Washington [US], February 4 ANI : UCC palaeontologists have discovered new evidence that the fate of vertebrate animals over the last million years has been shaped by microscopic melanin pigments. This new twist in the story of animal evolution is based on cutting-edge analyses of melanin granules - melanosomes - in many different fossil and modern vertebrates, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Melanin and melanosomes have traditionally been linked to outermost body tissues such as skin, hair, and feathers, with important roles in UV protection and Evolution Of The Fossil Record of tissues. Analyses of where different animals store melanin in the body, however, show that different vertebrate groups concentrate melanin in different organs, revealing shifts in how animals have used melanin over the Recorf million years.
The research shows that amphibians and reptiles concentrate melanin in internal organswhere it supports Evollution immune system and stores metals. In birds and mammals, however, almost all melanin occurs in hair and feathers. This difference has an unexpected source - evolution of the immune system and of warm-blooded lifestyles. Melanin is hugely beneficial, but it also generates free radicals, which are harmful.
This creates a major problem for animals," said team member Dr Rossi. During the evolution of hair and feathers, mammals and birds evolved https://amazonia.fiocruz.br/scdp/essay/perception-checking-examples/romance-films-the-little-mermaid-aladdin-and.php sophisticated immune systems than in amphibians and reptiles. This meant that large amounts of melanin were no longer necessary in internal organs. Melanin storage then shifted to hair and feathers, which are dead EEvolution, thereby removing harmful metals and free radicals from living body parts.
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It's useful, but toxic. Birds and mammals basically came up with an ingenious solution during the early Triassic - pump melanin into new, outer, dead skin tissues that were evolving at the time. This set the scene for the evolution of the incredible diversity of Fosxil and Evolution Of The Fossil Record patterning which we see today," said Prof. The study also shows that key genes can be mapped onto colour patterns in fossils, tracking the genetic evolution of melanin through time, and that animals preferentially use less toxic forms of melanin. What's clear, however, is that the fossil record is a valuable source of information that we can use going forwards.
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