Ammonoids are known for their intraspecific and interspecific morphological variation through ontogeny, particularly in shell shape and ornamentation. Many features covary and individual elements are difficult to homologize, which make qualitative descriptions and widely-used morphometric tools inappropriate for quantifying these complex morphologies. However, spatial analyses conducted in a geographic information systems (GIS) environment allow for quantification and visualization of global shell form. Here, we present a GIS-based methodology in which the variation of shell features is assessed to evaluate evolutionary patterns in an ammonoid clade from the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway of North America. We investigate the ancestral and more variable scaphitid heteromorph ammonoid Hoploscaphites spedeni and its less variable descendant H. nebrascensis. We created three-dimensional (3D) digital models of the fossil shells' lateral surfaces using photogrammetric software and imported the reconstructions into a GIS environment. We used the number of discrete aspect patches and the surface-to-planimetric (3D to 2D) area ratios of the lateral surface as terrain roughness indices. These 3D spatial analyses demonstrate the overlapping morphological ranges of H. spedeni and H. nebrascensis in ornamentation despite differences in shell compression. Additionally, the target for evolutionary change in this clade resides in the macroconch body chamber, which becomes less variable through development from H. spedeni to subsequent H. nebrascensis in macroconchs; however, microconchs retain the ancestral variation through ontogeny. These geospatial analyses not only successfully quantified variation in complex morphologies, but also demonstrated the versatility of this method to address questions related to ontogeny and phylogeny.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.