DOCSLIB.ORG

The Correlation Between Macroscopic Algae and Metazoans in the Ediacaran: a Case Study on the Wenghui Biota in Northeastern Guizhou, South China Y

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Correlation Between Macroscopic Algae and Metazoans in the Ediacaran: a Case Study on the Wenghui Biota in Northeastern Guizhou, South China Y This article was downloaded by: [University of Tokyo] On: 17 November 2014, At: 16:21 Publisher: Taylor & Francis Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Australian Journal of Earth Sciences: An International Geoscience Journal of the Geological Society of Australia Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/taje20 The correlation between macroscopic algae and metazoans in the Ediacaran: a case study on the Wenghui biota in northeastern Guizhou, South China Y. Wanga, Y. Wangb, W. Duc & X. Wangb a School of Resources and Environments, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, PR China b School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, PR China c Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153–8902, Japan Published online: 19 Sep 2014. To cite this article: Y. Wang, Y. Wang, W. Du & X. Wang (2014) The correlation between macroscopic algae and metazoans in the Ediacaran: a case study on the Wenghui biota in northeastern Guizhou, South China, Australian Journal of Earth Sciences: An International Geoscience Journal of the Geological Society of Australia, 61:7, 967-977, DOI: 10.1080/08120099.2014.956231 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08120099.2014.956231 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and- conditions TAJE_A_956231.3d (TAJE) (210£274mm) 01-10-2014 11:32 Australian Journal of Earth Sciences (2014) 61, 967À977, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08120099.2014.956231 The correlation between macroscopic algae and metazoans in the Ediacaran: a case study on the Wenghui biota in northeastern Guizhou, South China Y. WANG1*, Y. WANG2,W.DU3 AND X. WANG2 1School of Resources and Environments, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, PR China. 2School of Earth Sciences and Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, PR China. 3Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 153À8902, Japan. After the Marinoan glaciation, macroscopic organisms thrived in the Yangtze Sea, South China, during the Ediacaran period. The Wenghui biota, which is found from the upper Doushantuo Formation black shales (>551 Ma) in northeastern Guizhou, South China, includes macroscopic algae, metazoans and ichnofossils. Most macroalgae in the Wenghui biota bear a holdfast to secure them onto seafloor and have a thallus of various lengths extending into the water column. This biota can be divided into Globusphyton, SectoralgaÀLongifuniculum, Cucullus, Beltanelliformis and BaculiphycaÀGesinella assemblages. A fossil-barren interval containing a thin layer of feldspathic sandstone separates the macroscopic organisms into two distinct parts. From the Globusphyton assemblage through the SectoralgaÀLongifuniculum assemblage to the Cucullus assemblage, metazoans show a positive correlation with the abundance and diversity of branching macroalgae at both metre and millimetre scales. Nevertheless, both Beltanelliformis and BaculiphycaÀGesinella assemblages, in which the number and diversity of macroscopic algae and metazoans, especially the shorter branching macroalgae, are obviously decreasing or even lacking, might be related to a special environment and a fragile ecosystem. In addition, the ratios of Ni/Co, U/Th and V/(V C Ni) display zigzagged profiles at millimetre scales indicating frequent redox fluctuations. Variations in macrofossils and trace elements at both millimetre and metre scales indicate that the oxygen content in the northeast Guizhou Sea fluctuated frequently during the middleÀlate Ediacaran period and the Wenghui biota possibly lived in the redox buffering zone. Moreover, the abundance and diversity of macroalgae, especially the branching macroalgae, could have significantly influenced the redox conditions in water column. The increase in oxygen may have