MORFOLOGÍA FUNCIONAL DE BRAQUIÓPODOS ARTICULADOS DEL ORDOVÍCICO TEMPRANO (FORMACIÓN SAN JUAN, PRECORDILLERA ARGENTINA)

Abstract

"Some species of articulate brachiopods from the San Juan Formation (Lower Ordovician) are analyzed from a morpho-functional viewpoint. The species are Orthidium sp., Paralenorthis sp., Taphrorthis sp., Platystrophia fasciculata Benedetto and Herrera, Pomatotrema talacastoensis Benedetto, Tritoechia inaequicostata Benedetto, Taffia sp., Ahtiella sp., Sanjuanella sp., Leptella sp., Petraria rugosa elevata Benedetto and Herrera, Camerella sp., and Rugostrophia sp. Life strategies inelude pedunculate, quasi-infaunal and liberosessile benthic habits. Different morphological types coexist in the same environrnents, i.e. in the same communities. Relationships between morphology/life strategies and environmental factors are not linked and may be coneluded that there are many different possible responses to a single environmental parameter. Some of the morphological features seem have no evident functional purposes but they are probably consequences of neutral mutations."