| 1. |
- Chen, Feiyang, et al.
(författare)
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Cambrian ecological complexities: Perspectives from the earliest brachiopod – supported benthic communities in the early Cambrian Guanshan Lagerstätte
- 2022
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Ingår i: Gondwana Research. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 1342-937X .- 1878-0571. ; 107, s. 30-41
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The Cambrian radiation is characterized by the emergence of diverse bilaterian animal phyla and theestablishment of complex marine ecosystems. The Guanshan Biota records an unusual ecological transition from trilobite- to brachiopod-dominated communities during Cambrian Stage 4. This community transition is accompanied by direct evidence of in situ biological interactions such as durophagous pre-dation and kleptoparasitism. Here we describe new material from the Guanshan biota, focusing on an association of palaeoscolecidomorphs and brachiopods with parasitic tube worms that occur on micro-bedding planes. The bedding plane assemblages are dominated by the organophosphatic brachiopod Neobolus wulongqingensis encrusted with kleptoparasitic tube-dwelling worms, along with infaunal palaeoscolecidans. Taphonomic and sedimentological evidence indicates that these specimens are com-monly preserved in life position, and thus the association between individuals represent potential biological interactions. This case study reveals that ecosystems during the early Cambrian exhibited a well-developed system of tiering and a complex trophic network, easily distinguished from the simple communities typical of precursor deposits in the Ediacaran. Brachiopods forming extremely dense concentrations on the sea floor are effectively acting as ecosystem engineers, not only to stabilize the soft-substrate seafloor, but also act as an alternative substrate for the oldest empirically demonstrated kleptoparasites.The in situ biological interactions preserved in the Guanshan Biota are critical for filling gaps in ourknowledge of ecosystem complexity in the Cambrian.
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| 2. |
- Claybourn, Thomas, 1989-, et al.
(författare)
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Camenellan tommotiids from the Cambrian Series 2 of East Antarctica: biostratigraphy, palaeobiogeography, and systematics
- 2021
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Ingår i: Acta Palaeontologica Polonica. - : Instytut Paleobiologii PAN. - 0567-7920 .- 1732-2421. ; 66, s. 207-229
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Cambrian Series 2 shelly fossils from thick carbonate successions in East Antarctica have received limited systematic treatment through the 20th century. Described here are the East Antarctic camenellan tommotiids from the Shackleton Limestone in the Central Transantarctic Mountains and the Schneider Hills limestone in the Argentina Range. This material comes from both newly sampled collections and incompletely described material from older collections. The assemblage supports correlation to the Dailyatia odyssei Zone and Pararaia janeae Trilobite Zone of South Australia, with the newly examined specimens of Dailyatia decobruta from the Shackleton Limestone providing direct correlation to the Mernmerna Formation of the Ikara-Flinders Ranges and White Point Conglomerate of Kangaroo Island. These East Antarctic assemblages include five species referred to Dailyatia, in addition to an undetermined kennardiid species and fragments of the problematic Shetlandia multiplicata. The results further corroborate the notion that fossiliferous carbonate clasts found on King George Island were sourced from the same carbonate shelf as the Shackleton Limestone, with the taxon S. multiplicata found in both units. The Schneider Hills limestone in the Argentina Range has yielded sclerites of Dailyatia icari sp. nov., currently only known from this location.
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| 3. |
- Claybourn, Thomas M., 1989-
(författare)
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Mollusks from the upper Shackleton Limestone (Cambrian Series 2), Central Transantarctic Mountains, East Antarctica
- 2019
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Ingår i: Journal of Paleontology. - USA : Cambridge University Press. - 0022-3360 .- 1937-2337. ; 93:3, s. 437-459
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- An assemblage of Cambrian Series 2, Stages 3–4, conchiferan mollusks from the Shackleton Limestone, Transantarctic Mountains, East Antarctica, is formally described and illustrated. The fauna includes one bivalve, one macromollusk, and 10 micromollusks, including the first description of the species Xinjispira simplex Zhou and Xiao, 1984 outside North China. The new fauna shows some similarity to previously described micromollusks from lower Cambrian glacial erratics from the Antarctic Peninsula. The fauna, mainly composed of steinkerns, is relatively low diversity, but the presence of diagnostic taxa, including helcionelloid Davidonia rostrata (Zhou and Xiao, 1984), bivalve Pojetaia runnegari Jell, 1980, cambroclavid Cambroclavus absonus Conway Morris in Bengtson et al., 1990, and bradoriid Spinospitella coronata Skovsted et al., 2006, as well as the botsfordiid brachiopod Schizopholis yorkensis (Ushatinskaya and Holmer in Gravestock et al., 2001), in the overlying Holyoake Formation correlates the succession to the Dailyatia odyssei Zone (Cambrian Stages 3–4) in South Australia
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| 4. |
- Larsson, Cecilia M., et al.
