Reconstructing the behaviour of ancient animals
Contributed by: Holly E. Anderson (she/her)
Keywords: Anatomy – Form and function, Animals, Anxiety, Behavior, Comparative anatomy, Europe, Evolution, Field, Fossils, Imposter syndrome, Income, Lab, Nationality, Paleobiology, Woman
Slides
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Resources
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Notes
Slide 1: Researcher’s Background
Researcher’s Background
Dr. Holly E. Anderson is a palaeontologist at the University of Warsaw. Holly’s multidisciplinary studies include reconstructions of function and behaviour in prehistoric organisms and the processes of decay and burial that lead to fossilisation.
Why did you become a biologist?
I found a fossil on the beach during a family holiday in the UK, and I found it fascinating that I was holding something 60 million years old. I was only six years old and have wanted to be a Palaeontologist ever since!
What is your favorite part about your job?
It is difficult to choose just one thing! It is amazing to have the opportunity to travel the world as part of my work. I love conducting fieldwork with fellow palaeontologists, and excavating new fossils. It’s wonderful to be part of a team that is just as passionate as you are and get excited about fossils the way you do. It feels like magic to bring something millions of years old back to life.
What obstacles have you overcome to get where you are?
In secondary school, I worked very hard. I avoided those involved in crime and spent my spare time on extra tuition, extra-curricular courses, and self-teaching from library books. I applied to one of the highest-achieving colleges in my region and was accepted. I continued to use every resource available to me. My headteacher chose me as a potential candidate for the underprivileged student progression scheme at Durham University. I underwent a six-week residential course and examination and was accepted on a full scholarship. I sought several different mentors and tutors at Durham University. My tutors helped me catch up on my education that was lacking due to the staffing and funding shortages in my early schooling. My mentors taught me basic university principles, e.g., how a university is run, what was expected of me, how to write academically, and how to balance my finances. I had four jobs while I was at university to support myself and my family. I saw a therapist and also several supporting organisations at my university to take control of my imposter syndrome and anxiety. I have campaigned, petitioned, and vocally supported the rights of women in STEM. I take part in workshops, conferences, and many other forms of public outreach in support of women in STEM.
What advice do you have for aspiring biologists?
Don’t let anyone tell you that you cannot achieve your goals, only you know your limits.
Do you feel that any dimension of your identity is invisible or under-represented/marginalized in STEM?
socioeconomic status, gender.
Slide 2: Research Overview
Take home message of study
Holly specializes in using fossils to paint a picture of the lifestyles of ancient animals. She uses the shape, structure, damage patterns, and burial poses of bones, and compares them to modern bones. In this study, Holly teamed up with Mary Silcox, Sergi López-Torres, Ingrid Lundeen, & Adam Lis, because they were all scientists curious about the same species – an extinct primate called Mioeuoticus shipmani (phonetic: my-o-you-otikus shipman-eye). They thought this animal was nocturnal, but wanted to compare the skull of Mioeuoticus shipmani to living primate groups today to see if they can learn more about the lifestyle this extinct species had.
Study system
This animal is believed to be a relative of modern lorises, which are in the strepsirrhine primate group. In order to compare primates with different body sizes, the team used an index called the optical foramen quotient. This index uses an equation to scale the orbital measurements relative to body size. If Mioeuoticus were nocturnal, Holly predicted the OFQ value should be similar to the OFQ of living strepsirrhines that have been observed to be nocturnal because this group includes the closest living relative, the lorises.
Photos
Left: Holly scanning a fossil to obtain 3-D images used in analysis.
Top center: A modern loris species – Perodicticus potto.
Top right: The skull of Perodicticus potto.
Bottom center: CT scan of Mioeuoticus cranium.
Bottom right: The same cranium with the optic foramen (through which the optic nerve connects the eye to the brain) is highlighted in red and the orbital cavity is highlighted in green.
Slide 3: Key Research Points
Key figures
Results from this study shows that the Mioeuoticus optical foramen quotient is consistent with strepsirrhine species that have vision adapted to a nocturnal (active during the night) OR cathemeral (active during the day and night) lifestyle.
Societal Relevance
Most modern lorisid species are threatened by extinction. Typically, specialised behaviour, comes with a higher extinction risk. The long evolutionary history of lorisids contrasts with the low diversity of behaviours observed in modern species. A better understanding of the lorisid fossil record can illuminate if 1) they had a greater diversity in the past, or 2) lorisids became extremely specialised in their behaviour in the earliest stages of their evolution and maintained a low diversity. Lorisids offer an opportunity to understand how long-lived, poorly diverse groups of animals survived through millions of years, which is of great relevance to modern vertebrate groups with low diversity that are vulnerable to extinction.
