scholarly journals Archaeorhynchuspreserving significant soft tissue including probable fossilized lungs

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (45) ◽  
pp. 11555-11560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoli Wang ◽  
Jingmai K. O’Connor ◽  
John N. Maina ◽  
Yanhong Pan ◽  
Min Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Respiratory System ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Digestive System ◽  
Tissue Preservation ◽  
Air Breathing ◽  
Avian Evolution ◽  
Soft Tissue Preservation ◽  
Tissue Systems

We describe a specimen of the basal ornithuromorphArchaeorhynchus spathulafrom the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation with extensive soft tissue preservation. Although it is the fifth specimen to be described, unlike the others it preserves significant traces of the plumage, revealing a pintail morphology previously unrecognized among Mesozoic birds, but common in extant neornithines. In addition, this specimen preserves the probable remnants of the paired lungs, an identification supported by topographical and macro- and microscopic anatomical observations. The preserved morphology reveals a lung very similar to that of living birds. It indicates that pulmonary specializations such as exceedingly subdivided parenchyma that allow birds to achieve the oxygen acquisition capacity necessary to support powered flight were present in ornithuromorph birds 120 Mya. Among extant air breathing vertebrates, birds have structurally the most complex and functionally the most efficient respiratory system, which facilitates their highly energetically demanding form of locomotion, even in extremely oxygen-poor environments.Archaeorhynchusis commonly resolved as the most basal known ornithuromorph bird, capturing a stage of avian evolution in which skeletal indicators of respiration remain primitive yet the lung microstructure appears modern. This adds to growing evidence that many physiological modifications of soft tissue systems (e.g., digestive system and respiratory system) that characterize living birds and are key to their current success may have preceded the evolution of obvious skeletal adaptations traditionally tracked through the fossil record.

scholarly journals Experimental Decay of Soft Tissues

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 259-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert S. Sansom
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Tissue Preservation ◽  
Morphological Transformation ◽  
Decay Data ◽  
Soft Tissue Preservation ◽  
Design Variables ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Experimental Decay

The exceptionally preserved fossil record of soft tissues sheds light on a wide range of evolutionary episodes from across geological history. Understanding how soft tissues become hard fossils is not a trivial process. A powerful tool in this context is experimentally derived decay data. By studying decay in a laboratory setting and on a laboratory timescale, an understanding of the processes and patterns underlying soft-tissue preservation can be achieved. The considerations and problems particular to experimental decay are explored here in terms of experimental aims, design, variables, and utility. Aims in this context can relate to either reconstruction of the processes of soft-tissue preservation, or to elucidation of the patterns of morphological transformation and data loss occurring during decay. Experimental design is discussed in terms of hypotheses and relevant variables: i.e., the subject organism being decayed (phylogeny, ontogeny, and history), the environment of decay (biological, chemical, and physical) and the outputs (how to measure decay). Variables and practical considerations are illustrated with reference to previous experiments. The principles behind application of experimentally derived decay data to the fossil record are illustrated with three case studies: the interpretation of fossil color, feasibility of fossil embryos, and phylogenetic bias in chordate preservation. A rich array of possibilities for further decay experiments exists and it is hoped that the methodologies outlined herein will provide guidance and a conceptual framework for future studies.

scholarly journals Taphonomic characteristics of fossils on the burgessshale-type spectrum

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Jesse S. Broce
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Tissue Preservation ◽  
Soft Tissue Preservation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Type Spectrum ◽  
Fossil Preservation ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Evolutionary Lineages

"Study of exceptional fossil preservation tends to yield exciting results. Since soft-bodied organisms and the soft tissues of biomineralizing organisms are usually not preserved in the fossil record, instances of soft-tissue preservation are of immense value to paleontology and biology. Anatomical details of soft tissues are invaluable for understanding the phylogenetic relationships between organisms, as well as interpreting their life modes. Soft-bodied organisms are not only valuable phylogenetically, but they also are important members of ecological community structure. Without soft-tissue preservation, the interpretation of past environments, ecologies, and evolutionary lineages becomes extremely limited. That soft-tissue preservation is relatively rare is an unfortunate phenomenon that not only decreases the amount of available information, but also imposes biases on our understanding of the past. Soft-bodied organisms represent the vast majority of diversity, but are the minority of diversity in the fossil record. In fact, only about 30% of modern marine benthic macroorganisms contain hard parts suitable for easy preservation (Johnson, 1964) and in the Phyllopod Bed of the Cambrian Burgess Shale, only about 14% of species or 2% of individuals have hard parts (Morris, 1986), and consequently would not be preserved in most fossiliferous deposits." -- Introduction

