Chapter 9: Fossil microbodies are melanosomes: Evaluating and rejecting the "fossilized decay-associated microbes" hypothesis

TY - CHAP

T1 - Chapter 9

T2 - Fossil microbodies are melanosomes: Evaluating and rejecting the "fossilized decay-associated microbes" hypothesis

AU - Roy, Arindam

AU - Rogers, Christopher S.

AU - Clements, Thomas

AU - Pittman, Ichael

AU - Habimana, Olivier

AU - Martin, Peter

AU - Vinther, Jakob

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2020 American Museum of Natural History Library. All rights reserved.

PY - 2020/8/1

Y1 - 2020/8/1

N2 - Melanosomes are membrane-bound organelles of varying geometry, commonly found within a range of vertebrate tissues, that contain the pigment melanin. Melanosomes have been identified in the fossil record in many exceptionally preserved fossils allowing reconstructions of the coloration of many extinct animals. However, these microstructures have also been interpreted as "microbial cells" or melanin-producing bacteria based on their geometric similarities to melanosomes. Here we test these two conflicting hypotheses experimentally. Our results demonstrate multiple lines of evidence that these fossil microbodies are indeed melanosomes: the geometry of decay-associated microbes differs significantly from fossil microbodies; fossil microbodies are very strongly localized to in vivo melanized tissues and are absent in tissues typically unmelanized in vivo, in all fossils examined regardless of lithology or age. On the basis of these results, as well as a thorough review of existing literature on melaninlike pigments, we are able to rule out a bacterial origin for fossil microbodies associated with exceptional vertebrate fossils and demonstrate that fossil microbodies are in fact preserved melanosomes.

AB - Melanosomes are membrane-bound organelles of varying geometry, commonly found within a range of vertebrate tissues, that contain the pigment melanin. Melanosomes have been identified in the fossil record in many exceptionally preserved fossils allowing reconstructions of the coloration of many extinct animals. However, these microstructures have also been interpreted as "microbial cells" or melanin-producing bacteria based on their geometric similarities to melanosomes. Here we test these two conflicting hypotheses experimentally. Our results demonstrate multiple lines of evidence that these fossil microbodies are indeed melanosomes: the geometry of decay-associated microbes differs significantly from fossil microbodies; fossil microbodies are very strongly localized to in vivo melanized tissues and are absent in tissues typically unmelanized in vivo, in all fossils examined regardless of lithology or age. On the basis of these results, as well as a thorough review of existing literature on melaninlike pigments, we are able to rule out a bacterial origin for fossil microbodies associated with exceptional vertebrate fossils and demonstrate that fossil microbodies are in fact preserved melanosomes.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85094966374&partnerID=8YFLogxK

M3 - 章节

AN - SCOPUS:85094966374

T3 - Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History

SP - 251

EP - 276

BT - PENNARAPTORAN THEROPOD DINOSAURS PAST PROGRESS AND NEW FRONTIERS

A2 - Pittman, Michael

A2 - Xu, Xing

PB - American Museum of Natural History Library

ER -