Time Period:
The mucrospirifer Mucronatus, sometimes refereed to as a "conrad" first appeared in the Ordovician period. During this time they were still a fairly scare population and weren't very populous, they later began to increase during the Devonian period. This period was towards the middle of the Paleozoic Era which was roughly 400 million years ago.
Locations:
The points on the map represent a rough location of where many remains of these organisms were found. They were found in the area of present day New York, Michigan, and some southern parts of Canada.
Characteristics:
The Conrad has a hard outer shell just as many clam type organism has now. It has long "wings" that come to a spine like point, making these organisms on average around 2.5 cm across. The biggest ever recorded was around 4 cm, so they are fairly small. The entirety of the shells have very pronounced folds and indents and make them really rigid .
These organisms tended to filter feed, and would stay dug into the ground. They stayed in murky sea waters, attached using their pedicle or the hinge like area on the shell.
Evolution:
It is said that these magnificent organisms evolved from Halkieria a slug-like Cambrian organism, but much is unknown about this creature and it's ancestor. Both the Halkieria and Conrad shared a shell plate, the Halkieria had it both on the front and back of its body and were seen as protection. The shell displayed growth rings just as it does on the Conrad, this helped to persuade scientists that the Conrad possibly evolved from the Halkieria.
Present Day:
Although this species does not exactly exist today there are still about 385 species out of the 30,000 brachiopod species still alive today. The following list are a few of the species of Mucrospirifers still alive today, they share many similarities to their relative the Mucronatus. Most share similar behaviors they filter feed and stay in single locations. Many grow around the same size or a little larger, and all species still have the shell type structure of the body.
- Mucrospirifer albanensis
- Mucrospirifer arkonensis
- Mucrospirifer bouchardi
- Mucrospirifer diluvianoides
- Mucrospirifer grabaui
- Mucrospirifer medfordsis
- Mucrospirifer mucronatus
- Mucrospirifer paradoxiformis
- Mucrospirifer profundus
- Mucrospirifer prolificus
- Mucrospirifer refugiensis
- Mucrospirifer thedfordensis
- Mucrospirifer williamsi
Family: Mucrospiriferidae
Phylum: Brachiopoda
Class: Rhynchonellata
Genus: Mucrospirifer
Order: Spiriferida
- 1.)Explain how biological evolution is supported by the fossil record.
Many organisms are related to fossils on the fossil record and it proves that as conditions change the organisms adapt to be able to live in those conditions. Organisms now are usually just an evolved version of those from the past.
2.)Why is natural selection a mechanism for biological change?
It randomly selects and organism to be different from the rest of its species and if that organism thrives better then the non-selected ones then that species will start to evolve in the favor of those changes.
3.)How does chemical evolution explain the origin of life on Earth?
It proves how complex molecules evolved to more simple, life supporting molecules to help life on Earth survive. Once the molecules evolved it made it possible for organisms to start thriving on earth, and use these molecules in their favor.
4.)Explain why scientific theories, such as biological and chemical evolution, represent the strongest explanation of the changes observed in the fossil record. It shows how as the chemical evolution took place it allowed for more organisms to be supported on Earth and those organisms could grow to become more complex. Once the chemicals changed it gave room for the actual creatures themselves to evolve and adapt to those same chemicals.
5.)How can scientific theories on evolution and the fossil record change over time? As scientists discover new information they can change the theory, they could find out that the organisms may have never actually evolved and that they were all complete separate life forms on Earth.