(författare)
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Paterimitra pyramidalis from South Australia : Scleritome, shell structure and evolution of a lower Cambrian stem group brachiopod
- 2014
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Ingår i: Palaeontology. - : Wiley. - 0031-0239 .- 1475-4983. ; 57:2, s. 417-446
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The tommotiid Paterimitra pyramidalis Laurie, 1986, is redescribed based on well-preserved material from the lower Cambrian Wilkawillina, Wirrapowie and Ajax limestones of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia. The material shows that the scleritome of Paterimitra pyramidalis includes three sclerite morphotypes (S1, S2 and L). Detailed shell microstructure studies show striking similarities with both the paterinid brachiopod Askepasma toddense and the tommotiid Eccentrotheca helenia, which strengthens the suggested evolutionary link between tommotiids and brachiopods. Based on the partly articulated specimens and similarities in shell microstructure and sclerite morphology with Eccentrotheca, Paterimitra pyramidalis is reconstructed as a tube-dwelling, epifaunal, sessile, filter-feeder with an organic pedicle-like attachment structure. The proposed reconstruction of the scleritome comprises a basal unit composed of one S1 and one S2 sclerite, as well as an unresolved number of L sclerites lining a coniform tubular structure.
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| 5. |
- Li, Luoyang, et al.
(författare)
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Calcitic shells in the aragonite sea of the earliest Cambrian
- 2023
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Ingår i: Geology. - USA : Geological Society of America. - 0091-7613 .- 1943-2682.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The initial acquisition of calcium carbonate polymorphs (aragonite and calcite) at the onset of skeletal biomineralization by disparate metazoans across the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition is thought to be directly influenced by Earth’s seawater chemistry. It has been presumed that animal clades that first acquired mineralized skeletons during the so-called “aragonite sea” of the latest Ediacaran and earliest Cambrian (Terreneuvian) possessed aragonite or high-Mg calcite skeletons, while clades that arose in the subsequent “calcite sea” of Cambrian Series 2 acquired low-Mg calcite skeletons. Here, contrary to previous expectations, we document shells of one of the earliest helcionelloid molluscs from the basal Cambrian of southwestern Mongolia that are composed entirely of low-Mg calcite and formed during the Terreneuvian aragonite sea. The extraordinarily well-preserved Postacanthellashells have a simple prismatic microstructure identical to that of their modern low-Mg calcite molluscan relatives. High-resolution scanning electron microscope observations show that calcitic crystallites were originally encased within an intra- and interprismatic organic matrix scaffold preserved by aggregates of apatite during early diagenesis. This indicates that not all molluscan taxa during the early Cambrian produced aragonitic shells, weakening the direct link between carbonate skeletal mineralogy and ambient seawater chemistry during the early evolution of the phylum. Rather, our study suggests that skeletal mineralogy in Postacanthella was biologically controlled, possibly exerted by the associated prismatic organic matrix. The presence of calcite or aragonite mineralogy in different early Cambrian molluscan taxa indicates that the construction of calcium carbonate polymorphs at the time when skeletons first emerged may have been species dependent
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| 6. |
- Li, Luoyang, et al.
