陕南末元古代高家山生物群主要化石类群及其特征

末元古代高家山生物群是以骨骼化石为主,兼有软躯体后生动物及宏观藻类化石的一个多门类化石组合,是目前已知最上且最为多样化的骨骼化石生物群。化石主要产于上震旦统灯影组高家山段中上部,时限约５６５－５４３Ｍａ。目前虽然尚难对其进行系统的生物学分类,但根据化石的形态特征可以划分为以下几个类群,即具矿化壁的骨骼类群,包括管状化石、锥管状化石、瓶状化石、杯状化石和疑难化石等,以及蠕形动物化石类群,遗迹化石类群     

浙西早寒武世梅树村期棒状化石

该文记述了浙江省西部江山县新塘坞地区灯影组(梅树村期)中新发现的矿化骨骼化石——浙江棒(新属)Zhejiangorhabdion gen.nov.。该化石的形态与以往化石类群均不相同,为个体微小的棒状,表面具较复杂的纹饰,不同个体间的纹饰都有一定变化,推测是动物体内不同部位的骨棒所具有的特征,代表了一个新的化石类群。新属的发现丰富了梅树村期动物群的内容,对了解具骨骼动物群体在这一时期的演化具有一定的意义。     

陕南晚震旦世后生动物管状化石Cloudina和Sinotubulites

陕南宁强地区灯影组高家山段产出十分丰富的后生动物管状化石Cloudina和Sinotubulites,管体为磷酸钙质,通过冰醋酸浸泡处理获得了大量精美的Cloudina和Sinotubulites孤立化石标本。Cloudina管体微弯至扭曲,以叠锥套合构造为特征,管壁由多层锥管壁组成,一端开口,一端封闭,在横切面上,相邻两层不同心。依据大量较为完整的独立标本,本文建立了新的管体构造复原模式。确认了Cloudina管状化石具有A、B两种结构类型,A型管体具有共同的外壁;B型管体不具外壁,锥管裸露。推测Cloudina为底栖生活的动物。A型管体表面较光滑并在外壁中央管之间形成一系列较大的空腔,因而可能具有一定的浮力,可通过水流主动调整身体在沉积物表面的方向。而型化石表面则具有明显的环檐,可能营固着底栖生活。通常Cloudian为单体,少数为两个个体生长于同一较大的管中,这种共管特征反映了生物以出芽方式繁殖。化石壁的结构表明,在管壁形成的过程中生物体分泌可能以有机质为主的中央层,随后在中央层的两侧加积无机矿物。Sinotubulites管体近圆筒状,中空,一航较直,两端开口,以多层管套合为特征。管体表面粗糙,具有因管壁褶皱而形成的不规则的横向或纵向比方 饰,依据管体大小和表面纹饰特征可分S.shaanxiensis和S.levis。管壁较厚,表面常具有强 纹饰,反映了该类生物营底栖生活,鉴于S.shaanxiensis的特征,本文将Qinella Zhang,Li et Dong,1992归入Sinotubulites Chen,Chen et Qian,1981,并对属征进行了补充。Cloudina及Sinotubulites代表了动物骨骼化方式的早期演化阶段。通过对管体微细结构观察以及成分测试,表明Cloudina及Sinotubulites管体以生物分泌为主,早期分泌塑性为主的管壁,后期生物分泌或胶结形成矿化的管。管体有机质较多,形态受环境的影响较大。Cloudina管 体具隐－微粒的微细结构,Sinotubulites具有粘结结构特征,属于较为简单、原始的骨骼化类型。     

陕南早寒武世早期水螅营养体及管状疑难化石

陕南宁强宽川铺生物群发现具触手的水螅营养体化石,同层位同时发现大量磷质管状疑难化石,其管体上可分辨出可能的出芽特征,推测该类具出芽特征管体可能和现代群体生活的薮枝螅(Obelia)有关。     

