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Vertically migrating Isoxys and the early Cambrian biological pump
Stephen Pates1,2, Allison C Daley3, David A Legg4
1Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|June 23, 2021
Summary
Early Cambrian animals like Isoxys may have engaged in vertical migration, contributing to the ocean
Area of Science:
- Paleontology
- Marine Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- The biological pump transports nutrients from surface producers to deep-sea communities.
- This pump is vital for marine ecosystems and animal diversification, notably during the Cambrian explosion.
- While passive sinking is understood, active vertical migration's early evolution is less clear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the morphological variation and hydrodynamic performance of the Cambrian euarthropod Isoxys.
- To provide quantitative evidence for vertical migration capabilities in Cambrian animals.
- To understand the role of vertical migration in the early evolution of the biological pump.
Main Methods:
- Elliptical Fourier analysis of Isoxys carapace shape.
- Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of hydrodynamic performance.
- Comparative analysis of Isoxys species morphology and inferred ecological niches.
Main Results:
- Isoxys species exhibited morphological variations suggesting adaptation to diverse ecological niches.
- CFD simulations indicate that Isoxys possessed capabilities for vertical movement in the water column.
- This study provides the first quantitative evidence for vertical migration in Cambrian animals.
Conclusions:
- Isoxys likely occupied niches including vertical migrants in Cambrian oceans.
- Vertical migration in animals was an early metazoan innovation contributing to the modern biological pump.
- The evolution of vertical migration significantly impacted early marine ecosystems and nutrient cycling over 500 million years ago.
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