The impact of death on the Tree of Life: assessing the relationship between taphonomy and phylogeny
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bath
Department Name: Biology and Biochemistry
Abstract
Resolving the Tree of Life, in particular understanding the sequence of events taking place in its deepest branches, is currently a major research objective. Herein lie the answers to many fundamental questions about evolution: how do new groups originate, how are complex body-plans assembled and how do novelties such as legs and wings originate? The fossil record plays a pivotal role in this research by yielding transitional forms and providing a timeline for events, but are there particular dangers in the way we evaluate the filtered data they provide? Might fossils even be positively misleading if they are poorly interpreted? Interpretation of fossils can be distorted by biases caused by death, decay and preservation (taphonomy) - inevitable processes in the formation of fossils. Fossilizable and non-fossilizable data can contain very different 'signals' which could distort our ability to reconstruct evolutionary trees and transitions (phylogeny). Furthermore, decay and decomposition can cause fossils to appear more primitive than they were in life. Taphonomic filters therefore have very profound effects upon our ability to reconstruct evolution, but they have not been systematically investigated in this context. The key question I will address is therefore: do palaeontological filters have any effect upon our ability to reconstruct evolutionary trees and the evolutionary events that are inferred from them? If so, which groups of organisms are affected and in what way? Is the supposed importance of particular fossils a result of misinterpretation? When taphonomic filters are taken into account, is our understanding of specific evolutionary hypotheses, such as those relating to the origins of major clades, transformed? In order to address this questions, I will 1) Quantify the effect of taphonomic filters upon our ability to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of fossil organisms using empirical and theoretical approaches; 2) Identify which types of data and groups of organisms are most disrupted by decay biases, thereby enabling focused study in some areas and encouraging caution in others; 3) Use knowledge of taphonomic filters to re-evaluate the Tree of Life. These combined approaches will allow me to test specific hypotheses relating to the origin and evolution of major groups. More broadly, they will enable a fundamental assessment of the quality of the fossil record. By quantifying the scale and distribution of these problems, we can refine and radically overhaul the way in which we use fossils to inform our understanding of the history of life.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Robert Sansom (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Brinkworth A
(2019)
Phylogenetic incongruence and homoplasy in the appendages and bodies of arthropods: why broad character sampling is best
in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
Gabbott SE
(2016)
Pigmented anatomy in Carboniferous cyclostomes and the evolution of the vertebrate eye.
in Proceedings. Biological sciences
Janvier P
(2015)
Hagfish Biology
Mounce RC
(2016)
Sampling diverse characters improves phylogenies: Craniodental and postcranial characters of vertebrates often imply different trees.
in Evolution; international journal of organic evolution
Sansom R
(2013)
Atlas of vertebrate decay: a visual and taphonomic guide to fossil interpretation
in Palaeontology
Sansom RS
(2013)
Fossilization causes organisms to appear erroneously primitive by distorting evolutionary trees.
in Scientific reports
Sansom RS
(2016)
Preservation and phylogeny of Cambrian ecdysozoans tested by experimental decay of Priapulus.
in Scientific reports
Sansom RS
(2015)
Discriminating signal from noise in the fossil record of early vertebrates reveals cryptic evolutionary history.
in Proceedings. Biological sciences
Sansom RS
(2013)
Unusual anal fin in a Devonian jawless vertebrate reveals complex origins of paired appendages.
in Biology letters
Sansom RS
(2017)
Dental Data Perform Relatively Poorly in Reconstructing Mammal Phylogenies: Morphological Partitions Evaluated with Molecular Benchmarks.
in Systematic biology
Description | See the other return for this fellowship. |
Exploitation Route | See the other return for this fellowship. |
Sectors | Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
Description | My research findings have been disseminated to the academic community both through published papers and conferences presentations. The problems and techniques that I have outlined have already been used and adapted by other groups, and in some instances set out a research agenda. My research has also been disseminated in one of two ways. A research article achieved wide discussion following a successful press release, being picked up by 'IFL Science', NBC, the Daily Mail and others. Another research paper has also been adapted to form an educational resource in the US. |
First Year Of Impact | 2011 |
Sector | Education,Other |
Impact Types | Cultural |
Description | Pint of Science talk |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Contributed a talk and discussion session for the Manchester Pint of Science programme to around 50 members of the general public. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2018 |
URL | https://pintofscience.co.uk/event/the-rotten-side-of-ancient-life/ |
Description | Rotten Fish and Fossils: Resolving the riddle of our early vertebrate ancestors |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Outreach to 100s of school age children, primary and secondary, through engagement with palaeonotlogy and evolutionary biology. Many participants/audience members reported increased interest in palaeontology/evolutionary science. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012,2013 |
URL | http://www.thebigbangfair.co.uk/View/?con_id=2803 |
Description | Unusual anal fin offers new insight into evolution |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Put forward a press release for a paper "Unusual anal fin in a Devonian jawless vertebrate reveals complex origins of paired appendages" Acheived widespread media attention through outlets including NBC, ABC, Wired, Daily Mail and IFL Science. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
URL | http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2307350/The-fin-led-foot-Researchers-fossils-showing-... |