贵州剑河寒武系“清虚洞组”管状微体骨骼化石初步研究

华南寒武系地层中广泛富集微体骨骼化石,为解决某些疑难化石的亲缘关系及研究早期后生动物的演化提供了重要化石证据。在贵州剑河八郎"清虚洞组"中发现一些管状微体骨骼化石。经鉴定后主要有4属,分别为小钻孔螺Torellella、似软舌螺Hyolithellus、鞘状螺Coleoloides和表面具鳞片状管状化石Mongolitubulus squamifer。Mongolitubulus分布范围较为广泛,本文结合前人对该化石亲缘关系的探讨及剑河寒武系"清虚洞组"化石的特征,推测M.squamifer可能是高肌虫的装饰刺。     

东秦岭北坡中元古代晚期微体生物群--一个早期生命的新窗口

山西南部永济地区位于东秦岭北坡 ,在该地区出露良好未变质的中—新元古代地层。在水幽剖面的中元古界汝阳群北大尖组中保存类型多样的微体化石 ,包括具刺疑源类 (Shuiyousphaeridium (Du)Yan ,emend .Yin ,1 997;TappaniaYin ,1 997) ,球形、舟形疑源类和多种带状、管状藻类化石。其大的膜壳 ,突起附属物 ,脱囊开口 ,以及同平面不规则分枝丝体等都显示了真核原生物的形态特征。线形和螺旋形微细管体和网状结构物首次见于部分带状丝体和膜状碎片 ,推测这些管状物是底栖藻类为适应干旱缺水环境而发育的输导或加固支撑的结构物。当前 ,以具刺疑源类Tappania为特征的相似微体化石组合相继在印度、澳大利亚南部中元古代地层中发现 ,揭示了约 1     

华南埃迪卡拉纪陡山沱期管状微体化石分布、生物属性及其地层学意义

文中详细介绍发现于我国贵州瓮安和峡东地区陡山沱组的管状微体化石Ramitubus increscens,R.de-crescens,Crassitubus costatus,Sinocylocyclicus guizhouensis,Quadratitubus orbigoniatus和Yangtzitubus semiteres等5属6种。以往,虽然对这些化石的亲缘关系有不同的认识,但大部分学者均认为这是一类后生动物化石;特别是刺丝胞动物床板珊瑚类的学术观点,更是得到多数学者的支持。文中根据管状微体化石的形态特征、分枝特点及其内部构造,对此类化石的古生态特征、生物属性和地层学意义进行详细讨论。指出具有分枝特征的Ramitubus确为底栖固着生活类型,目前将其亲缘关系解释为床板珊瑚类是合适的;但不具分枝特征的Crassitubus,Sinocy-locyclicus和Quadratitubus的古生态特征尚不清楚,虽然它们与Ramitubus大小相近,形态相似,但现有的形态学特征似乎更支持将此类化石可与丝状蓝菌联系起来。此外,Sinocylocyclicus和Quadratitubus在贵州瓮安和峡东地区均有稳定的产出层位,似乎显示出这两个属具有生物地层对比的潜力,但两地的产出层位中所共生的化石内容相差较大,因此,两属的地层学意义尚需进一步考证。     

埃迪卡拉纪管状化石Sinotubulites形态测量学研究

Sinotubulites是新元古代末期一类直或微弯,两端开口的圆柱管状化石,具有多层套合的管壁结构,目前已在世界多个地区发现,是寒武纪大爆发前管状生物大辐射的典型代表之一。本文对采自陕西宁强李家沟剖面埃迪卡拉纪高家山生物群中管状化石Sinotubulites的各项数据进行测量统计,以探讨管体各部分特征在个体发育过程中的关系。此次共选择测量保存较为完整的化石样品378枚,其中扫描电镜下检测口视样品150个,侧视样品134个,显微镜下检测样品94个,后者由于精度问题仅做数据辅助支撑。通过数据处理发现,Sinotubulites管状化石的最大直径和内圆直径线性关系明显(R~2=0.7);五六角最大直径与单边长度间线性关系最高(R~2=0.8903);总体上看,化石管体长度与壁厚、长度与最大直径无明显相关性。分析结果表明Sinotubulites在生长的不同阶段可能通过丢弃旧管,分泌新管,换管生活。同时在不同水动力条件下Sinotubulites不是单纯依靠分泌更厚的壳壁,而更可能是通过纵脊的多少来稳定管体。     

