1. DiscoveringDevonianMicrofossils ABLE 2005 Charlie Drewes Ecology, Evolution & Organismal Biology Iowa State University, Ames IA

2. What are microfossils?  fossilized remains (plant, animal, protozoan)  derive from hard parts (exoskeleton, endoskeleton, covering, shell, teeth)  less than 1-2 mm in size (> 0.001 mm)  imbedded in rock or loose particles  research utility (paleoenvironmental reconstruction, biostratigraphy, paleooceanography)  educational use (hands-on, inquiry, discovery)

3. Focal Points: Biodiversity Paleontology Evolution

4.    440-350 MYA 290-200 MYA 140-65 MYA 1.8-0 MYA

5. DEVONIANDEVONIAN “the age of the fishes”

6. DEVONIANDEVONIAN

7. DEVONIAN Fossil Deposits in Iowa  Rockford www.paleoportal.org/

10. x I save

11. small-sized granules and microfossils ▼ ▼▼ ▼

12. Microfossils & Accessories p. 6 C washed, sievings dispensing spoon rubber-tipped widgets

13. microfossil sorting dish p. 4

14. Retrieval & transfer of microfossils pp. 4 & 6

15. █ Foraminifera (multi-chambered shell) █ Charophyte algae (oogonia) █ Sponge (spicules) █ Bryozoa (branching or fenestrated tubes) █ Snail (coiled shell) █ Tentaculite (long, conical shell) █ Polychaete (jaws) █ Ostracod (bivalve carapace) █ Brachiopod (articulating shells) █ Crinoid (articulating, internal ossicles) █ Conodont animal (jaw apparatus) █ miscellaneous spines from unknown origin Microfossil Category Checklist p. 7

16. 1) Common name for organisms in this category? 2) Give phylum (or class) name for these fossils? 3) What hard part/structures forms the fossil? 4) What is likely composition of original hard part? 5) Was this a colonial or solitary organism? 6) Was this a sessile or free moving organism? 7) How did the organism gather food? 8) What related marine forms exist today? 9) What are the closest living freshwater relatives? 10) Other questions… Microfossil Data Sheet Name __________________ Date_____ Microfossil Category____________________ Sketches Questions p. 9

17. FORAMINIFERANS

18. CHAROPHYTES - oogonia stoneworts

19. SPONGE SPICULES

20. BRYOZOANS

21. GASTROPODS - snails

22. TENTACULITES

23. annelids SCOLECODONTS

24. OSTRACODS seed shrimp crustacean

25. BRACHIOPODS lamp shells

26. CRINOIDS sea lilies echinoderms

27. CONODONTSCONODONTS hypothetical conodont animal

28. unidentified spines, etc

29. p. 7 & 8 Analysis and Questions  Comparative abundance of specimens from various microfossil categories?  Comparison of students’ specimens to web images of microfossils?  Other marine invertebrates and vertebrates represented as Devonian macrofossils?  North America position during Devonian?  Brief essay about Devonian environment?

30. TAKE-HOME 1) CD: Image Gallery: Devonian Microfossils & Macrofossil PowerPt slides: Discovering Devonian Microfossils Writeup: Discovering Devonian Microfossils 2) Tube of washed sievings with microfossils 3) Microfossil tools (spoon, widget sticks, widget rubberlegs, microrulers) 4) Microfossil sample slide & slide-box