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Adaptive radiation of the comatulid crinoids

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2016

David L. Meyer  and
Donald B. Macurda Jr.
David L. Meyer
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221
Donald B. Macurda Jr.
Affiliation:
Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104
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Abstract

Modern crinoids are dominated by the comatulids (unstalked forms) which range from the intertidal to abyssal depths. Modern stalked crinoids are restricted to depths greater than about 100 m. In the geologic past some stalked crinoids lived at depths of a few tens of meters or less in reef and bank environments. The primary vehicles postulated for the post-Triassic radiation of comatulids are lack of permanent fixation to the substratum and the capacity for mobility. Development of complex muscular articulations has enabled crawling or swimming which serve in habitat selection and avoidance of stress and predators. These and other adaptations may have bestowed on comatulids a higher survival capacity in shallow-water environments compared to stalked crinoids. Modern stalked crinoids lack mobility and complex behavioral adaptations seen in comatulids. Possibly, stalked crinoids in shallow water were unable to cope with the radiation of abundant, predaceous bony fishes in the late Mesozoic and became restricted to greater depths while the more adaptable comatulids gained ascendancy in shallow water.

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Type
Research Article
Information
Paleobiology , Volume 3 , Issue 1 , Winter 1977 , pp. 74 - 82
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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References

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