埃迪卡拉纪末期Conotubus与Cloudina亲缘关系再研究——基于几何形态测量学的新证据

埃迪卡拉纪末期最早骨骼生物Cloudina的出现及其全球性分布,标志着早期生命的演化进入了新阶段。Cloudina已成为埃迪卡拉纪末期全球重要的指示化石。位于扬子地台西北缘陕西宁强地区的高家山生物群保存有大量结构精美的磷酸盐化Cloudina。同时,该生物群中还保存有黄铁矿化的Conotubus,其生物结构以三维立体的方式保存下来,借助工业CT技术,可以观察到岩层内部Conotubus的立体形态特征。前人根据基本相同的锥管状形态、始端封闭、末端开口及漏斗状套合的管体叠合方式等认为Conotubus和Cloudina存在一定的亲缘关系,但二者个体大小悬殊、保存方式迥异,二者关系依然存疑。本文选取Conotubus和Cloudina化石的胎管部分,尝试采用几何形态测量学分析的方法,通过计算统计手段证明二者之间可能存在一定的亲缘关系。高家山生物群地层沉积连续,保存有埃迪卡拉纪末期极为珍贵的连续演化化石,Conotubus和Cloudina之间亲缘关系的确定,为研究埃迪卡拉纪末期生物演化提供了绝佳的材料,也为高家山生物群申请全球界线层型(GSSP)候选剖面提供了更多的支撑。     

陕南晚震旦世Gaojiashania的保存特征及形态解释

陕西宁强地区灯影组高家山段地层中特异原地埋藏的管状化石Gaojiashania Yang et al.,1986为体似蚕状或带状,直或微弯,由密集圆环（或皱脊）彼此连接在一起形成的管状化石,对化石的埋藏及保存特征的研究表明,不同的矿化阶段形成不同的保存特征,早期黄铁矿化对化石保存起着重要作用。Gaojiashania以其特殊的圆环叠置的保存方式,与软躯体蠕形动物化石以及遗迹化石的保存迥然不同,推测Gaojiashania生物体已具有分节现象,在成分上也有差别,圆环部分可能具有一定的矿化,属于较为高等的生物门类。     

A new look at saponite formation and its implications for early animal records in the Ediacaran of South China

Acanthomorphic acritarch fossils, including some interpreted to be the fossils of the earliest animal embryos, first appear in the lower Doushantuo Formation of the Yangtze Gorges area (YGA). Further, the complete paleontological and geochemical record for the YGA has played a central role in defining the global biological and geochemical backdrop that presaged and witnessed the dawn of diverse animal life. Despite the importance of the YGA in our understanding of Neoproterozoic Earth history, basic aspects about its depositional history remain debated. Foremost among the controversies, extensively studied sections in the YGA were recently tied to deposition in an alkaline lake, casting new but contentious light on the environments of early animal evolution and the broader significance of geochemical records from the YGA. Arguments for a lacustrine setting hinged on the presence of trioctahedral clays (saponite–corrensite). However, this clay type commonly forms in other environments, including the weathering profiles of mafic and ultramafic volcanics. Using a coupled geochemical and sedimentological approach, we argue that the trioctahedral clays in the lower Doushantuo of the YGA are better explained as weathering products from a regional mafic‐to‐ultramafic hinterland delivered by rivers to a shelf or lagoon in the Yangtze Gorges Basin. These novel provenance relationships for YGA sediments and associated clays are consistent with a marine setting for the early animal records and must factor in our current understanding of the broader geochemical fabric of the Doushantuo Formation.     