improved the environment for the growth and reproduction of macroalgae and metazoans. KEY WORDS: metazoan, macroalga, Wenghui biota, Ediacaran, northeastern Guizhou, South China. INTRODUCTION in the Yangtze Sea during the Ediacaran period (Figure 1). Although there are still debates on the macro- After the Marinoan global glaciation (or the Nantuo gla- organismal classification, many researchers have ciation in China), global warming during the Ediacaran À Downloaded by [University of Tokyo] at 16:21 17 November 2014 reported that metazoans had emerged in the middle late may be an important condition for the development of Ediacaran period (Chen et al. 1994b, 2000; Ding et al. 1996; macroscopic organisms. In the Yangtze Block, South Xiao et al. 2002; Wang et al. 2007b, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011; China, abundant macroscopic organisms were reported Wang & Wang 2008, 2011; Tang et al. 2008, 2011; Zhu et al. in Chinese Ediacaran macrobiotas, including the Lan- 2008). tian biota from the lower Lantian Formation in south- The carbonaceous compressions from the upper ern Anhui (e.g. Chen et al. 1994a; Tang et al. 1997; Yuan Doushantuo Formation in northeastern Guizhou were et al. 2011), the Miaohe biota from the upper Doushantuo reported first by Zhao et al. (2005) and named as the Wen- Formation in western Hubei (e.g. Zhu & Chen 1984; Chen ghui biota by Wang et al. (2007a). Wang et al. (2007a, b, & Xiao 1991, 1992; Chen et al. 1994b; Ding et al. 1996; Xiao 2008), Wang & Wang (2008, 2011), Tang et al. (2008) and et al. 2002) and the Wenghui biota from the upper Doush- Zhu et al. (2008) systemically described the macroscopic antuo Formation in northeastern Guizhou (e.g. Wang algae and metazoans in this biota. Based on fossil collec- et al. 2005, 2007a, 2008, 2009, 2011; Tang et al. 2009). These tion of the Wenghui biota at metre scales, Wang et al. Ediacaran macrobiotas, which are dominated by macro- (2011) reported the temporal sequences of assemblages. scopic algae, imply that macroscopic organisms thrived This paper discusses the relationship between *Corresponding author: [email protected] Ó 2014 Geological Society of Australia TAJE_A_956231.3d (TAJE) (210£274mm) 01-10-2014 11:32 968 Y. Wang et al. Figure 1 Distribution of the Chinese Eidacaran macrobiotas in the Yangtze Block, South China. (a) Tectonic outline showing the location of Yangtze Block in China; and (b) paleogeographic reconstruction of the Yangtze Block during the early Edia- caran period (modified from Jiang et al. 2011). macroscopic algae and metazoans in the Wenghui biota Macroscopic algae and metazoans at millimetre to metre scales. The abundance and diver- The macroscopic algae are the dominant fossils in the sity of macroscopic algae can influence the depositional Wenghui biota and can be morphologically divided into redox conditions, which in turn may affect the growth the (thallus- and filament-) branching macroalgae, the and reproduction of metazoans. unbranching macroalgae, the coin-shaped macroalgae and the macroalgal holdfasts. The thallus-branching THE WENGHUI BIOTA macroalgae include Anomalophyton zhangzhongyini Chen et al. 1994b (Figure 3a, b), Doushantuophyton line- The Wenghui biota includes macroscopic algae, metazo- area Chen in Chen & Xiao 1991 (Figure 3c), D. rigidulum ans and ichnofossils, and is found in the upper Doushan- Chen in Chen et al. 1994a (Figure 3d), Enteromorphites tuo Formation black shales in Wenghui Village, siniansis Zhu & Chen 1984 (Figure 3e), Jiangkouphyton Jiangkou County, northeastern Guizhou Province, guizhouensis Wang et al. 2007a (Figure 3f, g), Miaohephy- southern China (265000700N, 1090102000E). In the Wenghui ton bifurcatum Chen in Chen & Xiao 1991 (Figure 3h), section, the Doushantuo Formation is about 71 m thick, Wenghuiphyton erecta Wang et al. 2007a (Figure 3i, j), overlying the Nantuo Formation diamictite and underly- Zhongbaodaophyton crassa Chen et al. 1994b (Figure ing the bedded cherts of the Liuchapo Formation. It com- 3k, l) and Z. robustus Wang et al. 2007a (Figure 3m). The prises dolostones in the lower part (cap carbonate), filament-branching macroalgae include Globusphyton dolostones and shaly dolostones with black shales in the lineare Wang et al. 2007a (Figure 3n, o), Longifuniculum middle part, and black shales with abundant carbona- dissolutum Steiner et al. 1992 (Figure 3p, q), Sectoralga Downloaded
