SGER: Identity and Phylogenetic Significance of Biomarkers in Paleozoic Crinoids

古生代海百合生物标志物的鉴定及其系统发育意义[作者：William I. Ausich，陈玉平]俄亥俄州立大学地球科学学院本项目将扩展我们从密西西比海百合中提取的分类群特异性生物标志物的初步研究。迄今为止，我们已经确定：1、可以从单个化石标本中提取分类群特异性有机分子；2、这些分子在同一物种的不同标本中是一致的，与其他分类群不同，与周围沉积物的分子明显不同；3、提取的化石分子具有系统发育意义，类群关系越密切，相似分子越多；4，提取的分子很可能是取代的蒽醌，类似于已知的由活的海百合产生的分子。这些结果来自对两个地点有限数量的化石标本的分析。该项目旨在确定我们早期工作在更大规模上的可行性，并确定这些提取分子中保存的系统发育信息的意义。具体目的包括：1、确定古生代海百合保存分子的结构和特征；2、由于取样是破坏性的，确定分析所需材料的最少量；3、确定这些生物标志物中系统发育信号的分辨率。系统发育意义将通过以下抽样设计进行检验：1、分析其他密西西比产点的海百合，以确定生物标志物在同时期环境中的一致性和存在性；2、研究了从奥陶纪到侏罗纪的海百合，以评估其系统发育意义；第三，尽可能从活的海百合中提取分子。这项SGER工作将为研究生提供支持，并为俄亥俄州立大学化学仪器中心的实验室用品和化学分析提供资金。分析将包括紫外-可见光谱学、ESI的Micromass LC-TOF质谱仪、分裂模式的Finnegan Trace GC质谱仪和3-D激发-发射模式的Cary Eclipse荧光光谱仪，这将包括围绕PARAFAC框架开发我们自己的模型，这是针对所提出的研究的特定模型。拟议的研究结果有希望建立一个全新的研究领域，并改变古生物学家研究棘皮动物化石的方式，如果不是一般的化石。然而，真正的意义不能确定，直到更广泛的假设阵列测试与更多的分析，如本文提出的。

Identity and Phylogenetic Significance of Biomarkers in Paleozoic CrinoidsPIs: William I. Ausich and Yu-Ping ChinSchool of Earth SciencesThe Ohio State UniversityThis project will expand our initial studies on taxon-specific biomarkers that we have extracted from Mississippian crinoids. To date, we have established that: 1, taxon-specific organic molecules can be extracted from individual fossil specimens; 2, these molecules are consistent for different specimens of the same species, different from other taxa, and distinctly different from molecules from enclosing sediments; 3, extracted fossil molecules display a phylogenetic significance with more closely related taxa having more similar molecules; and 4, extracted molecules are most probably a substituted anthraquinone, similar to classes of molecules known to be produced by living crinoids. These results are from analysis of a limited number of fossil specimens from two localities. This project is designed to establish the feasibility of our earlier work on a larger scale and to establish the significance of the phylogenetic information preserved in these extracted molecules. Specific objectives include: 1, determine the structure and identity of the preserved molecules in Paleozoic crinoids; 2, because sampling is destructive, determine the least amount of material needed for analysis; 3, determine the resolution of the phylogenetic signal in these biomarkers. The phylogenetic significance will be tested with the following sampling design: 1, analyze crinoids from other Mississippian occurrences to determine consistency and existence of biomarkers in coeval settings; 2, examine crinoids from the Ordovician to the Jurassic to assess the phylogenetic significance through time; and 3, as possible, molecules will be extracted from living crinoids. This SGER work will provide graduate student support and funding for laboratory supplies and chemical analyses from the Ohio State University Chemical Instrumentation Center. Analyses will include UV-Vis light spectroscopy, Micromass LC-TOF mass spectrometer in ESI, Finnegan Trace GC mass spectrometer in split mode, and Cary Eclipse spectrofluorimeter in 3-D Excitation-Emission mode, which will include development of our own model around the PARAFAC framework that is specific for the proposed research.Results of the proposed research have the promise to establish an entirely new research field and to transform the way paleontologists study fossil echinoderms, if not fossils in general. However, the true significance cannot be determined until a wider array of hypotheses is tested with many more analyses, as proposed herein.