Paleantology Course

By: Charles Dekori

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 1
 Course Outline
• Part One:  Brachiopods,
General Palaeontological  Molluscs,
Concepts  Echinoderms,
 Principles of Palaeontology,  Graptolites and
 Evolution and fossil Records,  Arthopods
 Major Events in the Life’s
History, Part Three (optional):
• Part Two: Application of Palaeontological
Invertebrate Phyla knowledge in solving some
 Sponges, exploration, Exploitation and
 Cnidarians, Production problem.
 Bryozaons,

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 2
Phylum Porifera: Sponges (No. of Species 10,000
Characteristics of Porifera

 )No definite symmetry.

 Body multicellular, few tissues, no organs.
 Cells and tissues surround a water filled space but there is no true body cavity.
 All are sessile, (live attached to something as an adult).
 Reproduce sexually or asexually.
 Has no nervous system.
 Has a distinct larval stage which is planktonic.
 Lives in aquatic environments, mostly marine.
 All are filter feeders.
 Often have a skeleton of spicules.

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 3
Phylum Porifera: Sponges

Geologic range:
Class Calcarea: Devonian-Recent
Class Hexactinellida: Cambrian-Recent
Class Demospongea: Cambrian-Recent
Class Sclerospongia: Ordovician-Devonian

The fossil record of sponges is quite spotty because sponges are often soft and
cellular, making sponges rarely preserved. However, some sponges have a rigid
skeletal framework and this calcareous or siliceous framework, or isolated spicules
are more commonly preserved.

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 4
Phylum Porifera: Sponges
Habitat:
Most species prefer shallow marine waters; however, some modern sponges are found in
deep waters.
Morphological features:
Sponges are the simplest forms of multicellular life. They possess no organs and the
skeleton has many pores and canals lined with cells. Each of the cells create a current
with a whip like flagellum to move water and food particles into the sponge. The
skeleton itself is composed of organic substance called spongin with needle-like
elements known as spicules. The spicules are the only part fossilized and are commonly
composed of calcite or silica, which are interconnected to provide support.

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 5
Phylum :Cnidaria (No of Species 9,500)

Characteristics of Cnidaria:-
 Radially Symmetrical.
 Body multicellular, few tissues.
 Body contains an internal cavity and a mouth.
 Two different forms exist, medusa and polyp
 Reproduction is asexual or sexual.
 Has a simple net like nervous system.
 Has a distinct larval stage which is planktonic.
 Lives in aquatic environments, mostly marine.
 Mostly carnivorous otherwise filter feeders.
 May have a minimal skeleton of chiton or calcium carbonate.

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 6
 Phylum :Cnidaria

Geologic range:
Class Hydrozoa: Cambrian-Recent
Class Scyphozoa: Precambrian-Recent
Class Anthozoa: Ordovician-Recent
Morphological characteristics:
Common cnidarians include jellyfish, sea anemones, and corals Cnidarians are
slightly more complex than sponges. They have true tissues but no discrete
organs. Most cnidarians are soft-bodied, except for corals which have a
calcareous skeleton, making them difficult to fossilize. Their major characteristic
is nematocysts, which are stinging cells used to paralyze prey or predators.

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 7
Phylum: Cnidaria

Habitat:
Cnidarians are almost exclusively marine. They are typically either sessile (attached) most
abundant in shallow waters (however sea anemones can be found in the deepest parts of
the ocean) or free-floating usually found at the surface.
Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 8
Phylum : Brachiopoda (No of Species 335)
Characteristics of Brachiopoda:-
 Bilaterally symmetrical.
 Body has more than two cell layers, tissues and organs.
 Body cavity a true coelom.
 Body possesses a U-shaped gut with or without an anus.
 Body enclosed in a pair of shells, one dorsal and the other ventral.
 Has a nervous system with a ganglionated circum-oesophagal ring.
 Has a true open circulatory system with one or more hearts.
 Has no gaseous exchange organs.
 Has a lophophore.
 Reproduction normally sexual and gonochoristic, but without true gonads.
 Feed on fine particles in the water.
 All live in marine environments.

