Paleontological Research ISSN 1342-8144 Formerly Transactions and Proceedings of the Palaeontological Society of Japan Vol. 5 No.1 April 2001 The Palaeontological Society of Japan Co-Editors Kazushige Tanabe and Tomoki Kase Language Editor Martin Janal (New York, USA) Associate Editors Jan Bergstrom (Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden), Alan G. Beu (Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Lower Hutt, New Zealand), Satoshi Chiba (Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan), Yoichi Ezaki (Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan), James C.lngle, Jr. (Stanford University, Stanford, USA), Kunio Kaiho (Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan), Susan M. Kidwell (University of Chicago, Chicago, USA), Hiroshi Kitazato (Shizuoka University, Shizuoka, Japan), Naoki Kohno (National Science Museum, Tokyo, Japan), Neil H. Landman (Amemican Museum of Natural History, New York, USA), Haruyoshi Maeda (Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan), Atsushi Matsuoka (Niigata University, Niigata, Japan), Rihito Morita (Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba, Japan), Harufumi Nishida (Chuo University, Tokyo, Japan), Kenshiro Ogasawara (University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan), Tatsuo Oji (University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan), Andrew B. Smith (Natural History Museum, London, Great Britain), Roger D. K. Thomas (Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, USA), Katsumi Ueno (Fukuoka University, Fukuoka, Japan), Wang Hongzhen (China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China), Yang Seong Young (Kyungpook National University, Taegu, Korea) Officers for 1999-2000 President: Kei Mori Councillors: Kiyotaka Chinzei, Takashi Hamada, Yoshikazu Hasegawa, Itaru Hayami, Hiromichi Hirano, Noriyuki Ikeya, Junji Itoigawa, Tomoki Kase, Hiroshi Kitazato, Itaru Koizumi, Haruyoshi Maeda, Ryuichi Majima, Makoto Manabe, Hiroshi Noda, Ikuwo Obata, Kenshiro Ogasawara, Terufumi Ohno, Tatsuo Oji, Tomowo Ozawa, Yukimitsu Tomida, Tsunemasa Saito, Takeshi Setoguchi, Kazushige Tanabe, Akira Yao Members of Standing Committee: Hiroshi Kitazato (General Affairs), Tatsuo Oji (Liaison Officer), Makoto Manabe (Finance), Kazushige Tanabe (Editor in Chief, PRJ, Tomoki Kase (Co- Editor, PRJ, Ryuichi Majima (Planning), Hiromichi Hirano (Membership), Kenshiro Ogasawara (Foreign Affairs) , Haruyoshi Maeda (Publicity Officer), Noriyuki Ikeya (Editor, "Fossils"), Yukimitsu Tomida (Editor in Chief, Special Papers), Tamiko Ohana (Representative, Union of Natural History Societies) . Secretaries: Masanori Shimamoto, Takao Ubukata (General Affairs), Hajime Taru (Planning), Tokuji Mitsugi (Membership), Shuko Adachi (Foreign Affairs), Kazuyoshi Endo, Yasunari Shigeta, Takenori Sasaki (Editors of PRJ, Akira Tsukagoshi (Editor of "FoSSils"), Naoki Kohno (Editor of Special Papers), Hidenori Tanaka (Publicity officer) Auditor: Nobuhiro Kotake Notice about photocopying: In order to photocopy any work from this publication, you or your organization must obtain permission from the following organization which has been delegated for copyright for clearance by the copyright owner of this publication. Except in the USA, Japan Academic Association for Copyright Clearance (JAACC), 41-6 Akasaka 9- chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan. Phone: 81-3-3475-5618, Fax: 81-3-3475-5619, E- mail: [email protected]~be. .jp In the USA, Copyrigh learance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Phone: (978)750-8400, F9' : (978)750-4744, www.copyright.com Cover: Idealized ske~Nipponites mirabilis Yabe, a Late Cretaceous (Turonian) nostoceratid ammonite. Various recons~~~ions of the mode of life of this species have been proposed, because of its curiously meandering shell fO/" (after T. Okamoto, 1988). All communication relating to this journal should be addressed to the PALAEONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN c/o Business Center for Academic Societies, Honkomagome 5-16- 9, Bunkyo- ku, Tokyo 113-8622, Japan Visit our society website at http://ammo.kueps.kyoto-u.ac.jp/palaeontl Paleontological Research, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 1, April 30, 2001 © by the Palaeontological Society of Japan Morphological approaches in paleobiology This special issue is partly based on the workshop of the journal. In addition, several papers which were prepared for Palaeontological Society of Japan on "Fossils and Mor­ this special issue but did not complete the review process in phology" held at the Misaki Marine Biological Station, time will be treated as regular submissions. University of Tokyo, in Miura City, Japan, from April 21 to 24, This collection is diverse, to the extent that perhaps there 2000. The workshop particularly focused on morphological is no coherent theme. It covers specialized