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PRINCIPAL PUBLICATION AND AUTHORS

Uniquely preserved gut contents illuminate trilobite palaeophysiology, P. Kraft (a), V. Vaškaninová (a), M. Mergl (b), P. Budil (c), O. Fatka (a), P.E. Ahlberg (d), Nature 622, 545-511 (2023); https:/doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06567-7 (a) Charles University, Prague (Czech Republic) (b) University of West Bohemia in Plzeň, Plzeň (Czech Republic) (c) Czech Geological Survey, Prague (Czech Republic) (d) Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden)

REFERENCES

[1] V. Vaškaninová et al., Science 369, 211-215 (2020).

Surprisingly, the gut fill also preserves evidence of the digestive physiology of the trilobite. It is known that the shell fragments (which are now preserved as tiny cavities in the rock) were originally made of the mineral calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate dissolves quickly in acid, but none of the shell fragments in the gut fill show any sign of acid-etching. The gut pH must thus have been neutral or alkaline, which is exactly what is found in modern crabs and horseshoe crabs. As these living arthropods are

very distantly related to each other, and trilobites belong somewhere near their last common ancestor on the family tree, it can be inferred that this gut physiology may be an ancient shared inheritance of the entire arthropod group.

Bohemolichas is only one trilobite out of thousands, and its feeding habits may not be representative for the group as a whole. Nevertheless, the study represents a huge advance in the understanding of trilobite biology.

Fig. 127: Life reconstruction of Bohemolichas feeding on sea floor. Painting by J. Svoboda.