PALEOECOLOGY – CONODONTS

- So for paleoecology, conodonts were said to be exclusively marine and free-swimming.

- And the environments from which they occurred can vary from
o Hypersaline
o Bathyal
o Abyssal environments.
-
o Conodont elements were also found in bedded chert successions that were deposited
beneath calcite compensation depth (CCD). But it is unlikely that these were nektonic or
pelagic animals.
- Now it has been believed na all representative conodonts were pelagic, and they drifted from
the open seas towards the various continents, and now This-- is considered true for many
conodont genera and species.

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Since we know naman that conodonts are already extinct, scientists made use of their

functional morphology,

faunal associations,

and facies distributions

in order to infer their mode of life and paleoecology. So we’ll be discussing them one by one.

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FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY

Let’s start with functional morphology . . .

- Functional morphological studies of the feeding apparatus of conodonts indicate that conodont
animals were microphagous, yung term na microphagous refers to a type of feeding wherein
they take-in their food in the form of tiny particles. They can feed on living or recently dead
prey.
- Another thing is that Conodont animals are jawless, and so it’s very unlikely that they could bite,
instead, it is probable that they pulled chunks from their prey, much in the same way as the
modern hagfish.
- Yung hagfish kasi, are also jawless marine vertebrate animals. Para silang small, slimy eels, and
the way they feed kasi is they tear off chunks from their prey, and it is probable that conodonts
fed in the same way.
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FAUNAL ASSOCIATION

- The phrase Faunal association – refers to species that find living space around a given substrate.
In this report we will be focusing on the substrate to which the conodonts are associated.
- It is said that Conodont elements are found in bedded chert successions that have been
deposited beneath the calcite compensation depth (CCD), and it is likely that these were
nektonic or pelagic animals.
- In addition, up to 20,000 conodont elements per kilogram are recovered from shallow marine
tropical and subtropical limestone samples. Now This ssuggests that shoals of conodont
animals were dominant members in the community.

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FAUNAL ASSOCIATION
- Still in the faunal association, Animals from the Granton and Soom lagerstatten are found in
shallow, quiet water with enhanced salinity, and are susceptible to periodic dysoxia. Yung
periodic dysoxia is a condition wherein yung oxygen levels are too low for mitochondrial
respiration.

- There is also a conodont species called Promissum pulchrum that can be found in periglacial
marine environments.
o Although yung mga ganitong finds are not typical kasi most conodont species are found
in open marine environments.
- Also,, Conodont diversity is said to be highest around equatorial latitudes.
- In order to infer the mode of life of conodonts, yung mode of life of chaetognath worms has
been suggested as an ecologic analogue for the conodonts. Chaetognath worms are not extinct,
and currently,
o Living chaetognaths are among the most common of planktonic animals,
o They usually float or swim through tides and currents in the water without relation to
the bottom.
- Now yung dahilan kung bakit ginamit yung mode of life ng chaetognath worms as an ecological
analogue for conodonts is that yung Chaetognath worms kasi, they show a distinct vertical
stratification that is also observed in conodonts.

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before we proceed sa facies distribution, I’ll give a brief discussion on conodont habitats. So there are 2
simplied models kasi for conodont habitats. We have the Pelagic model and the Nektobenthic model.

SIMPLIED MODELS OF CONODONT HABITATS:

Dun muna tayo kay PELAGIC MODEL

- Pelagic Model Is also known as Pelagic Depth Stratification Model

- The pelagic model portrays a depth stratification.
- In this model, it states that more diverse faunas are produced in deeper water.
- Note that A, B, AND C REPRESENT DIFFERENT GROUPS OF GENERA WITH A SIMPLE 2-
COMPONENT FACIES CHANGE, and the resulting generic associations in the substrate.
- And as you can see in the illustration, as the water gets deeper mas nagiging diverse yung
conodont genera na present.

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The next model is the NEKTOBENTHIC MODEL.

- It is also known as Benthic Model of Lateral Segregation. From the word lateral, ang main
premise lang ng model na ‘to is that most conodonts are laterally segregated with some overlap
into offshore communities.
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FACIES DISTRIBUTION

- Okay Majority ng conodont animals show some degree of facies dependence, and it indicates
that THEY LIVED CLOSE TO THE SEA FLOOR. So for facies we have near-shore high energy, and
quiet offshore.

NEAR-SHORE, HIGH ENERGY FACIES

- Yung mga facies na ‘to, they tend to contain large robust conodonts with large basal cavities and
large platform-bearing Pa elements.

QUIET OFFSHORE FACIES

- They tend to contain more delicate conodont elements.

- Offshore facies also appear to be dominated by coniform species of non-coniform taxa, bearing
long, slender denticles.

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FACIES DISTRIBUTION

Animals from the Granton and Soom lagerstatten indicate that conodont animals were active
nektobenthonic predators or scavengers. Since yung majority ng coniform taxa are found across a much
wider range of facies then this suggests they may have been nektonic or pelagic.

Some example conodont species are the Scaliognathus and Bispathodus of the Carboniferous period,
both of which are found in deep-water black shales with no associated benthos, and were therefore
likely to have been nektonic, if not pelagic.

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So now we go to distribution patterns.

