Comparative analysis of ontogeny and ecomorphology of the 'Ozarkodina remscheidensis' (Conodonta: Ozarkodinida) species group in the Upper Ludlow and Pridoli of Lithuania

Autor: Andrej Spiridonov, Antanas Brazauskas
Rok vydání: 2014
Předmět:
Zdroj: Paleontological Journal. 48:1104-1114
ISSN: 1555-6174
0031-0301
DOI: 10.1134/s0031030114100086
Popis: The morphology of Pa elements of the Ozarkodina remscheidensis s. 1, species group (Ozarkodina remscheidensis eosteinhornensis (Walliser), Ozarkodina remscheidensis remscheidensis (Ziegler) and Ozarkodina inordinata Viira) from the southeastern part of the Silurian (Upper Ludlow and Pridoli) of the Baltic Basin is statistically analyzed. Morphologies are described using linear measurements, meristic counts of denticles, and elliptic Fourier analyses (transformations) of outlines. Utilized descriptors enabled comparisons of ontogenies and levels of ecomorphological variation between analyzed lineages. All three lineages differed in the ontogenetic paths, as reflected in both bivariate and multivariate allometric analyses. The patterns of allometry are more similar between O. r. remscheidensis and O. inordinata. This confirms the hypothesis that the former lineage is ancestral to the latter. Elliptic Fourier coefficients and principal component and discriminant analyses suggest that O. r. eosteinhornensis have had higher level of ecomorphological variability than O. r. remscheidensis. It is probable that O. r. eosteinhornensis evolved to a higher level of phenotypic plasticity in response to fluctuating environments, in which this lineage dwelled.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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