Burgess Shale-type deposits provide a wealth of information on the early evolution of animals.Questions that are central to understanding the exceptional preservation of these biotas and the paleoenvironments they inh...Burgess Shale-type deposits provide a wealth of information on the early evolution of animals.Questions that are central to understanding the exceptional preservation of these biotas and the paleoenvironments they inhabited may be obscured by the post-depositional alteration due to metamorphism at depth and weathering near the Earth’s surface.Among over 50 Cambrian BST biotas,the Chengjiang and Qingjiang deposits are well known for their richness of soft-bodied taxa,fidelity of preservation,and Early Cambrian Age.While alteration via weathering has been well-investigated,the thermal maturity of the units bearing the two biotas has not yet been elucidated.Here we investigate peak metamorphic temperatures of the two deposits using two independent methods.Paleogeotemperature gradient analyses demonstrate that the most fossiliferous sections of the Chengjiang were buried at a maximum depth of∼8500 m in the Early Triassic,corresponding to∼300°C,while the type area of the Qingjiang biota was buried at a maximum depth of∼8700 m in the Early Jurassic,corresponding to∼240°C.Raman geothermometer analyses of fossil carbonaceous material demonstrate that peak temperatures varied across localities with different burial depth.The two productive sections of the Chengjiang biota were thermally altered at a peak temperature of approximately 300°C,and the main locality of the Qingjiang biota experienced a peak temperature of 238±22°C.These results from two independent methods are concordant.Among BST deposits for which thermal maturity has been documented,the Qingjiang biota is the least thermally mature,and therefore holds promise for enriching our understanding of BST deposits.展开更多
In the recent years,exceptional fossil sites have revealed astonishing details on the anatomy,lifestyles and behaviour of Cambrian animals but surprisingly,very little is known about one of their most vital features,r...In the recent years,exceptional fossil sites have revealed astonishing details on the anatomy,lifestyles and behaviour of Cambrian animals but surprisingly,very little is known about one of their most vital features,reproduction.We describe here in situ eggs(clusters of 3 to 30 oocytes)in the tube-dwelling priapulid worm Paraselkirkia sinica from the Cambrian Stage 3 Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte(ca.514 Ma,South China).These oocytes were accommodated within paired tubular ovaries located in the posterior half of the primary body cavity as in modern meiobenthic priapulid worms,thus indicating that the general organization of female tubular gonads in priapulid worms has remained virtually unchanged for half a billion years.Our findings provide for the first time,key information on the reproductive organs and strategies of early ecdysozoans,a huge animal clade that dominated Cambrian marine ecosystems and accounts for a large part of today’s biodiversity(e.g.arthropods).Moreover,we also emphasize the critical role of ecology on the reproductive strategies and lifestyles of both modern and Cambrian worms.展开更多
A Burgess Shale-type biota is, in part, characterized by a wide diversity of taxa and soft-part preservation. Each provides unique historical insights into early metazoan evolution. Among the more than 40 globally dis...A Burgess Shale-type biota is, in part, characterized by a wide diversity of taxa and soft-part preservation. Each provides unique historical insights into early metazoan evolution. Among the more than 40 globally distributed biotas, the early Cambrian Chengjiang and Middle Cambrian Burgess-type biotas are the largest. The Kaili Biota, from the earliest Middle Cambrian of Guizhou, China, contains representatives of 110 metazoan genera belonging to 10 phyla. It contains many well-persevered soft-bodied specimens. This Chinese biota has become the third most taxonomically diverse Burgess Shale-type fauna. Because the Kaili Biota formed in an outer-shelf environment, its main faunal character is large numbers of eocrinoids and planktoic trilobites. The Kaili is younger than the Chengjiang Biota but older than the Canadian Burgess Shale Biota; it shares 30 genera with the Chengjiang and 38 genera with the Burgess Biota. The Kaili Biota displays a taphonomic window to the diversification and evolution of marine offshore organisms covering 5.13 million years between the Early and Middle Cambrian.展开更多
The Guanshan biota from eastern Yunnan(Cambrian Series 2,early Stage 4) is a Burgess Shale-type fossil biota with abundant exceptionally preserved soft-bodied fossils after the discovery of the well-known Cambrian Che...The Guanshan biota from eastern Yunnan(Cambrian Series 2,early Stage 4) is a Burgess Shale-type fossil biota with abundant exceptionally preserved soft-bodied fossils after the discovery of the well-known Cambrian Chengjiang fauna and Kaili biota in South China.The geological settings,sedimentology,taphonomy,and the fossil assemblage of the Guanshan biota are briefly summarized here.The Guanshan biota consists of about 60 taxa belonging to more than 10 metazoan groups and algae,among which the lobopods,eldonids,hyolithids with helens,and green algae are reported for the first time.The common occurrence of soft-bodied preservation in many groups,notably the trilobites and brachiopods,makes the Guanshan biota a significant fossil lagersttte for understanding the metazoan evolution during Cambrian explosion and taphonomy of the Burgess Shale-type fossils.展开更多
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.41930319,41621003,and EAR-1554897)the 111 Project(No.D17013)the Natural Science Basic Research Plan of Shaanxi Province(No.2022JC-DW5-01).
