom [[Protista]] or [[Protoctista]] (and thus called ''protists'' or ''protoctists''). Thus modern '''invertebrate paleontologists''' deal largely with fossils of this more strictly defined [[Animal]] [[Kingdom (biology)|Kingdom]] (excepting [[Phylum]] [[Chordata]]), Phylum Chordata being the exclusive focus of [[vertebrate paleontology]]. [[Protist]] fossils are then the main focus of [[micropaleontology]], while plant fossils are the chief focus [[paleobotany]]. Together these four represent the traditional taxonomic divisions of [[paleontology|paleontologic]] study. ====Origins and modern evolution of invertebrate paleontology==== {{main|History of invertebrate paleozoology}} {{Expand-section|date=June 2008}} ==Invertebrate fossilization== When it comes to the fossil record, ''soft-''bodied and ''minuscule'' invertebrates -- such as [[Hydra (genus)|hydras]], [[Jellyfish|jelli]]es, [[flatworm]]s, [[hairworm]]s, [[nematode]]s, [[ribbon worm]]s, [[rotifer]]s and [[roundworm]]s -- are infrequently [[fossilized]]. As a result, [[paleontologist]]s and other [[fossil collecting|fossil hunter]]s must often rely on [[trace fossil]]s, [[microfossil]]s, or [[chemofossil]] residue when scouting for these prehistoric creatures. ''Hard-''bodied and ''large'' invertebrates are much-more commonly preserved; typically as sizeable [[macrofossil]]s. These invertebrates are more frequently preserved because their hard parts -- for example, [[Animal shell|shell]], [[armour (zoology)|armor]], plates, [[test (biology)|test]]s, [[exoskeleton]], [[jaw]]s or [[teeth]] -- are composed of [[silica]] ([[silicon dioxide]]), [[calcite]] or [[aragonite]] (both forms of [[calcium carbonate]]), [[chitin]] (a [[protein]] often infused with [[tricalcium phosphate]]), and/or [[keratin]] (an even-more complex [[protein]]), rather than the vertebrate [[bone]] ([[hydroxyapatite]]) or [[cartilage]] of [[fish]]es and land-dwelling [[tetrapod]]s. The [[chitinous]] jaws of [[annelid]]s (such as the marine [[scolecodonts]]) are sometimes preserved as fossils; while many [[arthropod]]s and [[Inarticulata|inarticulate]] [[brachiopod]]s have easily-fossilized hard parts of [[calcite]], [[chitin]], and/or [[keratin]]. The most common and often-found macrofossils are the very hard [[calcareous]] shells of [[Articulata|articulate]] [[brachiopod]]s (that is, the everyday "[[lampshell]]s") and of [[mollusk]]s (such as the omnipresent [[clam]]s, [[snail]]s, [[mussels]] and [[oyster]]s). On the other hand, non-shelly [[slug]]s and non-tubiferous [[worm]]s (for instance, [[earthworm]]s) have only occasionally been preserved due to their lack of hard parts. ====Taxonomy of commonly-fossilized invertebrates==== {{main|Taxonomy of commonly fossilised invertebrates}}{{Expand-section|date=June 2008}} ==Footnotes== <references /> ==Further reading== Although these books are ''not'' footnoted in this article, the following are well-illustrated, well-organized -- and often well-worn -- guides to invertebrate (and sometimes other) fossils: * Paolo Arduini (1987), ''Simon and Schuster's Guide to Fossils'' (Old Tappan, New Jersey: [[Fireside]]), 320 pages. ISBN 0671631322. * [[James R. Beerbower]] (1968). ''Search for the Past: An Introduction to Paleontology'' (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: [[Prentice-Hall]]), 512 pages. * R. S. Boardman and others (1985). ''Fossil Invertebrates''. * [[British Museum of Natural History]] (1969). ''British Palaeozoic Fossils'' (London, England: British Museum of Natural History). * Euan N. K. Clarkson (1998). ''Invertebrate Palaeontology and Evolution'' (London, England: [[Allen and Unwin]]), 468 pages. ISBN 9780632052387. * [[Peter Doyle]] (1996), ''Understanding Fossils: An Introduction to Invertebrate Paleontology'' (Hoboken, New Jersey: [[John Wiley & Sons]]), 426 pages. ISBN 0471963518. * [[Carroll Lane Fenton]] and [[Mildred Adams Fenton]] (1958); updated by Patricia Vickers Rich and Thomas Hewitt Rich (1997). ''The Fossil Book: A Record of Prehistoric Life'' (Garden City, New York: [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday]] and [[Courier Dover Publishing]]), from 482 to 760 pages. ISBN 0486293718. * W. R. Hamilton and others (1974). ''A Guide to Minerals, Rocks and Fossils'' (London, England: [[Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd.]]), 320 pages. * [[W. B. Harland]] (1967). ''The Fossil Record'' (London, England: [[Geological Society of London]]), 827 pages. * V. Lehmann and G. Hillmer (1983). ''Fossil Invertebrates'' (Cambridge, England: [[Cambridge University Press]]). * Harold L. Levin (1998), ''Ancient Invertebrates and Their Living Relatives'' (Boston: [[Prentice-Hall]]), 358 pages. ISBN 9780137489558. * William H. Matthews III (1962). ''Fossils: An Introduction to Prehistoric Life'' (New York: [[Barnes and Noble]]), 337 pages. * Helmut Mayr (1992). ''A Guide to Fossils'' (New York: [[Longman, Harlow]]). * [[Raymond C. Moore]] and others (1952). ''Invertebrate Fossils'' (New York: [[McGraw-Hill]]), 776 pages. ISBN 00704302. * J. W. Murray, editor (1985). ''Atlas of Invertebrate Macrofossils'' (Princeton: [[Princeton University Press]]), 256 pages. * [[Douglas Palmer]] (2004), ''Fossils'' (London, England: [[Dorling Kindersley]]). * Frank H. T. Rhodes and others (1962). ''Fossils: A Guide to Prehistoric Life'' (New York: [[Golden Nature Guide]]), 242 pages. * [[Henry Woodburn Shimer]] and [[Robert Rakes Shrock]] (1944/1983). ''Index Fossils of North America'' (Cambridge, Massachusetts: [[MIT Press|Massachusetts Institute of Technology Press]]), 837 pages. * Robert Rakes Shrock and W. H. Twenhofel (1953). ''Invertebrate Paleontology'' (New York: McGraw-Hill). * Ronald Singer (2000), ''[[Encyclopedia of Paleontology]]'' (London, England: [[Routledge]]), 1,467 pages. ISBN 1884964966. * [[Ida Thompson]] (1982/2004). ''[[National Audubon Society]] Field Guide to North American Fossils'' (New York: [[Alfred A. Knopf]]), 846 pages. * [[James W. Valentine]] (2004), ''On the Origins of Phyla'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press). 608 pages. ISBN 0-226-84548-6. A discussion focusing on invertebrates during the Paleozoic era. * Cyril Walker and David Ward (2002). ''Smithsonian Handbook of Fossils'' (London, England: Dorling Kindersley), 320 pages. == See also == <!-- These are both BIOLOGICAL and geologic links ~~~~ --> {{geological links}} ==External links== {{portalpar|Paleontology}} * [http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/phyla/metazoasy.html A colorful, illustrated taxonomy of extinct ''and'' living invertebrate Metazoa] by the [[University of California Museum of Paleontology]]. *[http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/phyla/metazoafr.html The invertebrate fossil record illustrated colorfully for Metazoa] provided by the U.C. Museum of Paleontology. * [http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_04 Educational and colorful introduction to the three domains of the Tree of Life] -- as well as to the topic of "Understanding Evolution" -- sponsored by the U.C. Museum of Paleontology. * [http://www.paleoportal.org/ An introduction to fossils] by [[The Paleontology Portal]], a project of four American institutions funded by the [[National Science Foundation]]. * [http://www.paleoportal.org/index.php?globalnav=fossil_gallery&sectionnav=taxon&taxon_id=15 The introduction to ''invertebrate'' fossils] provided by The Paleontology Portal. * [http://www.peabody.yale.edu/collections/ip/ Thousands of online pictures of invertebrate fossils.] sponsored by the [[Peabody Museum]] at [[Yale University]]. * [http://tolweb.org/Animals/2374 The taxonomy of the Metazoa Kingdom of animals] provided by [[The Tree of Life Project]]. * [http://www.paleo.ku.edu/treatise.html Home site of the many volumes of the ''[[Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology]]'', ] a site sponsored by both [[The Paleontological Institute]] at the [[University of Kansas]] and the [[Geological Society of America]]. [[Category:Fossils]] [[Category:Subfields of paleontology]] [[Category:Prehistoric invertebrates| ]] [[Category:Paleozoology]] [[Category:Prehistoric animals| ]] [[Category:Zoology]]