topics such as approaches to paleobiological studies, from both fundamen­ the morphometrics of ammonites, morphodynamics of an tal and practical points of view. Most of the 34 participants endolithic gastropod, macrosymbiosis in bivalves, early shell of the workshop were young paleontologists interested in morphology of ammonoids, comparative anatomy of gastro­ morphology. pods, and the theoretical morphology of bivalve shell struc­ Research on organic evolution over the Earth's history ture. Although the papers contained in this issue differ in necessarily depends on the morphology of hard tissues pre­ scope, each touches on the phylogenetic, functional and/or served as fossils. Many paleontologists have developed morphogenetic aspects of an organic form. These three as­ and refined various methodologies for handling the raw mor­ pects may be conceived of as the parameters of a phological data presented by fossils and related extant or­ Seilacher's triangle of constructional morphology, in which ganisms. However, there has been little reciprocal organic form is postulated to result from the interplay of the interaction or feedback in this process. For instance, the three factors. An integrated approach focusing on several skills of an expert in comparative anatomy and the compli­ aspects of organic form is becoming more and more impor­ cated methods handled by a specialist in mathematical mor­ tant as paleobiological researches broaden out to include phology are still too far apart from each other. It would subjects of evolutionary biology. This issue will serve as a seem to be an important goal to make a wide variety of mor­ benchmark of the present state of this field and indicate lines phological methods accessible to all paleontologists, particu­ of inquiry for future research to follow. larly younger ones. It should be noted that most of the approach'3s in the pa­ The workshop setting made it possible to examine the pers contained in this special issue were based on handy, morphological aspects of fossils from a number of view­ "low-tech" methods such as observation or mathematical points and provided an opportunity for young paleontologists analysis, and required neither cutting-edge high technology to learn various methods in morphology. Most major topics nor the supporting framework of a large project. This col­ concerning morphology, such as functional morphology, lection indicates that morphology based on simple and eco­ constructional morphology, morphometrics, biometry, theo­ nomical techniques remains an exciting and creative field of retical morphology, developmental constraints, developmen­ science. This fact should encourage the young paleontolo­ tal genetics, heterochrony, cladistics, comparative anatomy, gist who might feel that his or her work is mere handicraft in histology, biomineralization, etc., were covered. Topics in­ comparison to what colleagues who participate in large­ cluded current research on various zoophyla, such as scale projects in fashionable high-tech fields are doing. I molluscs, arthropods, echinoderms and vertebrates, but hope that the topics presented here will be of interest to all there were also abstract discussions of methodology or prin­ paleontologists, and that this special issue will awaken the ciple that did not deal with particular groups of organisms. interest of many students in the field of morphology. I be­ We did not attempt to construct a synthesis of those diverse lieve that new approaches to morphological studies will play topics. However, the workshop seems to have succeeded a key role in paleontology in the 21st century. in addressing why so many morphological methods are valu­ I thank Tomoki Kase and Kazushige Tanabe, co-editors of able for paleobiology. Paleontological Research, for their help in the course of the In consequence, the workshop was also a good occasion editorial process of this issue. Thanks are also due to on which to plan a special issue of Paleontological Research Rihito Morita for his cooperation in organizing the workshop, on the use of morphology in paleobiology. The present to the staff of Misaki Marine Biological Station for their kind issue partly reflects the activities at the workshop but does hospitality during the workshop, to all participants in the not aspire to represent the complete proceedings. The six workshop for their active and valuable discussions, and to all contributions offered herein cover only a part of the topics of the authors for their thoughtful contributions to this special presented at Miura. Among the senior authors of this issue, issue. Although this is only the first time that Paleontological Enrico Savazzi, Takenori Sasaki and Takao Ubukata pre­ Research has collected papers on a specialized theme, I sented their papers in the workshop, and Richard Reyment hope it will not be an isolated instance but the first of many and Kazushige