Integrin and cadherin clusters: A robust way to organize adhesions for cell mechanics

The evolutionary emergence of animals is one of the most significant episodes in the history of life, but its timing remains poorly constrained. Molecular clocks estimate that animals originated and began diversifying over 100 million years before the first definitive metazoan fossil evidence in the Cambrian. However, closer inspection reveals that clock estimates and the fossil record are less divergent than is often claimed. Modern clock analyses do not predict the presence of the crown‐representatives of most animal phyla in the Neoproterozoic. Furthermore, despite challenges provided by incomplete preservation, a paucity of phylogenetically informative characters, and uncertain expectations of the anatomy of early animals, a number of Neoproterozoic fossils can reasonably be interpreted as metazoans. A considerable discrepancy remains, but much of this can be explained by the limited preservation potential of early metazoans and the difficulties associated with their identification in the fossil record. Critical assessment of both records may permit better resolution of the tempo and mode of early animal evolution.     

Silicified Polybessurus from the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation records microbial activities within marine sediments

Polybessurus, as a common element of the late Mesoproterozoic to early Neoproterozoic microfossil assemblages, has yet no confirmed record from post-Cryogenian strata. In this study, we report Polybessurus sp. from the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation chert nodules in western Hubei Province, South China. Polybessurus specimens from the Doushantuo Formation are identical to their pre-Cryogenian counterparts in morphology (stacked concave lamellae), composition (organic matter), and preservational mode (silicification). The Doushantuo specimens generally have large tubes (average diameter ~157 μm, maximum diameter ~450 μm), and are often preserved separately and parallel to the bedding plane, whereas the pre-Cryogenian specimens have relatively small tubes (mostly thinner than 100 μm in diameter), and are often preserved gregariously and perpendicular to the bedding plane. Polybessurus may be formed by a variety of benthic micro-organisms, mainly cyanobacteria, e.g., stalk forming taxa like Cyanostylon and endolithic taxa like Solentia, that are capable of secreting EPS (extracellular polymeric substance) unidirectionally to push itself forward in the sediment. The producers of Polybessurus may have played a role in the benthic microbial community by making microburrows, affecting textures and microenvironments of inshore sediments. As the first unambiguous record of Polybessurus from Ediacaran strata, our new findings extend its distribution from the late Mesoproterozoic–early Neoproterozoic to the late Neoproterozoic.     

POLLEN TUBE ATTRITION IN ERYTHRONIUM GRANDIFLORUM

Seed set after selfing in E. grandiflorum is often reduced relative to seed set after crossing; however, the compatibility patterns seen are not due to genes of major effect (i.e., S alleles). There is quantitative variation in the proportion of pollen tubes reaching the base of the style after both self- and cross-pollinations. Pollen tubes require between 24 and 72 hr to reach the ovary, but pollen tube growth ceases after 72 hr. When styles were removed from the ovaries 5 days after pollination, between 10 and 80% of the pollen tubes in the stigma had not reached the base of the style. The number of pollen tubes at the base of the style is a much better predictor of seed set than is the number of pollen tubes in the stigma. Pollen tube attrition is not affected by the age of the recipient flower or by the number of pollen donors contributing to the stigmatic pollen pool. The number of pollen tubes reaching the base of the style is dependent upon the source of the pollen and appears to be a decelerating function of the number of pollen tubes present in the stigma.     

Vestiges of a beginning? Paleontological and geochemical constraints on early animal evolution

Inspired by molecular clock estimates, some biologists have proposed that animals in general, and bilaterian metazoans in particular, began to diverge substantially earlier than fossils indicate. Balavoine and Adoutte [Science 280 (1998) 397] specifically hypothesized that the Cambrian explosion documents parallel radiations within three major bilaterian clades that diverged from one another relatively early in the Neoproterozoic Era. The geological record is permissive with respect to such hypotheses, but not encouraging. The earliest evolution of animals certainly took place before the initial appearance of phosphatic animal microfossils or Ediacaran macrofossils, but bilaterian clades need not have been part of this metazoan “pre-history”. Alternatively, the evolution of large size, made possible by late Neoproterozoic oxygen increase, may have provided the selective environment in which stem bilaterians differentiated. Cambrian events per se appear to have begun in the wake of environmental perturbation and accompanying extinction near the Proterozoic–Cambrian boundary.     