(författare)
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Deep origin of the crossed‐lamellar microstructure in early Cambrian molluscs
- 2022
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Ingår i: Palaeontology. - London : The Palaeontological Association. - 0031-0239 .- 1475-4983. ; 65:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aragonitic crossed-lamellar (CL) is one of themost commonly formed and extensively studied molluscanshell microstructures, yet its origin and early evolution within the Mollusca remains poorly understood. Here, a primitive CL microstructure from one of the oldest gastropods,Pela-giella madianensis, and the problematic hyolith Cupitheca sp. of the Cambrian Series 2 Xinji Formation on the North China Platform, was investigated. In P. madianensis, detailed characterization has revealed a typical four-ordered hierarchical orga-nization of aragonitic crystallites, and a thick layer of organic membranes surrounding its first-order lamellae. A transitional fibrous microstructure was observed between the outer CL and inner foliated aragonite structural layers. In Cupitheca sp.,only the first and second-order lamellae were visible due to preservation limitations, and the first-order lamellae were extremely irregular in shape and size, which is consistent with modern representatives. This study demonstrates that the capability to construct highly-mineralized intricate shells was acquired in early Cambrian stem-group gastropods. The CL microstructure first emerged in the early Cambrian and as a basal synapomorphic trait in total-group molluscs. Moreover, presence of the CL microstructure in problematic lophotrochozoans (i.e.hyoliths) is confirmed. This study contributes to a more complete picture of the evolutionary origin andarchitectural diversity of biomineralized mollusc shells during the Cambrian explosion, and strengthens the phylogenetic links between hyoliths and molluscs.
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| 7. |
- Liang, Yue, et al.
(författare)
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Shell structure, ornamentation and affinity of the problematic early Cambrian brachiopod Heliomedusa orienta
- 2020
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Ingår i: Lethaia. - : Scandinavian University Press / Universitetsforlaget AS. - 0024-1164 .- 1502-3931. ; 53:4, s. 574-587
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The origin of the Brachiopoda has long been a hotly debated topic, and various models have been proposed following the latest finds of exceptionally preserved material. The lower Cambrian (Stage 3) Heliomedusa orienta from the Chengjiang Konservat‐Lagerstätte, eastern Yunnan of South China, is an important example of exceptional preservation. A wide variety of affinities have been proposed for Heliomedusa, but recently it has been suggested to reside within the mickwitziids, which may form a stem group to the Brachiopoda. Detailed studies of exceptionally preserved Heliomedusa have increased our knowledge of the soft‐part anatomy of this important early brachiopod, but unfortunately, almost nothing is known about its shell structure. Here, we describe new exceptionally preserved specimens from the Chengjiang biota to better reveal both shell structure and ornamentation. Its reticulate–pustulose ornament and tubular structure are reminiscent of traits seen in other mickwitziid brachiopods. In addition, two types of setae can be observed. Apart from the pyritized marginal mantle setae, some tubules are filled with iron oxides, potentially representing thinner and shorter penetrative setae. Both valves of H. orienta appear to have been less mineralized as compared to Mickwitzia monilifera, and the two species differ in diameter and density of tubules and pustules, and in terms of slightly less projected profile of ventral valve with lower umbo posteromedially placed. Although Heliomedusa clearly is closely related to Mickwitzia, their different preservational modes (compacted poorly mineralized/noncompacted mineralized) make detailed comparison difficult; they are provisionally kept as separate genera pending further studies of better‐preserved Chinese material.
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| 8. |
- Liu, Fan, et al.
(författare)
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Hyolithid-like hyoliths without helens from the early Cambrian of South China, and their implications for the evolution of hyoliths
- 2022
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Ingår i: BMC Ecology and Evolution. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 2730-7182. ; 22:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: A small hyolith, with a triangular operculum and a conical-pyramidal conch with a sharp apex, originally documented as Ambrolinevitus ventricosus, is revised based on new material from the Chengjiang biota. The operculum of ‘Ambrolinevitus’ ventricosus displays strong morphological similarities with the operculum of Paramicrocornus from the Shuijingtuo Formation (Cambrian Series 2), indicating that the species should be reassigned to Paramicrocornus.Results: Based on the unusual morphology of Paramicrocornus, we herein propose a new family Paramicrocornidae fam. nov. A cladistic analysis of Cambrian and Ordovician hyoliths clearly delineates hyolithids as a monophyletic group which evolved from the paraphyletic orthothecids in the early Cambrian and with Paramicrocornidae as its closest relative.Conclusions: The phylogenetic analysis, together with the distribution of hyoliths from the Cambrian to the Ordovician, reveals the presumptive evolution model of both the skeleton and soft-part anatomy of hyoliths. The Family Paramicrocornidae plays an intermediate role in hyolith evolution, representing the transitional stage in the evolution from orthothecids to hyolithids.
