Structural coloration in a fossil feather
Open accessAbstract
Investigation of feathers from the famous Middle Eocene Messel Oil Shale near Darmstadt, Germany shows that they are preserved as arrays of fossilized melanosomes, the surrounding beta-keratin having degraded. The majority of feathers are preserved as aligned rod-shaped eumelanosomes. In some, however, the barbules of the open pennaceous, distal portion of the feather vane are preserved as a continuous external layer of closely packed melanosomes enclosing loosely aligned melanosomes. This arrangement is similar to the single thin-film nanostructure that generates an iridescent, structurally coloured sheen on the surface of black feathers in many lineages of living birds. This is, to our knowledge, the first evidence of preservation of a colour-producing nanostructure in a fossil feather and confirms the potential for determining colour differences in ancient birds and other dinosaurs.
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Other melanosome imprints are aligned along the longitudinal axis of a proximal barbule, an arrangement previously reported in the barbules of extant and more recent fossil bird feathers.
“Other melanosome imprints are aligned along the longitudinal axis of a proximal barbule (Fig. 3c,d), an arrangement previously reported in the barbules of extant and more recent fossil bird feathers 14,15 .”
From New evidence on the colour and nature of the isolated Archaeopteryx feather (2012) · cites this paper as [14]
Similar fossilized feather traces have been found to preserve colour-imparting organelles called melanosomes.
“Similar fossilized feather traces have been found to preserve colour-imparting organelles called melanosomes 12-16 , which consist of melanins, the most widespread and abundant pigments in animals and found in the feathers of all birds (excluding albinos) 4 .”
From New evidence on the colour and nature of the isolated Archaeopteryx feather (2012) · cites this paper as [14]
Morphological properties of associated melanosomes have been used to reconstruct various plumage colours of extinct dinosaurs.
“the morphological properties of the associated melanosomes have been used to reconstruct various plumage colours of extinct dinosaurs 12-16 .”
From New evidence on the colour and nature of the isolated Archaeopteryx feather (2012) · cites this paper as [14]
Cites
Vinther, J., Briggs, D. E. G., Prum, R. O., & Saranathan, V. (2008) · Biology Letters · doi:10.1098/rsbl.2008.0302 · Cited by 204 · see citing works
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Fossilized melanosomes and the colour of Cretaceous dinosaurs and birds
Zhang, F., Kearns, S. L., Orr, P. J., Benton, M. J., Zhou, Z., Johnson, D., Xu, X., & Wang, X. (2010) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature08740 · Cited by 303 · see citing works
Plumage Color Patterns of an Extinct Dinosaur
Li, Q., Gao, K.-Q., Vinther, J., Shawkey, M. D., Clarke, J. A., D’Alba, L., Meng, Q., Briggs, D. E. G., & Prum, R. O. (2010) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1186290 · Cited by 278 · see citing works
Self-citationAncient biomolecules: Their origins, fossilization, and role in revealing the history of life
Briggs, D. E. G., & Summons, R. E. (2014) · BioEssays · doi:10.1002/bies.201400010 · Cited by 223 · see citing works
Self-citationReconstruction of <i>Microraptor</i> and the Evolution of Iridescent Plumage
Li, Q., Gao, K.-Q., Meng, Q., Clarke, J. A., Shawkey, M. D., D’Alba, L., Pei, R., Ellison, M., Norell, M. A., & Vinther, J. (2012) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1213780 · Cited by 192 · see citing works
Self-citationVinther, J. (2015) · BioEssays · doi:10.1002/bies.201500018 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Self-citationNew evidence on the colour and nature of the isolated Archaeopteryx feather
Carney, R. M., Vinther, J., Shawkey, M. D., D'Alba, L., & Ackermann, J. (2012) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/ncomms1642 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
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- Authors
- Vinther, J., Briggs, D. E. G., Clarke, J., Mayr, G., & Prum, R. O.
- Affiliations
- Yale University (US)
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Corresponding author
- Briggs, Derek E. G.
- Venue
- Biology Letters
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Published
- 2009-08-26
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 128-131
- ISSN
- 1744-9561 (ISSN-L)
- 1744-957X
- PMC
- PMC2817243
- OpenAlex
- W2099867171
- Cited by
- 131
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 13
- FWCI
- 8.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Biology Letters (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › melanin and skin pigmentation
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Fossil Insects in Amber
- Keywords
- structural color, fossil feathers, melanosomes, beta-keratin, Messel oil shale, Eocene birds, feather barbules, nanostructured films, iridescence, plumage coloration
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Birds, Color, Feathers, Fossils, Germany, Microscopy, Electron, Scanning, Pigmentation, Melanosomes
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