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Paleo-The Story of Life
    PALEO: THE STORY OF LIFE Life on Earth has not always existed as it currently does. The fact that life began on Earth in the first place is miraculous due to the environmental factors needed for its beginnings and sustainability. The relentless pursuit of life over billions of years from small living molecules to complex creatures roaming, flying and swimming throughout the Earth has culminated into the current state of life’s existence as we know it on the planet we call home. Paleo: The Story of Life is a 3,000-square-foot exhibit, spanning 4.6 billion years in scope. The exhibit presents casts of 128 rare fossils, including Lucy, Archaeopteryx and T rex, among many others. Drawn from the world’s foremost fossil collections, the Paleo exhibit showcases casts of rare fossils from the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia – skeletons, skulls, claws and eggs gathered from prestigious museums, including the Smithsonian Institution, American Museum of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum and Carnegie Museum, among others. Rarely available for viewing outside of their respective museums, these compelling artifacts are presented exclusively in Paleo: The Story of Life. Fossils range from the earliest invertebrate marine life through the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous dinosaurs to mammals and prehistoric humans. Paleo: The Story of Life explores the comprehensive story of prehistoric life on Earth. The Paleo exhibit is a visiting exhibit and will be on display through Thursday, May 31, 2018. It is located in the Horowitz Traveling Exhibit Area. The MOST presents Paleo: The Story of Life in association with the International Museum Institute, Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • In Search of the Kingdom's Ediacarans
    See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274730804 IN SEARCH OF THE KINGDOM'S EDIACARANS: THE FIRST GENUINE METAZOANS (MACROSCOPIC BODY AND TRACE FOSSILS) FROM THE NEOPROTEROZOIC JIBALAH GROUP (VENDIAN/EDIACARAN) ON THE ARABIAN SHI... ARTICLE · JANUARY 2013 CITATIONS READS 2 69 18 AUTHORS, INCLUDING: Patricia Vickers Rich Peter Robert. Johnson Monash University (Australia) 45 PUBLICATIONS 1,271 CITATIONS 79 PUBLICATIONS 1,250 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Tom Rich Museum Victoria 92 PUBLICATIONS 1,703 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Ulf Linnemann Senckenberg Naturhistorische Sammlunge… 144 PUBLICATIONS 1,914 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Available from: Tom Rich Retrieved on: 11 February 2016 In Search of the Kingdom’s Ediacarans: The First Genuine Metazoans on the Arabian Shield IN SEARCH OF THE KINGDOM’S EDIACARANS: THE FIRST GENUINE METAZOANS (MACROSCOPIC BODY AND TRACE FOSSILS) FROM THE NEOPROTEROZOIC JIBALAH GROUP (VENDIAN/EDIACARAN) ON THE ARABIAN SHIELD BY PATRICIA VICKERS-RICH, ANDREI IVANTSOV, FAYEK H. KATTAN, PETER R. JOHNSON, ASHRAF AL QUBSANI, WADEE KASHGHARI, MAXIM LEONOV, THOMAS RICH, ULF LINNEMANN, MANDY HOFMANN, PETER TRUSLER, JEFF SMITH, ABDULLAH YAZEDI, BEN RICH, SAAD M. AL GARNI, ABDULLA SHAMARI, ADEEB AL BARAKATI, AND MOHAMMAD H. AL KAFF Cenozoic basalt draped Neoproterozoic sequence with Cambrian Saq Sandstone overlying the Neoproterozoic Jibalah Group as a Backdrop, Northwestern Arabian Shield www.sgs.org.sa TECHNICAL REPORT SGS-TR-2013-5 1434 H 2013 G Saudi Geological Survey Technical Report - SGS-TR-2013-5 i In Search of the Kingdom’s Ediacarans: The First Genuine Metazoans on the Arabian Shield A Technical Report prepared by the Saudi Geological Survey, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia The work on which this report is based was performed in support of Saudi Geological Survey Subproject Subproject - The Eastern Arabian Shield: Window into Supercontinental Assembly at the Dawn of Animal Life.
