Fig. 1 Morphology of extant conifer seed cones.
#TansleyReview: Homology and heterochrony in the evolution of #conifer #SeedCones
Kelly K. S. Matsunaga
π
π nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
#LatestIssue
Always wonderful to do a bit of bryozoan work with @nhmbryozoa.bsky.social, led by Ma Junye from NIGPAS in Nanjing!
#FossilFriday Several comatulid crinoids are visible on this small slab from the Middle Jurassic of Wiltshire. An unused image taken for βFossils. The essential guideβ.
Cool study showing how the physical forcing of the background geochemistry of oceans, drives multiple convergences in the mineralogy of bryozoans!
π§ͺ βοΈ #Paleobio #EvoBio
We (me, @barankarapunar.bsky.social, @sinjinis.bsky.social and @harriedrage.bsky.social) organized a symposium for the next IPC (Cape Town 2026!) on evolution, diversity and ecology in marine ecosystems throughout the Phanerozoic.
Contact us if you would like to participate or to know more about it!
Excited to share a new paper! "Sorting of ancestral polymorphism and its impact on morphological phylogenetics and macroevolution". Part of some work I've been doing on modelling the evolution of polymorphic traits in fossil echinoderms.
academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...
with @lhliow.bsky.social , Emanuela Di Martino, Piotr KukliΕski, and Anna Piwoni-PiΓ³rewicz
New paper out in Geology! Cheilostome bryozoans evolved aragonite skeletons dozens of times during the transition from calcite to aragonite seas, in contrast to other marine calcifiers. Fossil occurrence data corroborate the story and help nail down the timeline. doi.org/10.1130/G537...
Here is our attempt at summarizing the state of the evidence for the punctuated equilibrium hypothesis. The paper is part of a special issue of Paleobiology celebrating the 50th anniversary of the PE Hypothesis. Work led by Gene Hunt. @lhliow.bsky.social www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
We worked out its evolutionary relationships and suggest an origin for this weird beast by an evolutionary lengthening of development, or peramorphosis. Take a read :)
Castaneametra (named for its resemblance to the chestnut) had a record ~1,000 cirri or claw-like appendages on its underside. It's also probably the largest known feather star, and had big internal cavities which we think were adaptations for respiration at large size.
New open access paper out with Tom Baumiller and Jim Sprinkle in Journal of Paleontology! New fossil crinoids from Texas, including a very large and weird new genus of feather star:
doi.org/10.1017/jpa....
Here's a super helpful site called Signal in the Storm that is automated to keep track of federal policy changes (EO's and Ed dept) and news re: academia. Also includes suggestions on what to do, and a faq's page about indirects, etc. Pls RT!
signalinthestorm.org/index.html
New π with @tomopfuku.bsky.social , now fully formatted!
academic.oup.com/sysbio/advan...
The single most important laboratory in climate science, the tool that is telling us the story of our time, is now in the MAGA crosshairs. Not surprising. But sad, stupid, and tragic in the saddest and stupidest and most tragic way.
Last year @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social led a paper on how Hubbell's Neutral Theory can inform on age-dependency in fossil lineages. #graptolites as an e.g. Now we had another chance to say a bit more to consolidate our observations. Link to first paper in comments www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
We're back in @pnas.org π₯΄ We address a comment on our recent article on fossil survivorship. A nice chance to discuss ad hoc vs. unified models in paleobiology. See what you think π
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
NSF plans to reinstate all probationary employees who were fired on 18 Feb!
NSFβs decision. ππ»ππ»β€οΈ
@science.org just published this article about the Paleontological Research Institution and its importance in this time of financial crisis for the institution. Please share widely as donations in any amount can make a real difference in the short-medium term. βοΈπ§ͺπ¦
www.science.org/content/arti...
New paper in Systematic Biology with cool dude @jgsaulsbury.bsky.social academic.oup.com/sysbio/advan...
Colleagues, including my partner, with years of service at the agency. Some Permanent POs reclassified as Probationary. Exceptional scientists who were former professors at major institutions, and came to NSF to serve the community and ensure science thrives in the US.
Thanks for sharing, didn't know about his woodturning powers. Just read the story of the MBL group in David Sepkoski's book, includes some funny anecdotes of Raup trying to moderate Schopf the paleo-radical:
I could be on here for invertebrate paleobiology, especially of crinoids :)
A simple ecological drift model captures the relationship between species age and extinction risk, here in graptolites and probably in other groups too. Points toward role for competition in extinction (like Red Queen)
Graptoloids strike back!
"extinction among young species does not necessarily refute RQ [Red Queen] or require a special explanation but can instead be parsimoniously explained by neutral dynamics operating across species regardless of age"
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
π§ͺ #Paleobio #EvoBio βοΈ #Geology
Newπin PNAS! Age-dependent extinction and the neutral theory of biodiversity (w/ great collaborators @tomopfuku.bsky.social , Connor J. Wilson, Trond Reitan, & Lee Hsiang Liow)
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
A theoretical eco-evo treatment of the 'living fossils' phenomenon:
www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...
"species occupying the most peripheral niches are the least innovated and have deep divergence times from their closest relatives, and thus they correspond to living fossils."
π§ͺ #Paleobio
