When Theoretical Morphology Gets Real: 3-D Printing of Idealized Turritellid Gastropod Shells to Better Understand the Function of Sculpture and Whorl Shape

Defossilization: A Review of 3D Printing in Experimental Paleontology

“…Additionally, the ability to alter existing taxa or create new, hypothetical forms allows the study of non-existent morphologies, optimization, and evolutionary constraint (see Porter et al, 2015). Paleontologists have 3D printed numerous vertebrate morphologies including dinosaurs, fishes, marine reptiles, and mammals (Balanoff and Rowe, 2002;Bristowe et al, 2004;Schilling et al, 2013;Mitsopoulou et al, 2015;Das et al, 2017;Muscutt et al, 2017;White et al, 2017;Clark, 2018;Grant et al, 2018;Voegele et al, 2018) as well as invertebrates like mollusks, trilobites, brachiopods, and echinoderms (Huynh et al, 2013;Pearson, 2017;Anderson et al, 2018;DiMarco et al, 2018;Garcia et al, 2018;Johnson et al, 2018;Morse et al, 2018;Peterman and Ciampaglio, 2018;Dievert et al, 2019). Designing meaningful physical models for experimentation requires thoughtful printing choices to isolate variables.…”

“…Internal scans (e.g., Computed-tomography, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Synchrotron) in general use magnetic energy (MRI) or X-rays (CT and Synchrotron) to generate images of sub-surface structures. CT scans and related methods are useful primarily for developing models of internal structures which may not be readily visible and cases in which the fossil is embedded in a matrix that must be differentiated from the specimen (Crofts and Summers, 2014;Kolmann et al, 2015;Pearson, 2017;Anderson et al, 2018;DiMarco et al, 2018;Morse et al, 2018). Internal scans produce images slices that are later used to outline and excise morphologies of interest from unneeded morphologies or sediment (i.e., segmentation).…”

“…The methods used to create prints using these different materials are variable (e.g., Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Polyjet Technology, and Binder Jetting, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), and Selective Laser Melting) (Bluedge 5 and Shapeways 4 , see Walker and Humphries, 2019) as are their resolutions and capabilities. Many different materials have been used in previous paleontological and biological studies, primarily plastics (Huynh et al, 2013;Germann et al, 2014;Mehrabani et al, 2014;Porter et al, 2015;Muscutt et al, 2017;Pearson, 2017;Anderson et al, 2018;Garcia et al, 2018;Voegele et al, 2018;Dievert et al, 2019), powders (Schilling et al, 2013;Crofts and Summers, 2014;Ishida and Kishimoto, 2015;Kolmann et al, 2015;Johnson et al, 2018), and resins (Jonsson et al, 2017;DiMarco et al, 2018). The cost of printers and materials varies widely.…”

“…Plastics have been a popular choice to study functional morphology in hydrodynamic studies (Huynh et al, 2013;Muscutt et al, 2017;Pearson, 2017;Anderson et al, 2018;Garcia et al, 2018;Peterman and Ciampaglio, 2018;Dievert et al, 2019). This is likely because of their comparatively low cost and easy accessibility compared to other waterproof materials.…”

“…This is likely because of their comparatively low cost and easy accessibility compared to other waterproof materials. Anderson et al (2018) used plastic prints of turritelline gastropods to study the influence of shell ornamentation on fluid flow on partially buried snails. Dievert et al (2019) tested the influence of shape and orientation on brachiopod feeding; using a translucent plastic to visualize fluid flow within the valves (Figure 2F).…”