FRACTAL GEOMETRY OF NANNOFOSSIL SPECIES DISCOASTER PENTARADIATUS

Natural shapes, particularly those of biological origin, lend themselves to description by fractal geometry. The repetitively intricate, covering plates made by coccolithophorids are shown here to have fractal or at least fractal-like properties of design. Morphometric measurements of the coccolithophorid species Discoaster pentaradiatus were compared with the Binary Fractal Trees set, and shown to conform favorably, within one standard deviation, to its parameters.

A better understanding of the fractal nature of coccolithophorids may encourage the reexamination of patterns of evolution that have been previously accepted for this group. It may be possible to evaluate lineages, previously based on morphologic similarity, according to the implications of their fractal geometry.