Resolving the conodont trophic enigma with the photogrammetry and dental topography analysis

Conodonts were an extinct group of marine chordates and a crucial part of past ecosystems for approximately 300 million years. They were the earliest vertebrates that developed mineralized tissues in the form of an oral apparatus composed of conodont elements. Those dental parts currently find utility in biostratigraphy, paleoclimatology, and evolutionary biology.  Their remains have profoundly influenced disciplines such as stratigraphy, paleoclimatology, and evolutionary biology. However, the understanding of the paleoecology of conodonts and their role in ancient ecosystems is far from being fully resolved. Herein, we adopted a new method of electron scanning microscope and three-dimensional topography to describe transformation of conodont elements during ontogeny. Our findings reveal significant morphological differences between juvenile and adult specimens, with two out of three dental topographic metrics showing notable variation across ontogenetic stages.