DOI: 10.1126/science.288.5469.1239. Evolutionary Exploitation of Design Options by the First Animals with Hard Skeletons

Evolutionary Exploitation of Design Options by the First Animals with Hard Skeletons

10.1126/science.288.5469.1239

Crossref journal-article

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Science (221)

Abstract

The set of viable design elements available for animals to use in building skeletons has been fully exploited. Analysis of animal skeletons in relation to the multivariate, theoretical “Skeleton Space” has shown that a large proportion of these options are used in each phylum. Here, we show that structural elements deployed in the skeletons of Burgess Shale animals (Middle Cambrian) incorporate 146 of 182 character pairs defined in this morphospace. Within 15 million years of the appearance of crown groups of phyla with substantial hard parts, at least 80 percent of skeletal design elements recognized among living and extinct marine metazoans were exploited.

Bibliography

Thomas, R. D. K., Shearman, R. M., & Stewart, G. W. (2000). Evolutionary Exploitation of Design Options by the First Animals with Hard Skeletons. Science, 288(5469), 1239â1242.

Authors 3

R. D. K. Thomas (first)
Rebecca M. Shearman (additional)
Graham W. Stewart (additional)

References 34 Referenced 68

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We thank D. E. G. Briggs S. Conway Morris M. Foote E. L. Yochelson and three reviewers for helpful comments on the manuscript. This work was supported by the Hackman Scholars program Franklin & Marshall College.

Dates

Type	When
Created	23 years, 1 month ago (July 27, 2002, 5:40 a.m.)
Deposited	8 months, 2 weeks ago (Dec. 8, 2024, 12:53 p.m.)
Indexed	1 month, 3 weeks ago (July 5, 2025, 5:25 a.m.)
Issued	25 years, 3 months ago (May 19, 2000)
Published	25 years, 3 months ago (May 19, 2000)
Published Print	25 years, 3 months ago (May 19, 2000)

Funders 0

None

BibTeX

@article{Thomas_2000, title={Evolutionary Exploitation of Design Options by the First Animals with Hard Skeletons}, volume={288}, ISSN={1095-9203}, url={http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.288.5469.1239}, DOI={10.1126/science.288.5469.1239}, number={5469}, journal={Science}, publisher={American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)}, author={Thomas, R. D. K. and Shearman, Rebecca M. and Stewart, Graham W.}, year={2000}, month=may, pages={1239–1242} }

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