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 9
Phylum : Brachiopoda
Geologic range:
Class Inarticulata: Cambrian-Recent
Class Articulata: Cambrian-Recent
Morphological features:
Brachiopods have two calcite valves surrounding the soft body. The plane of symmetry for
most brachiopods runs through both shells so that one half of the shell is the mirror
image of the other. One valve is larger than the other (called the ventral or pedicle valve).
The two valves are attached at a hinge. The hinge teeth and hinge line can be used to
identify particular types of brachipods.

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 10
Phylum : Brachiopoda

Habitat:
Brachiopods are exclusively benthic marine, living primarily on the shallow shelf
and in epicontinental platform seas.
Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 11
Phylum: Bryozoa (No. of Species 5,000)
Characteristics of Bryozoa:-
 Bilaterally symmetrical.
 Body has more than two cell layers, tissues and organs.
 Body cavity a true coelom.
 Body possesses a U-shaped gut with an anus.
 Body enclosed in a calcareous, chitinous or gelatinous box, tube or communal matrix.
 Nervous system is a central ganglion with a circum-oesophagal ring.
 Has a no circulatory system or gaseous exchange organs.
 Has no excretory system.
 Reproduction normally sexual and gonochoristic.
 Feeds on fine particules in the water.
 All live in aquatic environments mostly marine.

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 12
Phylum: Bryozoa
Geologic Range:
Class Stenolaemata: Ordovician-Recent
Class Phylactolaemata: Recent
Class Gymnolaemata: Ordovician-Recent
Morphological Features:

Bryozoans are colonial marine organisms that make a calcareous skeleton. Bryozoans are
commonly mistaken for corals; however, bryozoans have smaller holes for the individual
animal. They also lack the radial septa characteristic of coral skeleton. The soft parts of the
animal are not preserved, but the details of the calcareous colonial skeleton are.

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 13
Phylum: Bryozoa

Habitat:
Bryozoans are found in modern oceans at all latitudes and as deep as 5500m, but most
abundant in shallow, tropical seas. Most species require a hard substrate to attach.

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 14
 Phylum: Mollusca (No. of Species 110,000)
Characteristics of Mollusca:-
 Bilaterally symmetrical.
 Body has more than two cell layers, tissues and organs.
 Body without cavity.
 Body possesses a through gut with mouth and anus.
 Body monomericand highly variable in form, may possess a dorsal or lateral shells of
protein and calcareous spicules.
 Has a nervous system with a circum-oesophagal ring, ganglia and paired nerve chords.
 Has an open circulatory system with a heart and an aorta.
 Has gaseous exchange organs called ctenidial gills.
 Has a pair of kidneys.
 Reproduction normally sexual and gonochoristic.
 Feed a wide range of material.
 Live in most environments
Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 15
Phylum: Mollusca
Geologic Range:
Class Monoplacophora: Cambrian-Recent
Class Polyplacophora: Ordovician-Recent
Class Scaphopoda: Ordovician-Recent
*Class Bivalvia: Cambrian-Recent
*Class Gastropoda: Cambrian-Recent
Class Rostroconcha: Ordovician-Silurian
*Class Hyolitha: Cambrian-Permian
Class Cephalopoda: Cambrian-Recent *major classes

Morphological features:
Mollusks include clams, snails, nautiloids, ammonoids, chitons, and several minor groups.
Most mollusks have a calcareous shell, which is well fossilized. They are bilaterally
symmetrical with a muscular foot, mantle (secretes shell) and radula. Bivalves have, as the
name suggests, two valves surrounding the soft body.
Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 16
 Phylum: Mollusca

Habitat:
Mollusca are found in marine, freshwater and land environments. Most are marine.
Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 17
Phylum: Mollusca

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 18
Phylum: Arthropoda (No. of species 1,000,000
Characteristics of the Arthropoda:-
 Bilaterally symmetrical (in most cases).
 Body has more than two cell layers, tissues and organs.
 Body cavity a true coelom.
 Most possesses a through straight gut with an anus (in most cases).
 Body possesses 3 to 400+ pairs of jointed legs.
 Body possesses an external skeleton (in most cases).
 Body is divided in 2 or 3 sections.
 Nervous system includes a brain and ganglia.
 Possesses a respiratory system in the form of tracheae and spiracles (in most cases).
 Possesses a open or lacunnar circulatory system with a simple heart, one or more
arteries, and no veins, (in most cases).
 Reproduction normally sexual and gonochoristic, but can be parthenogenetic

