Brachiopod Sero-Taxonomy and the Application of Immunology to Geology

[摘要] Antisera were generated against representatives of a number of brachiopod families and these were tested by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and the fluorescence ELISA to determine the relationships between the families. Cluster analyses were done and immunological distances calculated using antigens for which homologous antisera were available. Monoclonal antibodies and hybridoma supernatants were generated against brachiopod extracts and these were tested against a wide range of Recent and fossil antigens. Antisera were prepared against Kimmeridge clay and carbazole. The results of this study indicated that the traditional distinction between short-looped and long-looped brachiopods, based on the brachial loop, was not valid and suggested that the distinction is between those long-looped forms in which a median septum is involved in ontogeny and those in which it is not. This work supported the suggestion by Cooper (1973a) that a separate superfamily status should be assigned to the cancellothyrides. The results presented here suggest that lineages split much later than was previously thought. Phylogenetic information is present in the intra-crystalline macromolecules of brachiopods and can be used in sero-taxonomic studies. This study has shown that a revised taxonomy of brachiopods is required at the family and superfamily status. The integration of molecular taxonomy and morphological taxonomy would benefit both approaches to the study of phylogenetic relationships. This work has also shown that it is possible to apply immunological techniques to the detection of substances of geological interest in rock samples.

[发布机构] University:University of Glasgow

[关键词] Geochemistry