Palaeobiology of red and white blood cell-like structures, collagen and cholesterol in an ichthyosaur bone
© 2017 The Author(s). Carbonate concretions are known to contain well-preserved fossils and soft tissues. Recently, biomolecules (e.g. cholesterol) and molecular fossils (biomarkers) were also discovered in a 380 million-year-old concretion, revealing their importance in exceptional preservation of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Nature Publishing Group
2017
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| Online Access: | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP130100577 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/58034 |
| _version_ | 1848760160333332480 |
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| author | Plet, C. Grice, Kliti Pagès, A. Verrall, M. Coolen, M. Ruebsam, W. Rickard, W. Schwark, L. |
| author_facet | Plet, C. Grice, Kliti Pagès, A. Verrall, M. Coolen, M. Ruebsam, W. Rickard, W. Schwark, L. |
| author_sort | Plet, C. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | © 2017 The Author(s). Carbonate concretions are known to contain well-preserved fossils and soft tissues. Recently, biomolecules (e.g. cholesterol) and molecular fossils (biomarkers) were also discovered in a 380 million-year-old concretion, revealing their importance in exceptional preservation of biosignatures. Here, we used a range of microanalytical techniques, biomarkers and compound specific isotope analyses to report the presence of red and white blood cell-like structures as well as platelet-like structures, collagen and cholesterol in an ichthyosaur bone encapsulated in a carbonate concretion from the Early Jurassic (~182.7 Ma). The red blood cell-like structures are four to five times smaller than those identified in modern organisms. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed that the red blood cell-like structures are organic in composition. We propose that the small size of the blood cell-like structures results from an evolutionary adaptation to the prolonged low oxygen atmospheric levels prevailing during the 70 Ma when ichthyosaurs thrived. The d 13 C of the ichthyosaur bone cholesterol indicates that it largely derives from a higher level in the food chain and is consistent with a fish and cephalopod diet. The combined findings above demonstrate that carbonate concretions create isolated environments that promote exceptional preservation of fragile tissues and biomolecules. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:11:22Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-58034 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:11:22Z |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Nature Publishing Group |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-580342022-10-06T05:02:18Z Palaeobiology of red and white blood cell-like structures, collagen and cholesterol in an ichthyosaur bone Plet, C. Grice, Kliti Pagès, A. Verrall, M. Coolen, M. Ruebsam, W. Rickard, W. Schwark, L. © 2017 The Author(s). Carbonate concretions are known to contain well-preserved fossils and soft tissues. Recently, biomolecules (e.g. cholesterol) and molecular fossils (biomarkers) were also discovered in a 380 million-year-old concretion, revealing their importance in exceptional preservation of biosignatures. Here, we used a range of microanalytical techniques, biomarkers and compound specific isotope analyses to report the presence of red and white blood cell-like structures as well as platelet-like structures, collagen and cholesterol in an ichthyosaur bone encapsulated in a carbonate concretion from the Early Jurassic (~182.7 Ma). The red blood cell-like structures are four to five times smaller than those identified in modern organisms. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis revealed that the red blood cell-like structures are organic in composition. We propose that the small size of the blood cell-like structures results from an evolutionary adaptation to the prolonged low oxygen atmospheric levels prevailing during the 70 Ma when ichthyosaurs thrived. The d 13 C of the ichthyosaur bone cholesterol indicates that it largely derives from a higher level in the food chain and is consistent with a fish and cephalopod diet. The combined findings above demonstrate that carbonate concretions create isolated environments that promote exceptional preservation of fragile tissues and biomolecules. 2017 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/58034 10.1038/s41598-017-13873-4 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP130100577 Nature Publishing Group unknown |
| spellingShingle | Plet, C. Grice, Kliti Pagès, A. Verrall, M. Coolen, M. Ruebsam, W. Rickard, W. Schwark, L. Palaeobiology of red and white blood cell-like structures, collagen and cholesterol in an ichthyosaur bone |
| title | Palaeobiology of red and white blood cell-like structures, collagen and cholesterol in an ichthyosaur bone |
| title_full | Palaeobiology of red and white blood cell-like structures, collagen and cholesterol in an ichthyosaur bone |
| title_fullStr | Palaeobiology of red and white blood cell-like structures, collagen and cholesterol in an ichthyosaur bone |
| title_full_unstemmed | Palaeobiology of red and white blood cell-like structures, collagen and cholesterol in an ichthyosaur bone |
| title_short | Palaeobiology of red and white blood cell-like structures, collagen and cholesterol in an ichthyosaur bone |
| title_sort | palaeobiology of red and white blood cell-like structures, collagen and cholesterol in an ichthyosaur bone |
| url | http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DP130100577 http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/58034 |