Calcareous Tubeworms in Ancient Hydrocarbon Seeps

Serpulids first colonized seep environments sometime during the Late Jurassic. Some serpulids colonized seeps in geological terms soon after their first appearance in the fossil record, similar to many mollusks from vents and seeps. Fossil serpulids methane seep deposits are characterized by low diversity and mostly low abundance. They belong to several genera and both major serpulid clades. In most fossil seeps, serpulids are represented by a single species only. The lack of common morphologic traits among seep serpulids indicates that life in the seep environment was not associated with any specific selective pressure on the morphology of the tubes, but possible physiological adaptations cannot be identified on fossil material