    [Show full text]
  • Challenges in Indian Palaeobiology
    Challenges in Indian Palaeobiology Current Status, Recent Developments and Future Directions © BIRBAL SAHNI INSTITUTE OF PALAEOBOTANY, LUCKNOW 226 007, (U.P.), INDIA Published by The Director Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Lucknow 226 007 INDIA Phone : +91-522-2740008/2740011/ 2740399/2740413 Fax : +91-522-2740098/2740485 E-mail : [email protected] [email protected] Website : http://www.bsip.res.in ISBN No : 81-86382-03-8 Proof Reader : R.L. Mehra Typeset : Syed Rashid Ali & Madhavendra Singh Produced by : Publication Unit Printed at : Dream Sketch, 29 Brahma Nagar, Sitapur Road, Lucknow November 2005 Patrons Prof. V. S. Ramamurthy Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India Dr. Harsh K. Gupta Formerly Secretary, Department of Ocean Development, Govt. of India Prof. J. S. Singh Chairman, Governing Body, BSIP Prof. G. K. Srivastava Chairman, Research Advisory Committee, BSIP National Steering Committee Dr. N. C. Mehrotra, Director, BSIP - Chairman Prof. R.P. Singh, Vice Chancellor, Lucknow University - Member Prof. Ashok Sahni, Geology Department, Panjab University - Member Prof. M.P. Singh, Geology Department, Lucknow University - Member Dr. M. Sanjappa, Director, Botanical Survey of India - Member Dr. D. K. Pandey, Director (Exlporation), ONGC, New Delhi - Member Dr. P. Pushpangadan, Director, NBRI - Member Prof. S.K. Tandon, Geology Department, Delhi University - Member Dr. Arun Nigvekar, Former Chairman, UGC - Member Dr. K.P.N. Pandiyan, Joint Secretary & Financial Adv., DST - Member Local Organizing Committee Dr. N. C. Mehrotra, Director - Chairman Dr. Jayasri Banerji, Scientist ‘F’ - Convener Dr. A. K. Srivastava, Scientist ‘F’ - Member Dr. Ramesh K. Saxena, Scientist ‘F’ - Member Dr. Archana Tripathi, Scientist ‘F’ - Member Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Mistaken Point, with Insets Showing Some of the Diverse Ediacaran Macrofossils Present at Mistake Point (Photo: A
    Open File NFLD/3320 GEOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF CANADA Newfoundland and Labrador Section 2015 FALL FIELD TRIP The Ediacaran fossils of the Avalon Peninsula Alex G. Liu and James Conliffe with contributions from Liam Herringshaw, Jack Matthews, and Duncan McIlroy September 18–20th, 2015 Cover photo: Overview of the fossil bearing bedding planes at Mistaken Point, with insets showing some of the diverse Ediacaran macrofossils present at Mistake Point (photo: A. Liu) GAC Newfoundland and Labrador Section – 2015 Fall Field Trip Ediacaran macrofossils from the Mistaken Point ‘E’ Surface. 2 GAC Newfoundland and Labrador Section – 2015 Fall Field Trip TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4 SAFETY INFORMATION 5 MISTAKEN POINT ECOLOGICAL RESERVE (MPER) 7 PART 1: BACKGROUND MATERIAL 9 INTRODUCTION 9 Introduction to the Neoproterozoic‒Phanerozoic Transition 9 Stratigraphy, Structural Geology, and Depositional Environment of the Avalon Peninsula 13 EDICARAN PALEONTOLOGY OF THE AVALON PENINSULA 16 Preservation of Ediacaran macrofossils 16 The Avalon Assemblage 18 Current research into the Mistaken Point Ediacaran Fossils 21 PART 2: FIELD TRIP ITINERARY 24 Day One – Harbour Main and Spaniard’s Bay 25 Day Two – Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve 31 Day Three – Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve and Ferryland 46 INVENTORY OF TAXA IN MISTAKEN POINT ECOLOGICAL RESERVE 53 REFERENCES 54 3 GAC Newfoundland and Labrador Section – 2015 Fall Field Trip INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW The Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve (Fig. 1) is home to the some of the world’s most impressive Ediacaran fossil assemblages. Large bedding planes covered in thousands of exceptionally preserved specimens can be found in situ throughout a continuous ~2 km succession of sedimentary strata.
