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- Title
Palaeontology: Birth of the jawed vertebrates.
- Authors
Ahlberg, Per E.
- Abstract
The article discusses research that evaluates preserved embryos in the body cavity of a placoderm fish and the implications that this may have on vertebrate evolution. Placoderms lived to the end of the Devonian epoch and produced three specimens that have been identified as Materpiscis, Austroptyctodus, and Incisoscutum. Embryos discovered within their bodies imply the existence of internal fertilization. As live-bearers tend to have lower rates of population growth than external spawners, new perspectives are formed on the ecology of the tropical reef environment that sheltered a diverse number of placoderms.
- Subjects
PLACODERMI; FISH embryos; VERTEBRATE evolution; FOSSIL fishes; DEVONIAN paleontology; FERTILIZATION (Biology); FISH populations; REEFS
- Publication
Nature, 2009, Vol 457, Issue 7233, p1094
- ISSN
0028-0836
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/4571094a