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Evolutionary implications of predation on Recent comatulid crinoids from the Great Barrier Reef

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2016

David L. Meyer
David L. Meyer*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio 45221
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Abstract

Diving investigations of Recent comatulid crinoids at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, indicate that, contrary to long-held notions, crinoids are subject to predation, principally by fishes of several families. Predation usually occurs as sublethal damage to the visceral mass and arms, from which the crinoids usually recover by regeneration. Aspects of the life habits, morphology, biochemistry, and physiology of comatulids are postulated to be adaptations that enable comatulid crinoids to resist predation. Comatulid versatility in coping with predation may account in large measure for their evolutionary success in the face of the late Mesozoic teleost radiation. Frequency of damage and repair in fossil crinoids can be used as a measure of predation pressure in order to assess the impact of predation during the Phanerozoic evolution of crinoids. Paleozoic stalked crinoids made a heavy investment in skeletal armor, while in contrast, comatulids reduced the calyx and became mobile. The relationship between these phyletic trends and predation pressure can now be critically examined.

Type
Articles
Information
Paleobiology , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , Spring 1985 , pp. 154 - 164
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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