A new study reveals the oldest evidence of an evolutionary arms race in the fossil record, dating back 517 million years. The study, led by researchers at the American Museum of Natural History, focuses on predator-prey interactions between a small, shelled animal and an unknown marine animal capable of piercing its shell, found off the coast of South Australia.
A new study presents what is believed to be the oldest known example in the fossil record of an evolutionary arms race . These 517-million-year-old predator-prey interactions occurred in the ocean covering what is now South Australia between a small, shelled animal distantly related to brachiopods and an unknown marine animal capable of piercing its shell.
"Predator-prey interactions are often touted as a major driver of the Cambrian explosion, especially with regard to the rapid increase in diversity and abundance of biomineralizing organisms at this time. Yet, there has been a paucity of empirical evidence showing that prey directly responded to predation, and vice versa," said Russell Bicknell, a postdoctoral researcher in the Museum's Division of Paleontology and lead author of the study.
Bicknell and colleagues from the University of New England and Macquarie University -- both in Australia -- studied a large sample of fossilized shells of an early Cambrian tommotiid species,, from South Australia. More than 200 of these extremely small specimens, ranging in size from slightly larger than a grain of sand to just smaller than an apple seed, have holes that were likely made by a hole-punching predator -- most likely a kind of soft-bodied mollusk or worm.
This research was funded in part by the University of New England, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Australian Research Council .Scientists have discovered the oldest known animal with saber teeth: a predator that lived 270 million years ago. This animal, from before the age of the dinosaurs, was a dog-like creature that was ...
Evolutionary Arms Race Cambrian Explosion Fossil Record Predator-Prey Interactions Biodiversity
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