文摘Burgess Shale-type deposits provide a wealth of information on the early evolution of animals.Questions that are central to understanding the exceptional preservation of these biotas and the paleoenvironments they inhabited may be obscured by the post-depositional alteration due to metamorphism at depth and weathering near the Earth’s surface.Among over 50 Cambrian BST biotas,the Chengjiang and Qingjiang deposits are well known for their richness of soft-bodied taxa,fidelity of preservation,and Early Cambrian Age.While alteration via weathering has been well-investigated,the thermal maturity of the units bearing the two biotas has not yet been elucidated.Here we investigate peak metamorphic temperatures of the two deposits using two independent methods.Paleogeotemperature gradient analyses demonstrate that the most fossiliferous sections of the Chengjiang were buried at a maximum depth of∼8500 m in the Early Triassic,corresponding to∼300°C,while the type area of the Qingjiang biota was buried at a maximum depth of∼8700 m in the Early Jurassic,corresponding to∼240°C.Raman geothermometer analyses of fossil carbonaceous material demonstrate that peak temperatures varied across localities with different burial depth.The two productive sections of the Chengjiang biota were thermally altered at a peak temperature of approximately 300°C,and the main locality of the Qingjiang biota experienced a peak temperature of 238±22°C.These results from two independent methods are concordant.Among BST deposits for which thermal maturity has been documented,the Qingjiang biota is the least thermally mature,and therefore holds promise for enriching our understanding of BST deposits.
基金This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41730318)to X.G.Z.and J.Y.the Innovative Research Fund for Graduate Students of Yunnan University(Grant No.2019228)to X.Y.Y.+1 种基金the ASSEMBLE,PRC(CNRS,France and NSFC,China)PAI(Univ.Lyon 1,Région Auvergne Rhône Alpes)grants to J.V.
文摘In the recent years,exceptional fossil sites have revealed astonishing details on the anatomy,lifestyles and behaviour of Cambrian animals but surprisingly,very little is known about one of their most vital features,reproduction.We describe here in situ eggs(clusters of 3 to 30 oocytes)in the tube-dwelling priapulid worm Paraselkirkia sinica from the Cambrian Stage 3 Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte(ca.514 Ma,South China).These oocytes were accommodated within paired tubular ovaries located in the posterior half of the primary body cavity as in modern meiobenthic priapulid worms,thus indicating that the general organization of female tubular gonads in priapulid worms has remained virtually unchanged for half a billion years.Our findings provide for the first time,key information on the reproductive organs and strategies of early ecdysozoans,a huge animal clade that dominated Cambrian marine ecosystems and accounts for a large part of today’s biodiversity(e.g.arthropods).Moreover,we also emphasize the critical role of ecology on the reproductive strategies and lifestyles of both modern and Cambrian worms.
基金This research was supported in part by grants from the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China(40162002,40372023,40232020)from the Foundation of the Key and Basic Project of Science and Technology of Guizhou(Gui No.2002-309)+1 种基金from the Early and Special Projects of the Key and Basic Projects of the Ministry of Technology and Science of China(2002 CCC 02600)to Zhaofrom the U S.National Science Foundation(0106883,0229757)to Babcock.
文摘A Burgess Shale-type biota is, in part, characterized by a wide diversity of taxa and soft-part preservation. Each provides unique historical insights into early metazoan evolution. Among the more than 40 globally distributed biotas, the early Cambrian Chengjiang and Middle Cambrian Burgess-type biotas are the largest. The Kaili Biota, from the earliest Middle Cambrian of Guizhou, China, contains representatives of 110 metazoan genera belonging to 10 phyla. It contains many well-persevered soft-bodied specimens. This Chinese biota has become the third most taxonomically diverse Burgess Shale-type fauna. Because the Kaili Biota formed in an outer-shelf environment, its main faunal character is large numbers of eocrinoids and planktoic trilobites. The Kaili is younger than the Chengjiang Biota but older than the Canadian Burgess Shale Biota; it shares 30 genera with the Chengjiang and 38 genera with the Burgess Biota. The Kaili Biota displays a taphonomic window to the diversification and evolution of marine offshore organisms covering 5.13 million years between the Early and Middle Cambrian.
基金supported by National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB806401)National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40772020,40725005,40930211)
文摘The Guanshan biota from eastern Yunnan(Cambrian Series 2,early Stage 4) is a Burgess Shale-type fossil biota with abundant exceptionally preserved soft-bodied fossils after the discovery of the well-known Cambrian Chengjiang fauna and Kaili biota in South China.The geological settings,sedimentology,taphonomy,and the fossil assemblage of the Guanshan biota are briefly summarized here.The Guanshan biota consists of about 60 taxa belonging to more than 10 metazoan groups and algae,among which the lobopods,eldonids,hyolithids with helens,and green algae are reported for the first time.The common occurrence of soft-bodied preservation in many groups,notably the trilobites and brachiopods,makes the Guanshan biota a significant fossil lagersttte for understanding the metazoan evolution during Cambrian explosion and taphonomy of the Burgess Shale-type fossils.