Feathers

[Michael Sternberg <mstern@cnw.com>]

Sulfate(sulfur)  excretion has been proposed as a mechanism that led to the
development of feathers.  What is the basis for the sulfur model?  In hair,
there are disulfide bonds (as evidenced by the odor that results when one
has a "perm"), but do feathers have them and to the same degree?

John Ostrom has proposed (pers. comm.) that feathers originated as a means
of excreting urea or other nitrogenous wastes in addition to normal cloacal
means.  This happens to coincide with my own personal view (unsupported by
physical evidence) that feathers began as waste storage units, molted
periodically, which then were exapted for display, flight or insulatory
purposes.

On the basis of chemical analysis of feathers, what elements are in
abundance, and what compounds do they tend to be represented in?

Michael

       ---====  Michael Sternberg  ====---
 Avocational Paleontologist and Natural Curiousitarian 
           "I never Metasequoia I didn't like"
                  Quod erat inveniendum
Member: Northwest Paleontological Association   
               Vancouver Paleontological Society 
               Botanical Society of America
               Geological Society of America
       ---=============================---     
Pacific Northwest Geology and Paleontology at:  Cascadia - A Paleo Homepage
http://www.cnw.com/~mstern/                          Last Rev date: 11.24.96