    [Show full text]
  • B Iota Ediacárica, Los Primeros Eumetazoos Del Registro Fósil
    B iota ediacárica, los primeros eumetazoos del registro fósil Roberto Díaz Sibaja Laboratorio de Paleontología, Facultad de Biología, UMSNH Resumen La biota ediacárica representa uno de los mayores hitos en la historia evolutiva del planeta, pues contiene algunas de las primeras formas de vida animal pluricelular macroscópica bien conocida en el registro fósil y que presenta gran diversidad morfológica e interacciones ecológicas complejas, además de poseer integrantes microscópicos de gran relevancia evolutiva como los posibles primeros animales triploblásticos. Su posición estratigráfica corresponde con el final del Neoprotero- zoico, tiempo de aparición en el registro fósil de algunos de los primeros animales eumetazoos. La mayoría de los planes corporales de los organismos macroscópicos del Ediacárico no tienen equivalentes modernos e incluyen simetrías triradiales, octoradiales y fractales. La biota ediacárica vio su final al evolucionar los primeros organismos macrodepredadores con exoesqueletos que luego dominarían los ecosistemas del Fanerozoico. Palabras clave : Ediacárico. Pluricelularidad. Animales. Paleontología. Evolución. Ciencia Nicolaita # 66 41 Diciembre de 2015 Biota ediacárica, los primeros eumetazoos del registro fósil Abstract Ediacaran biota represents one of the biggest milestones on the earth’s evolutionary history. It contains the first well known pluricellular macroscopic animals in the fossil record, as well as very important microscopic members such as the oldest putative triplobastic animal and embryos. Its stratigraphic position corresponds with the upper Neoproterozoic, the time of origin of the first eumetazoan animals. Most of the body plans of the ediacaran macroscopic organisms have no modern equivalents, and includes triradial, octoradial and fractal symmetries. The ediacaran biota saw its end with the evolution of the first macropredatorial organisms, wich in turn will dominate Phanerozoic ecosystems.
    [Show full text]
  • Charnia and the Evolution of Early Life
    Leicester’s fossil celebrity: Charnia and the evolution of early life Programme Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society Section C (Geology) in conjunction with Dept of Geology, University of Leicester and Leicester Museums and Galleries Saturday Seminar 10 March 2007 Bennett Building LT1, University of Leicester ‘Charnia: life restoration’ by Mark Evans. Introduction The Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society Section C (Geology) in conjunction with the University of Leicester and Leicester Museums and Galleries would like to present a symposium on the Precambrian fossil biota preserved in Charnwood Forest and how its discovery is of major international significance. Charnia and Charniodiscus were the first ‘Ediacarans’ to be recognised as the macroscopic remains of Precambrian life, even before the significance of the famous Australian biota was realised. (Ediacarans are bizarre extinct multicellular organisms which may, or may not, be the first fossil animals). This symposium will highlight the global importance of the Ediacaran biota from Charnwood Forest. 2007 and 2008 mark the 50th anniversaries of the discovery and description of the biota, so it is an ideal time to celebrate Charnia and the Charnwood Ediacarans. The Charnwood fossils continue to generate controversy and debate, and the latest hi-tech methods are providing exciting new insights into their evolutionary significance. This and other exciting science will be presented during the symposium by distinguished speakers and researchers from Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the UK. An exhibition of local and international Ediacaran fossils called ‘Charni@50’ will be held at Leicester’s New Walk Museum and Art Gallery from 10 March – 15 April 2007. The exhibition will be opened at an evening reception which will commence directly after the close of the symposium.