Ecological innovations in the Cambrian and the origins of the crown group phyla

Simulation studies of the early origins of the modern phyla in the fossil record, and the rapid diversification that led to them, show that these are inevitable outcomes of rapid and long-lasting radiations. Recent advances in Cambrian stratigraphy have revealed a more precise picture of the early bilaterian radiation taking place during the earliest Terreneuvian Series, although several ambiguities remain. The early period is dominated by various tubes and a moderately diverse trace fossil record, with the classical ‘Tommotian’ small shelly biota beginning to appear some millions of years after the base of the Cambrian at ca 541 Ma. The body fossil record of the earliest period contains a few representatives of known groups, but most of the record is of uncertain affinity. Early trace fossils can be assigned to ecdysozoans, but deuterostome and even spiralian trace and body fossils are less clearly represented. One way of explaining the relative lack of clear spiralian fossils until about 536 Ma is to assign the various lowest Cambrian tubes to various stem-group lophotrochozoans, with the implication that the groundplan of the lophotrochozoans included a U-shaped gut and a sessile habit. The implication of this view would be that the vagrant lifestyle of annelids, nemerteans and molluscs would be independently derived from such a sessile ancestor, with potentially important implications for the homology of their sensory and nervous systems.     

Organic compositions of the embryo-bearing lowermost Cambrian Kuanchuanpu formation on the northern Yangtze platform, China

We investigated the origin of organic matter and paleoceanographic conditions of the embryo-bearing lowermost Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation in Shaanxi Province, China, in terms of sedimentary facies, fossil morphometry, and organic geochemistry, including biomarker compositions. The results indicated the abundance of algae and eukaryotic phytoplankton that fueled a diverse ecosystem including cnidarians and small shelly fossils. The water column contained enough oxygen to provide habitat for benthic cnidarians such as Olivooides. On the other hand, low pristane/phytane ratios, detection of squalane, and hopane composition indicate reductive conditions within the sediments, and that the redox front was likely near the water-sediment interface. Common occurrences of pyrite and barite indicate that redox reactions of sulfur species were activated at the water-sediment interface. Such circumstances and the high phosphate concentration in ambient water may recall the presence of sulfur-oxidizing bacteria that promoted the phosphatization of animal embryos, as suggested for in the Neoproterozoic Doushantuo Formation. Nitrogen was the limiting nutrient for primary productivity, and the high phosphate concentration in the ocean promoted the phosphatization of animal embryos at the reductive water–sediment interface.     

Ediacaran microbial colonies

Enigmatic discoidal fossils are common in Neoproterozoic sedimentary sequences and in the stratigraphic record pre-date the first appearance of diverse Ediacaran fossil assemblages. Termed 'medusoids', these Neoproterozoic discoidal fossils have generally been interpreted as coelenterate-grade organisms implying a radially symmetrical body plan for ancestral eumetazoans. Analysis of exceptionally preserved discoidal fossils from the White Sea area, however, indicates that most of these discoidal forms represent colonial microbes. Localized pyritization, for example, reveals the presence of a conspicuous filamentous substructure in Ediacaria , whereas concentric rings, radial sectors and central structures in Cyclomedusa and Paliella compare directly with Recent microbial colonies growing in a nutritionally heterogeneous environment. At least some Ediacaran discoids can be compared with extant concentric ring-shaped microbial colonies that grow in hypersaline microbial mats. Insofar as most of the remaining record of Ediacaran discoids can be attributed to the holdfast structures of non-radiate modular organisms, there is no support from the fossil record for identifying a radiate ancestry for the Metazoa.