Trilobites as Hosts for Parasites: From Paleopathologies to Etiologies

de Baets K, Budil P, Fatka O, Geyer G (2021)

Publication Type: Book chapter / Article in edited volumes

Publication year: 2021

Original Authors: Kenneth De Baets, Petr Budil, Oldřich Fatka, Gerd Geyer

Publisher: Springer

Edited Volumes: The Evolution and Fossil Record of Parasitism

Series: Topics in Geobiology

City/Town: Cham

Book Volume: 50

Pages Range: 173-201

ISBN: 9783030522322

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-52233-9_6

Abstract

Extant marine arthropods are afflicted by a variety of parasitic diseases making it plausible that extinct trilobites also had a variety of parasites. Direct evidence in the form of preserved parasite body fossils is lacking to date, which is not surprising considering the poor preservation potential of soft tissues of parasites and their hosts. Some of these interactions might leave traces and pathologies in their exoskeletons, which can be traced in deep time. Knowledge of the parasitic causes of pathologies in modern arthropods such as crustaceans and horseshoe crabs might, therefore, help to better interpret past afflictions and their potential culprits. Our review shows that a variety of structures have been attributed to parasitism—some more confidently than others. The restriction of these structures to particular trilobite lineages might indicate the influence of phylogeny, anatomy, and potential role of ecology (feeding, mode of life) on infestation risks. However, preservation and research biases might also contribute to differences between time intervals and individual trilobite lineages. Other interactions such as epizoa, bioerosion, as well as other structures, which have been confused with parasitic causes are briefly discussed. The culprits of many of these structures remain elusive.

Authors with CRIS profile

Kenneth de Baets Lehrstuhl für Paläoumwelt

Additional Organisation(s)

Geozentrum Nordbayern

Related research project(s)

Constraining the deep origin of metazoan parasitism through integration of Evolutionary Parasitology and Molecular Paleobiology Jan. 1, 2017 - Dec. 31, 2017

Involved external institutions

Univerzita Karlova v Praze / Charles University in Prague CZ Czech Republic (CZ) Czech Geological Survey / Česká geologická služba CZ Czech Republic (CZ) Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

de Baets, K., Budil, P., Fatka, O., & Geyer, G. (2021). Trilobites as Hosts for Parasites: From Paleopathologies to Etiologies. In Kenneth De Baets, John Warrem Huntley (Eds.), The Evolution and Fossil Record of Parasitism. (pp. 173-201). Cham: Springer.

MLA:

de Baets, Kenneth, et al. "Trilobites as Hosts for Parasites: From Paleopathologies to Etiologies." The Evolution and Fossil Record of Parasitism. Ed. Kenneth De Baets, John Warrem Huntley, Cham: Springer, 2021. 173-201.

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