SEDIMENT COMPOSITION OF BURGESS SHALE TYPE LAGERSTÄTTEN: IMPLICATIONS FOR SOFT-TISSUE PRESERVATION

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ross P. Anderson ◽  
◽  
Nicholas J. Tosca ◽  
Robert R. Gaines ◽  
Derek E.G. Briggs
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Tissue Preservation ◽  
Burgess Shale ◽  
Sediment Composition ◽  
Soft Tissue Preservation

scholarly journals Checklist and Scoring System for the Assessment of Soft Tissue Preservation in CT Examinations of Human Mummies: Application to the Tyrolean Iceman

2017 ◽  
Vol 189 (12) ◽  
pp. 1152-1160
Author(s):  
Stephanie Panzer ◽  
Patrizia Pernter ◽  
Dario Piombino-Mascali ◽  
Rimantas Jankauskas ◽  
Stephanie Zesch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Scoring System ◽  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Slice Thickness ◽  
Tissue Preservation ◽  
Soft Tissue Preservation ◽  
Whole Body Ct ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
Tyrolean Iceman

Purpose Soft tissues make a skeleton into a mummy and they allow for a diagnosis beyond osteology. Following the approach of structured reporting in clinical radiology, a recently developed checklist was used to evaluate the soft tissue preservation status of the Tyrolean Iceman using computed tomography (CT). The purpose of this study was to apply the “Checklist and Scoring System for the Assessment of Soft Tissue Preservation in CT Examinations of Human Mummies” to the Tyrolean Iceman, and to compare the Iceman’s soft tissue preservation score to the scores calculated for other mummies. Materials and Methods A whole-body (CT) (SOMATOM Definition Flash, Siemens, Forchheim, Germany) consisting of five scans, performed in January 2013 in the Department of Radiodiagnostics, Central Hospital, Bolzano, was used (slice thickness 0.6 mm; kilovolt ranging from 80 to 140). For standardized evaluation the “CT Checklist and Scoring System for the Assessment of Soft Tissue Preservation in Human Mummies” was used. Results All checkpoints under category “A. Soft Tissues of Head and Musculoskeletal System” and more than half in category “B. Organs and Organ Systems” were observed. The scoring system accounted for a total score of 153 (out of 200). The comparison of the scores between the Iceman and three mummy collections from Vilnius, Lithuania, and Palermo, Sicily, as well as one Egyptian mummy resulted in overall higher soft tissue preservation scores for the Iceman. Conclusion Application of the checklist allowed for standardized assessment and documentation of the Iceman’s soft tissue preservation status. The scoring system allowed for a quantitative comparison between the Iceman and other mummies. The Iceman showed remarkable soft tissue preservation. Key Points  Citation Format

scholarly journals Confirmation of ovarian follicles in an enantiornithine (Aves) from the Jehol biota using soft tissue analyses

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alida M. Bailleul ◽  
Jingmai O’Connor ◽  
Zhiheng Li ◽  
Qian Wu ◽  
Tao Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Soft Tissue ◽  
Smooth Muscles ◽  
Ovarian Follicles ◽  
Tissue Preservation ◽  
Jehol Biota ◽  
Avian Evolution ◽  
The Right ◽  
Original Interpretation ◽  
Contractile Structure

AbstractThe remains of ovarian follicles reported in nine specimens of basal birds represents one of the most remarkable examples of soft-tissue preservation in the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota. This discovery was immediately contested and the structures alternatively interpreted as ingested seeds. Fragments of the purported follicles preserved in an enantiornithine (STM10-12) were extracted and subjected to multiple high-resolution analyses. The structures in STM10-12 possess the histological and histochemical characteristics of smooth muscles fibers intertwined together with collagen fibers, resembling the contractile structure in the perifollicular membrane (PFM) of living birds. Fossilized blood vessels, very abundant in extant PFMs, are also preserved. Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy shows the preserved tissues primarily underwent alumino-silicification, with minor mineralization via iron oxides. No evidence of plant tissue was found. These results confirm the original interpretation as follicles within the left ovary, supporting the interpretation that the right ovary was functionally lost early in avian evolution.

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