    [Show full text]
  • Redalyc.First Ediacaran Fauna Occurrence In
    Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências ISSN: 0001-3765 [email protected] Academia Brasileira de Ciências Brasil BARROSO, FRANCISCO R.G.; SOMÁLIA S. VIANA, MARIA; DE LIMA FILHO, MARIO F.; AGOSTINHO, SONIA M.O. First Ediacaran Fauna Occurrence in Northeastern Brazil (Jaibaras Basin, ?Ediacaran-Cambrian): Preliminary Results and Regional Correlation Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, vol. 86, núm. 3, enero-septiembre, 2014, pp. 1029-1042 Academia Brasileira de Ciências Rio de Janeiro, Brasil Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=32731840003 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências (2014) 86(3): 1029-1042 (Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences) Printed version ISSN 0001-3765 / Online version ISSN 1678-2690 http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765201420130162 www.scielo.br/aabc First Ediacaran Fauna Occurrence in Northeastern Brazil (Jaibaras Basin, ?Ediacaran-Cambrian): Preliminary Results and Regional Correlation FRANCISCO R.G. BARROSO1, MARIA SOMÁLIA S. VIANA2, MARIO F. DE LIMA FILHO1 and SONIA M.O. AGOSTINHO1 1Universidade Federal de Pernambuco/UFPE, Laboratório de Geologia Sedimentar e Ambiental/LAGESE, Av. Acadêmico Hélio Ramos, s/n, Cidade Universitária, 59740-530 Recife, PE, Brasil 2Universidade Estadual Vale do Acaraú, Museu Dom José, Laboratório de Paleontologia, Av. Dom José Tumpinambá, 878, Centro, 62010-290 Sobral, CE, Brasil Manuscript received on May 24, 2013; accepted for publication on September 9, 2013 ABSTRACT This study reports the first known occurrence of the Ediacaran fauna in northeastern Brazil (at Pacujá Municipality, northwestern state of Ceará) and presents preliminary interpretations of its significance.
    [Show full text]
  • Age of Neoproterozoic Bilatarian Body and Trace Fossils, White Sea, Russia: Implications for Metazoan Evolution M
    R EPORTS Age of Neoproterozoic Bilatarian Body and Trace Fossils, White Sea, Russia: Implications for Metazoan Evolution M. W. Martin,1* D. V. Grazhdankin,2† S. A. Bowring,1 D. A. D. Evans,3‡ M. A. Fedonkin,2 J. L. Kirschvink3 A uranium-lead zircon age for a volcanic ash interstratified with fossil-bearing, shallow marine siliciclastic rocks in the Zimnie Gory section of the White Sea region indicates that a diverse assemblage of body and trace fossils occurred before 555.3 Ϯ 0.3 million years ago. This age is a minimum for the oldest well-documented triploblastic bilaterian Kimberella. It also makes co-occurring trace fossils the oldest that are reliably dated. This determination of age implies that there is no simple relation between Ediacaran diversity and the carbon isotopic composition of Neoproterozoic seawater. The terminal Neoproterozoic interval is char- seawater (5–7), and the first appearance and acterized by a period of supercontinent amal- subsequent diversification of metazoans. Con- gamation and dispersal (1, 2), low-latitude struction of a terminal Neoproterozoic bio- glaciations (3, 4), chemical perturbations of stratigraphy has been hampered by preserva- www.sciencemag.org SCIENCE VOL 288 5 MAY 2000 841 R EPORTS tional, paleoenvironmental, and biogeograph- served below a glacial horizon in the Mack- Russia (22), which account for 60% of the ic factors (5, 8). Global biostratigraphic cor- enzie Mountains of northwest Canada have well-described Ediacaran taxa (23)—have relations within the Neoproterozoic are been interpreted as possible metazoans and neither numerical age nor direct chemostrati- tenuous and rely on sparse numerical chro- have been considered the oldest Ediacaran graphic constraints.