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 19
Phylum: Arthropoda
Geologic Range:
Class Trilobita: Cambrian-Permian
Class Crustacea: Cambrian-Recent
Class Uniramia: Cambrian-Recent
Class Chelicerata: Cambrian-Recent
Class Arachnida: Ordovician-Recent
Morphological Features:

Arthropods include insects, crabs, spiders, and trilobites. Arthropods have segmented
bodies and jointed appendages. They possess an exoskeleton composed of chitin and molt
or shed the exoskeleton in order to grow larger. Even though they possess an exoskeleton,
arthropods have a relatively poor fossil record because of the organic chitinous cuticle.
Only the arthropods with mineralized skeletons such as the calcified triobites and
ostracodes have a good chance of being preserved.
Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 20
Phylum: Arthropoda

Habitat:
Arthropods are the most diverse phylum and are found in marine, freshwater and land
environments. They inhabit all extremes (deep ocean, hottest deserts and coldest ice).

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 21
 Phylum: Echinodermata (No. of Species 6,000)
Characteristics of Echinodermata:-
 Possess 5-rayed symmetry, mostly radial, sometimes bilateral.
 Body has more than two cell layers, tissues and organs.
 Body cavity a true coelom.
 Most possesses a through gut with an anus.
 Body shape highly variable, but with no head.
 Nervous system includes a circum-oesophageal ring.
 Has a poorly defined open circulatory system.
 Possesses a water vascular system, which hydraulically operates the tube feet or
feeding tentacles.
 Without excretory organs.
 Normally possesses a subepidermal system of calcareous plates
 Reproduction normally sexual and gonochoristic.
 Feeds on fine particles in the water, detritus or other animals.
 All live marine environments. Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 22
Phylum: Echinodermata
Geologic Range:
*Class Crinoidea: Cambrian-Recent
Class Paracrinoidea: Early Ordovician-Early Silurian
Class Eocrinoidea: Early Cambrian-Late Silurian
*Class Blastoidea: Middle Ordovician-Late Permian
Class Stylophora: Middle Cambrian-Pennsylvanian
*Class Ophiuroidea: Early Ordovician-Recent
*Class Asteroidea: Early Ordovician-Recent *major classes
Class Holothuroidea: Middle Cambrian-Recent
Class Helicoplacoidea: Early Cambrian
Class Edrioasteroidea: Early Cambrian-Late Pennsylvanian

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 23
Phylum: Echinodermata
Morphological Features:
Common echinoderms include sea stars, sea urchins, and sand dollars. Echinoderms
typically have penta-radial symmetry. Most echinoderms have a skeleton with individual
plates (ossicles) made up of single crystals of high-magnesium calcite. Some even have
spines on their external ossicles. One of the most distinctive features is their internal
water vascular system used for locomotion, feeding and respiration. Echinoderms have
tube feet used for locomotion and feeding

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 24
Habitat:
Echinoderms are exclusively marine. They can be found in shallow waters as well as the
deep abyssal seafloor.
Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 25
Phylum Hemichordata (Graptolite) No. of Species 90

Characteristics of Hemichordata:-
 Bilaterally symmetrical.
 Body has more than two cell layers, tissues and organs.
 Body cavity a true coelom.
 Body possesses a through gut, straight or U-shaped, with an anus.
 Body divided into three sections, a proboscis, a collar and a trunk.
 Nervous system normally diffuse, but variable.
 Has a partially open circulatory system.
 Possesses glomerulus as an excretory organ.
 Reproduction normally sexual and gonochoristic.
 Feeds on fine particles in the water.
 All live marine environments

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 26
Phylum Hemichordata (Graptolite) No. of Species 90

Geologic Range:
Class Pterobranchia: Upper Cambrian to Lower Carboniferous
Class Enteropneusta: Upper Cambrian to Lower Carboniferous

They are all marine worm-like animals. There are only about 90 known species all of
which are benthic, (living on the sea floor) in their adult form. Graptolites are common
fossils and have a worldwide distribution. The preservation, quantity and gradual
change over a geologic time scale of graptolites allows the fossils to be used to date
strata of rocks throughout the world. They are important index fossils for dating
Palaeozoic rocks as they evolved rapidly with time and formed many different species.

Palaeontology/Dept/Geology/UofJ/sem/4 27
Questions & Answers

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