Multivariate mapping of ontogeny, taphonomy and phylogeny to reconstruct problematic fossil taxa.

ABSTRACT: Exceptionally preserved fossils of soft-bodied organisms provide unique evidence of evolutionary history, but they are often contentious; different approaches frequently produce radically different reconstructions of taxa and their affinities. Conflict arises due to difficulties in disentangling the three non-independent factors that underlie all morphological variation within and between fossils: ontogeny, taphonomy and phylogeny. Comparative data from extant organisms can be extremely powerful in this context, but is often difficult to apply given the multi-dimensionality of anatomical variation. Here, we present a multivariate ordination method using discrete morphological character data from modern taxa at different ontogenetic and taphonomic stages (semaphoront and 'semataphonts'). An

SUBMITTER: Reeves JC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10229227 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature