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University of Warsaw : Life of conodonts.

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ENPNewswire-December 30, 2021--University of Warsaw : Life of conodonts

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Release date- 29122021 - Conodonts were the first vertebrates that used to live in oceans nearly 500 milion years ago.

Their teeth are the most often studied fossils. The research by UW doctoral candidate helps to reveal the life cycle and position occupied in the earliest foodwebs by these marine animals.

The study was conducted by Isabella Leonhard, at the time a Masters student of Geosciences and Paleobiology at Friedrich-Alexander University in Erlangen, currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Warsaw, in cooperation with researchers from Utrecht University, the Oxford University Museum of National History and the US Geological Survey.

'Conodonts were abundant in the early oceans, but almost all they left behind are microscopic teeth made of material similar to human tooth enamel. Since conodonts' teeth are highly diverse in shape, from simple cone- to complex platform-like morphologies, which indicate different feeding strategies, we posed a question: did the appearance of hard teeth lead to the rise of predators?', explained Isabella Leonhard.

Using synchrotron X-ray tomography, high-resolution scanning electron microscopy and chemical analysis, the team focused on the simplest, most primitive forms of conodonts - shaped like simple cones or needles.

A glimpse into the fossil record

'Conodonts are an extinct species. Yet they were the first of all the vertebrates to start producing skeletons - hard organs permeated with minerals. Skeletons such as bones and teeth give scientists a much easier glimpse into the fossil record than soft tissues such as muscles and skin, so the appearance of first skeletons was a major boost to our understanding of where we, the vertebrates, come from', said Leonhard.

Tooth structure like tree rings

'Slicing these microscopic teeth allows...

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