    [Show full text]
  • Precise U-Pb Age Constrains on the Ediacaran Biota in Podolia, East European Platform, Ukraine Received: 2 March 2018 Y
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Precise U-Pb age constrains on the Ediacaran biota in Podolia, East European Platform, Ukraine Received: 2 March 2018 Y. Soldatenko 1,2, A. El Albani1, M. Ruzina2, C. Fontaine1, V. Nesterovsky3, J.-L. Paquette4, Accepted: 19 December 2018 A. Meunier1 & M. Ovtcharova 5 Published: xx xx xxxx The Neoproterozoic Era was characterized by rapidly changing paleogeography, global climate changes and especially by the rise and fall of the Ediacaran macro-biota. The correlation between disparate Ediacaran fossil-bearing localities and the tentative reconstruction of their paleoenvironmental and paleogeographic contexts are usually complicated by the lack of precise and accurate age data. For this reason, Neoproterozoic sedimentary sections associating Ediacaran biota fossils and fresh volcanic material are especially valuable for radioisotopic dating. Our research in the Podolya Basin, southwestern Ukraine, revealed the presence of four Neoproterozoic volcanic ash deposits (potassium- bentonite layers) within Ediacaran fossil-bearing siliciclastic rocks of the Mohyliv-Podilskyi Group. We used zircon U-Pb LA-ICPMS and CA-ID-TIMS methods to date two of those layers. The results indicate that a diverse assemblage of body and trace Ediacaran fossils occurred as early as 556.78 ± 0.18 million years (Ma) ago. By combining morphological evidence and new age determinations, we suggest a closer paleobiogeographical relationship between the Ukrainian Ediacaran assemblage and the Avalon paleocontinent than previously estimated. Te Neoproterozoic Era corresponds to a period of global changes related to the breakup of the supercontinent Rodinia and to protracted global glacial events1. In terms of biological evolution, it is associated with deep inno- vations likely related to the so-called ‘second great oxygenation event’ (NOE)2, and is marked by the rise and fall of the Ediacaran biota3–8.
    [Show full text]
  • Medusoid Cnidarians from the Montral-Alcover Lagerstätten (Triassic), Northeastern Spain
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Publications and Research Baruch College 2011 Medusoid cnidarians from the Montral-Alcover Lagerstätten (Triassic), Northeastern Spain Aldemaro Romero Jr. CUNY Bernard M Baruch College Raymond R. Rogers Lisa A. Gershwin How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/bb_pubs/392 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] &%8%00)6-% &EVGIPSREKIRIV -772 Medusoid Cnidarians from the Montral-Alcover Lagerstätten (Triassic), Northeastern Spain Aldemaro Romero*, Raymond R. Rogers** & Lisa A. Gershwin*** *College of Arts and Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Peck Hall 3409, Edwardsville, IL 62026-1608, USA ([email protected]) **Geology Department, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN 55105-1899, USA ([email protected]) *** Curator of Natural Sciences, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, 2 Wellington Street, Launceston, Tasmania 7250, Australia ([email protected]) ABSTRACT – Ladinian. Tarracodiskus viai, T. villaltai, and Heliobranchia catalaunica are described as new genera and species. These specimens present a number of systematic challenges due to our lack of knowledge with regard to their life cycle, soft anatomy, phenotypic plasti- city, convergent characters, and paucity in the fossil record. Their mode of preservation is consistent with that of other fauna from the Montral-Alcover locality. KEY WORDS – Medusoid cnidaria. Fossil impressions. Upper Muschelkalk Ladinian, NE Spain. RESUMEN – En este trabajo presentamos varias impresiones fósiles de cnidarios, que son nuevos para el Ladiniense español .
