Trace Metals as Biomarkers for Eumelanin Pigment in the Fossil Record

Wogelius, R. A.; Manning, Phillip L.; Barden, Holly E.; Edwards, Nicholas P.; Webb, Samuel M.; Sellers, William I.; Taylor, Kevin G.; Larson, Peter L.; Dodson, Peter; You, Han; Da-qing, L.; Bergmann, Uwe

doi:10.1126/science.1205748

Cited by 152 publications

(206 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Third, the dark trace is associated with sulphur ( Fig. 2), which may have derived from the sulphur-rich feather keratin 23,25 and crosslinked with the melanin 4 ; this is consistent with the sulphurization mechanism responsible for high-fidelity organic preservation in the fossil record 30 . Indeed, the dark trace preserves very fine details of the feather barbs and barbules (Fig.…”

Section: Identitysupporting

confidence: 61%

“…First, we detected no manganese among nine point analyses throughout the feather, indicating that preservation was not due to precipitation of the inorganic mineral, manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ), as has been suggested by some workers 1,2,10,24 . Second, a potential organocopper biomarker for melanin was previously detected in this specimen; this biomarker has also been correlated with the presence of melanosomes in three fossil bird taxa 25 . We hypothesize that melanosome structures fossilize simply by virtue of being solid aggregations of melanins [26][27][28] , which themselves have high preservation potential 29 as large, insoluble polymers resistant to degradation 4 .…”

Section: Identitymentioning

confidence: 68%

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New evidence on the colour and nature of the isolated Archaeopteryx feather

et al. 2012

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Archaeopteryx has been regarded as an icon of evolution ever since its discovery from the Late Jurassic limestone deposits of solnhofen, Germany in 1861. Here we report the first evidence of colour from Archaeopteryx based on fossilized colour-imparting melanosomes discovered in this isolated feather specimen. using a phylogenetically diverse database of extant bird feathers, statistical analysis of melanosome morphology predicts that the original colour of this Archaeopteryx feather was black, with 95% probability. Furthermore, reexamination of the feather's morphology leads us to interpret it as an upper major primary covert, contrary to previous interpretations. Additional findings reveal that the specimen is preserved as an organosulphur residue, and that barbule microstructure identical to that of modern bird feathers had evolved as early as the Jurassic. As in extant birds, the extensive melanization would have provided structural advantages to the Archaeopteryx wing feather during this early evolutionary stage of dinosaur flight.

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Section: Identitysupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Identitymentioning

confidence: 68%

New evidence on the colour and nature of the isolated Archaeopteryx feather

et al. 2012

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“…In addition, other techniques, such as Raman Spectroscopy (RAMAN), X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), among others, also can give information about their chemistry (Wogelius et al, 2011;Egerton et al, 2015), indicating possible taphonomic processes that occurred after the deposition (Davis & Briggs, 1995;Schweitzer et al, 2008;McNamara, 2013). Besides the study with ancient pigmentation, the application of these techniques are important, once it provides more information about these fossils.…”

Section: Future Perspectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

New occurrences of fossilized feathers: systematics, taphonomy, and paleoecology of the Santana Formation of the Araripe Basin (Cretaceous), NE, Brazil