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| 9. |
- Liu, Fan, et al.
(författare)
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Revision of Triplicatella (Orthothecida, Hyolitha) with preserved digestive tracts from the early Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte, South China
- 2021
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Ingår i: Historical Biology. - : Taylor & Francis. - 0891-2963 .- 1029-2381. ; 33:9, s. 1857-1871
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The cap-shaped shells of Triplicatella are known almost exclusively from small shelly fossil assemblages with articulated specimens showing unequivocally that they represent the operculum of a hyolith. Abundant specimens of Triplicatella opimus from the fine-grained shales of the Chengjiang Lagerstätte of South China with soft-part preservation are documented herein. The soft tissues, including the feeding apparatus and complex digestive system, in T. opimus strongly suggest that Triplicatella was a deposit feeder. The digestive tract of T. opimus consists of two limbs, a spiral loop folded into a chevron-like structure and a slightly recurved to straight anal tube, which are preserved as reddish-black traces enriched in iron. The new anatomical information obtained from T. opimus in the Chengjiang Biota suggests an intermediate stage in the development of the characteristic folded gut of orthothecid hyoliths. The new anatomical information reported here shows that Triplicatella is one of the best-preserved early members of the Orthothecida and promotes our understanding of the general anatomy and evolution of the Hyolitha.
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| 10. |
- Luo, Q.
(författare)
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Optical characteristics of graptolite-bearing sediments and its implication for thermal maturity assessment
- 2018
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Ingår i: International Journal of Coal Geology. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 0166-5162 .- 1872-7840. ; 195, s. 386-401
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Graptolite reflectance was thought to be one of the most useful thermal maturity indicators for graptolite bearing sediments, however, the relationship between graptolite reflectance and vitrinite reflectance is not well established. Graptolites, especially in the Wufeng–Longmaxi Formations from the Ordovician to Silurian of South China, have been mistaken for vitrinite-like particles or solid bitumen, which results in inconsistent data on the thermal maturity. In this paper, we have employed optical microscope techniques to describe the detailed optical characteristics of graptolites and solid bitumen in the Wufeng–Longmaxi Formations. Laboratory simulation of maturation was used to determine the relationship between graptolite reflectance and vitrinite reflectance. The organic constituents in the Wufeng–Longmaxi Formations are mainly composed of graptolites and solid bitumen. Granular and non-granular graptolites were observed in the Wufeng–Longmaxi Formations, with nongranular as the most common texture. Solid bitumen can be distinguished from non-granular graptolites by its coarse surface, weaker anisotropy, and lower random reflectance. The combination of non-polarized and polarized light is very helpful to distinguish solid bitumen from graptolite. For comparison, organic material from the early Ordovician Alum Shale Formation of Sweden and Estonia was also studied. The macerals of the Alum shales are mainly composed of lamalginites, mineral-bituminous groundmasses, graptolites, and solid bitumen.The major textures of the graptolites in the Sweden and Estonia sediments are non-granular and granular, respectively.Both non-granular graptolite and vitrinite reflectances display a systematic increase with the increase of heating temperature and time. The granular graptolites in the Estonian sample were gradually changed to nongranular graptolites following laboratory simulated maturation, indicating that granular graptolites can transform into non-granular graptolites with maturation. Solid bitumen in the Wufeng–Longmaxi Formations was derived from the solid residue of kerogen and/or post-oil bitumen. The graptolite random reflectance is a better thermal maturity indicator than graptolite maximum reflectance and is more precise due to the smaller standard deviation. Several equations are proposed to determine the thermal maturity of the graptolite-bearing sediments based on graptolite random reflectance, graptolite maximum reflectance and solid bitumen random reflectance.
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