The fact that conodonts show marked provincialism at various times in their history suggests they were
sensitive to temperature.

The term provincialism kasi refers to the patterns of endemism and when we say endemism, we refer to
the conditions of being endemic or being “restricted” in geographical distribution to an area or region.
So yung conodonts kasi they exhibit provincialism throughout their history and so we will looking at
their distribution as time progresses as well as some of the species that were present.

We start with MIDDLE TO UPPER ORDOVICIAN CONODONTS

Yung recent work on the distribution of Middle and Upper Ordovician conodonts was able to
differentiate conodonts into 2 separate taxa.

Number one is yung NEKTOBENTHONIC CONTINENTAL SHELF TAXA which mainly consist of

- PRIONIODINIDS

The other is the NEKTONIC/PELAGIC TAXA which consist of

- PROTOPANDERODONTIDS
- PRIONIODONTIDS
o Si Prioniodontids is said to show depth stratification and/or adaptation to specific water
masses, and this feature is also suggested for some carboniferous prioniodinid
conodonts.

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Next the Silurian conodonts. SILURIAN CONODONTS

- (before Silurian nung late Ordovician,, nagkaroon ng glaciation that led to the virtual elimination
of the North Atlantic Province and-) yung mga Surviving conodonts during the Silurian were
distributed around low to mid-latitude regions, comprising mainly of the following:
o Prioniodinids
o Panderodontids
o Rare Prioniodontids
- The distribution patterns of Silurian conodont species show no simple correlation between
inshore and offshore shelly benthos and conodont biofacies.
- The primary ecological controlling factors of Silurian conodonts are unclear.

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DEVONIAN CONODONTS

- Were restricted to the tropics.

- Noong Devonian Period, conodonts also Showed a degree of endemism between different
epeiric seas.

CARBONIFEROUS AND PERMIAN CONODONTS

- Show little provincialism.

 BIOSTRATIGRAPHY

Conodonts which have phosphatic remains are considered good biostratigraphic indicators.

We start with CAMBRIAN CONODONT FAUNA

- Cambrian conodonts are widespread but are not considered as good zonal markers.
- Important examples:
o Furnishina (A)
 They are single cone conodonts with extended basal cavity of triangular or
quadrangular cross-section.
o Westergaardodina (B)
 Tricuspidate or bicuspidate units with basal cavity that is either centrally
located, or separated into 2 lateral cavities as shown in the picture.

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ORDOVICIAN CONODONT FAUNA

- So for Ordovician conodonts, nag-diversify sila during the Tremadocian (early Ordovician), and
na-reach nila yung peak ng diversification during Arenigian.
- Ngayon yung Prevalent conodont species during the Ordovician are the following:
o Scolopodus (A)
o Paroistodus (C)
o Acontiodus (B)
o Panderodus (D)
o Belodina (H)
 - Some Good zonal fossils naman nung Ordovician are the following:
o Cordylodus (E)
o And yung mga First plant form types which are:
 Amorphognathus (G)
 Pygodus (F)

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SILURIAN CONODONT FAUNA

- During the Silurian period, conodonts were less abundant and less diverse.
- Pero Silurian unang nag-appear yung long-ranging genus na Spathognathodus, which eventually
gave rise to many important descendents.
- Other Silurian conodont fossils are the following:
o Icriodina (similar to a Devonian genus Icriodus) (A)
o Apsidognathus (B)
o Pterospathodus (similar to Spagthognathodus) (C)
o Kckelella (D)
o Spathognathodus (E)

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DEVONIAN CONODONT FAUNA

- In the early and middle Devonian, the following conodont species became prevalent:
o Icriodus (A)
o Spathognathodus (hindi na siya sinama sa picture since sa Silurian naman siya first nag
appear)
o Polygnathus (B)
- Conodonts reached their second acme of development during the late Devonian. This includes
the development of the following new genera from the Spathognathodus-Polygnathus stock:
o Palmatolepis (E)
o Ancyrodella (D)
o Ancyrognathus (C)

Yung tatlo na ito were also said to be widely and abundantly distributed during the the Devonian

- Others:
o Bispathodus (F)
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CARBONIFEROUS CONODONT FAUNA

- Conodonts were still widespread ang abundant during the Early Carboniferous.
- Most important genera (the most important genera during the Carboniferous Period are):
o Siphonodella (19A) LOWER
o Gnathodus (19D) LOWER
- Zonal Fossil
o Scaliognathus (19C) LOWER
 Which lived in off-shore facies.
- Index fossils of the Early Carboniferous:
o Idiognathodus (20B) UPPER
o Adetognathus (20A) UPPER
o Early gondolellids
- However, due to reduced diversities, the zonal succession is no longer as refined as that for the
previous periods.
- Other important elements:
o Pseudopolygnathus (19B) LOWER

LOWER

UPPER
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PERMIAN CONODONT FAUNA

- Conodont index fossils of the Permian period.

o Idiognathodus
o Streptognathodus
o Gondolella (NA SA PICTURE)
o Neospathodus

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TRIASSIC CONODONT FAUNA

- Early Triassic.
o Neogondolella
o Epigondolella
- Late Triassic
o Conodont Extinction
Summary: Stratigraphic range of important and index conodont genera.