The Ostracoda are minute aquatic crustaceans whose bivalved shells (carapaces) have been found in sediments of all ages as far back as the Upper Cambrian. Because of their great geologic range, ostracodes are studied by the biologist interested in observing how organisms change from one form to another through normal evolutionary processes, and by the geologist who finds them useful for determining the ages of ancient sediments containing their carapaces. Survival of the Ostracoda in today's oceans, lakes, and rivers permits study of their habitats for the purpose of obtaining clues to the kinds of environments inhabited by their extinct ancestors.
Many species of Ostracoda spend their lives crawling on the bottom or burrowing in sand and mud; others swim or float in the water, and a few are parasitic or commensal on crayfish and other crustacea. Ostracodes manifest a variety of food preferences: some species are scavengers, living on dead plant or animal matter; others prefer a diet...
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Kornicker, L.S. (1979). Ostracoda . In: Paleontology. Encyclopedia of Earth Science. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-31078-9_91
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