Very few fossils of jellyfish or their close relatives have been found. This makes it hard to trace the evolutionary history of jellyfish using the fossil record. What explains this?
Answer (2)
Jellyfish fossils are rare due to their soft bodies, which decompose quickly and are unlikely to fossilize. The fossil record is incomplete, representing less than 1% of species ever existed, complicating the trace of jellyfish evolution.
Very few fossils of jellyfish or their close relatives have been found because fossilization is rare, and the conditions required for biological structures to fossilize are specialized and rare. Organisms without hard parts, like jellyfish, are the least likely to be fossilized, as soft tissues decompose quickly and are easily destroyed by the elements or consumed by other organisms. Additionally, the existing fossil record is highly incomplete, with less than 1% of all species that have ever lived known through fossils. This makes tracing the evolutionary history of creatures without hard parts particularly difficult. Furthermore, the circumstances of the period known as Romer's gap, errors in excavation, and inaccessibility of potential fossil sites contribute to the rarity of certain fossils.
Jellyfish fossils are rare primarily due to their soft bodies, which decompose quickly and rarely fossilize. The specialized conditions needed for fossilization are often not met, leading to an incomplete fossil record. As a result, tracing the evolutionary history of jellyfish is particularly difficult.
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