Prado

Anelli

Romero

2015

Preprint

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Feathers are the most complex and diversified integuments in vertebrates. Their complexity are provided by the different forms and functions, and they occur both in nonavian and avian-dinosaurs. Despite their rareness, feathers are found throughout the world, and the Santana Formation (comprised by Crato and Romualdo formations) of the Araripe Basin is responsible for the majority of these records in Brazil. Most occurrences is consisted by isolated feathers, where downy-feathers is the recurrent morphotype, two coelurosaurs and one enantiornithe bird. The sedimentary deposition of this unit is consisted by a lacustrine (Crato Fm) and lagoonal (Romualdo Fm) environments, where reducing conditions prevailed, precluding the activity of bottom dwelling organisms that favored the exquisite preservation. Despite the arid and hot conditions during the Cretaceous, life teemed in the adjacency of both paleolakes, however, feathered non-avian dinosaurs were not found yet in the Crato Member. By the great diversity of life that existed in the paleolake surroundings, is possible to recognize, through the fossil record, that a complex and diversified trophic chain was well established during the time period of sedimentation of this unit. When the remains reached the bottom of the paleolakes, the subsequent isolation from the environment allowed their preservation. In this work, three fossilized feathers, consisted of two downy and one contour feather, extracted from the laminated limestone of the Crato Member of the Santana Formation, were described and identified according to morphological and evolutionary models. We also used the terminology commonly applied to extant organisms. Relying on the fossil record of this unit and the adjacencies formations and basins (by autochthonous condition), taxonomic inferences can be made when the lowest hierarchy level is considered, and hence, is possible to propose the plausible taxa that could bear these elements. Taphonomic and paleoecological aspects, such as the preservation of these structures, and the presence of dinosaurs, were also reviewed, as well as the future perspectives about the study of these elements. Despite the virtual low significance, the pragmatical study of fossilized feathers, can help with the understanding of the evolution and paleobiology of dinosaurs, especially on the South Hemisphere. ABSTRACTFeathers are the most complex and diversified integuments in vertebrates. Their complexity are provided by the different forms and functions, and they occur both in non-avian and avian-dinosaurs. Despite their rareness, feathers are found throughout the world, and the Santana Formation (comprised by Crato and Romualdo formations) of the Araripe Basin is responsible for the majority of these records in Brazil. Most occurrences is consisted by isolated feathers, where downy-feathers is the recurrent morphotype, two coelurosaurs and one enantiornithe bird. The sedimentary deposition of this unit is consisted by a lacustrine (Crato Fm) and lagoonal (Romualdo Fm) environ...

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“…Researchers have also used SRmCT to explore the characteristics of obscured fossil insects in amber (Tafforeau et al 2006;Lak et al 2008) and to partially reconstruct the internal phenomes of fossil insects (Pohl et al 2010). Microtomography of fossil vertebrate tissues is also a possible future application of SRmCT in arthropod systematics, for example to examine pigment composition (Wogelius et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolutionary phenomics and the emerging enlightenment of arthropod systematics

Deans

István

Wipfler‍

et al. 2012

Invert. Systematics

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Abstract. Published research on the diversity and evolutionary history of Arthropoda sets a high standard for data collection and the integration of novel methods. New phylogenetic estimation algorithms, divergence time approaches, collaborative tools and publishing standards, to name a few, were brought to the broader scientific audience in the context of arthropod systematics. The treatment of morphology in these studies, however, has largely escaped innovation. Lodes rich in characters too often go unexplored, phenotype concepts are published with inadequate documentation and the way observations are textualised leaves them inaccessible to a majority of biologists. We discuss these issues, using data from recent arthropod systematics publications, and offer several that stand to restore the broad utility of morphological data. Specifically, we focus on: (1) the potential of internal soft-part characters and how to integrate their observation into arthropod systematics projects through dissection and serial sectioning; (2) the importance of capturing observations in images, especially using relatively new approaches, like laser scanning confocal microscopy and three-dimensional reconstruction; and (3) the untapped potential of established knowledge representation methods, which may help make the descriptive components of arthropod systematics research more accessible to other domains.

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Trace Metals as Biomarkers for Eumelanin Pigment in the Fossil Record

Cited by 152 publications

References 36 publications

New evidence on the colour and nature of the isolated Archaeopteryx feather

New evidence on the colour and nature of the isolated Archaeopteryx feather

New occurrences of fossilized feathers: systematics, taphonomy, and paleoecology of the Santana Formation of the Araripe Basin (Cretaceous), NE, Brazil

Evolutionary phenomics and the emerging enlightenment of arthropod systematics

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