The gut contents of a fossil trilobite reveal its feeding behavior and physiology
The gut contents of the fossil trilobite, Bohemolichas incollis, from the Ordovician period (approximately 465 million years ago) were imaged using a technique known as synchrotron microtomography and fully detailed. The findings suggest that the animal was randomly feeding on small, shelly invertebrates and that its intestines had a neutral to alkaline pH.
Synchrotron microtomography technique
The synchrotron microtomography technique is one of the advanced methods used in paleobiology to image the internal contents of fossilized organisms with high precision. This technique works by generating a high-intensity synchrotron light beam that passes through the sample, and the emitted radiation is recorded. These images are used to analyze the sample’s composition and understand its behavior and physiology.
Trilobite feeding
The results indicate that the trilobite was randomly feeding on small, shelly invertebrates. This means it was eating any type of shelly invertebrate it could easily find. This may be due to the availability of diverse food sources in the environment where the trilobite lived.
Trilobite physiology
The findings also suggest that the intestines of the trilobite had a neutral to alkaline pH. This means that the internal environment of the gut had a balanced to alkaline pH. This could be an indicator of an adaptive digestive system capable of effectively digesting small shelly invertebrates and extracting nutrients from them.
Conclusions
This study is significant for understanding the behavior and physiology of trilobites. The results provide valuable information about the feeding patterns and digestive adaptations of this ancient organism. This knowledge may help in understanding the evolution of living organisms over time and the impact of environmental conditions on their feeding behavior and physiology.
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