    [Show full text]
  • Phyllozoon and Aulozoon: Key Components of a Novel Ediacaran
    Geological Magazine Phyllozoon and Aulozoon: key components of www.cambridge.org/geo a novel Ediacaran death assemblage in Bathtub Gorge, Heysen Range, South Australia 1 2 Original Article James G. Gehling and Bruce Runnegar 1 2 Cite this article: Gehling JG and Runnegar B. Palaeontology, South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia and Department of Phyllozoon and Aulozoon: key components of a Earth, Planetary and Space Sciences and Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, CA novel Ediacaran death assemblage in Bathtub 90095-1567, USA Gorge, Heysen Range, South Australia. Geological Magazine https://doi.org/10.1017/ Abstract S0016756821000509 The recognition of fossiliferous horizons both below and above the classical Ediacara levels of Received: 12 December 2020 the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, significantly expands the potential of this candidate Revised: 5 May 2021 Accepted: 10 May 2021 World Heritage succession. Here we document a small window into the biology and taphonomy of the late Ediacaran seafloor within the new Nilpena Sandstone Member of the Rawnsley Keywords: Quartzite in Bathtub Gorge, northern Heysen Range. A 1 m2 slab extracted from the gorge, Phyllozoon; Ediacaran; Australia; now on permanent display at the South Australian Museum, has a death assemblage dominated palaeoecology; taphonomy by the erniettomorph Phyllozoon hanseni Jenkins and Gehling 1978 and a newly named Author for correspondence: macroscopic tubular body fossil – Aulozoon soliorum gen. et sp. nov. – on its fine sandstone Bruce Runnegar, Email: [email protected] bed sole. The orientations and juxtaposition of these taxa suggest overprinting of an in situ benthic Phyllozoon community by sand-filled tubes of Aulozoon carried in by a storm wave-base surge.
    [Show full text]
  • Biotextbookch21-29.Pdf
    CHAPTER 21 | VIRUSES 551 21 | VIRUSES Figure 21.1 The tobacco mosaic virus (left), seen here by transmission electron microscopy, was the first virus to be discovered. The virus causes disease in tobacco and other plants, such as the orchid (right). (credit a: USDA ARS; credit b: modification of work by USDA Forest Service, Department of Plant Pathology Archive North Carolina State University; scale-bar data from Matt Russell) Chapter Outline 21.1: Viral Evolution, Morphology, and Classification 21.2: Virus Infections and Hosts 21.3: Prevention and Treatment of Viral Infections 21.4: Other Acellular Entities: Prions and Viroids Introduction No one knows exactly when viruses emerged or from where they came, since viruses do not leave historical footprints such as fossils. Modern viruses are thought to be a mosaic of bits and pieces of nucleic acids picked up from various sources along their respective evolutionary paths. Viruses are acellular, parasitic entities that are not classified within any kingdom. Unlike most living organisms, viruses are not cells and cannot divide. Instead, they infect a host cell and use the host’s replication processes to produce identical progeny virus particles. Viruses infect organisms as diverse as bacteria, plants, and animals. They exist in a netherworld between a living organism and a nonliving entity. Living things grow, metabolize, and reproduce. Viruses replicate, but to do so, they are entirely dependent on their host cells. They do not metabolize or grow, but are assembled in their mature form. 21.1 | Viral Evolution, Morphology, and Classification By the end of this section, you will be able to: • Describe how viruses were first discovered and how they are detected • Discuss three hypotheses about how viruses evolved • Recognize the basic shapes of viruses • Understand past and emerging classification systems for viruses Viruses are diverse entities.
    [Show full text]