| 1. |
- Agić, Heda, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Affnity, life cycle, and intracellular complexity of organic-walled microfossils from the Mesoproterozoic of Shanxi, China
- 2015
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In: Journal of Paleontology. - : Cambridge Journals. - 0022-3360 .- 1937-2337. ; 89:1, s. 28-50
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Light microscope and scanning electron microscope observations on new material of unicellularmicrofossils Dictyosphaera macroreticulata and Shuiyousphaeridium macroreticulatum, from the MesoproterozoicRuyang Group in China, provide insights into the microorganisms’ biological affinity, life cycle and cellularcomplexity. Gigantosphaeridium fibratum n. gen. et sp., is described and is one of the largest Mesoproterozoicmicrofossils recorded. Phenotypic characters of vesicle ornamentation and excystment structures, properties ofresistance and cell wall structure in Dictyosphaera and Shuiyousphaeridium are all diagnostic of microalgalcysts. The wide size ranges of the various morphotypes indicate growth phases compatible with the development ofreproductive cysts. Conspecific biologically, each morphotype represents an asexual (resting cyst) or sexual (zygotic cyst)stage in the life cycle, respectively. We reconstruct this hypothetical life cycle and infer that the organism demonstrates areproductive strategy of alternation of heteromorphic generations. Similarly in Gigantosphaeridium, a metabolicallyexpensive vesicle with processes suggests its protective role as a zygotic cyst. In combination with all these charactersand from the resemblance to extant green algae, we propose the placement of these ancient microorganisms in the stemgroup of Chloroplastida (Viridiplantae). A cell wall composed of primary and secondary layers in Dictyosphaera andShuiyouisphaeridium required a high cellular complexity for their synthesis and the presence of an endomembranesystem and the Golgi apparatus. The plastid was also present, accepting the organism was photosynthetic. The biotareveals a high degree of morphological and cell structural complexity, and provides an insight into ongoing eukaryoticevolution and the development of complex life cycles with sexual reproduction by 1200Ma.
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| 2. |
- Agić, Heda, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Cyst and operculum formation in Cambrian-Ordovician galeate acritarchs from Estonia : implications for the algal phylogeny and blooms in the early Paleozoic
- 2014
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In: 4th International Palaeontological Congress Abstract Volume. ; , s. 913-
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Unicellular organic-walled microfossils have been recovered from the Cambrian Lükati Formation and the Tremadocian Varangu Formation exposed in northern Estonia. Due to a combination of main morphological and biochemical characters, mainly a) excystment opening, b) processes, c) acetolysis- resistant vesicle wall, microfossils have been interpreted as reproductive cysts of green algae. Both microfossil assemblages reflect the evolutionary patterns though the early Palaeozoic: from the Cambrian radiation of morphologically innovative taxa to increase in diversity and more disparate Ordovician forms. Combined light transmitted and scanning electron microscopy on the Middle Cambrian to Tremadocian galeate plexus acritarchs Caldariola, Priscogalea and Stelliferidium, revealed exceptionally preserved morphological elements and rare structure among fossil and extant microbiota – an opening with operculum (lid) in reproductive cyst, in addition to lavish vesicle ornamentation and sculpture. Operculum formation model is reconstructed from fossils at different stages of operculum position and attachment. Comparative morphology shows strong similarity of galeates to the reproductive cysts of the extant algae of Dasycladales (Chlorophyta), where the lid covering the cyst opening is determined by an intrinsic lid-forming apparatus during the organism’s reproductive stage. Opercula in Cambro-Ordovician galeate acritarchs and Dasycladales may be considered a homologous character. Unique morphology of the operculum-bearing microbiota would have required a degree of intracellular sophistication for its development, suggesting advanced intracellular machinery present already in the early Palaeozoic phytoplankton. Additionally, a new species of minute, sphaeromorphic and aggregated eukaryotic microfossils is recorded. It possesses a vesicle wall with corrugated sculpture and perforated by nano-scale pores. These minute early Cambrian microfossils have diagnostic characters of prasinophyte algae.
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| 3. |
- Agić, Heda, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Diversity of organic-walled microfossils from the early Mesoproterozoic Ruyang Group, North China Craton - a window into the early eukaryote evolution
- 2017
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In: Precambrian Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 0301-9268 .- 1872-7433. ; , s. 101-130
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mesoproterozoic Era was an important time for the initial diversification of eukaryotic groups and the appearance of the first complex morphologies. While eukaryotes evolved around 2.4 Ga, the first microfossils with ornamentation and sculpture occur in the 1.8-1.6 Ga successions worldwide. Shales and siltstones of the Ruyang Group, Shanxi Province, North China Craton, record a high diversity of such organic-walled microfossils. Recently, the depositional ages of this succession has been constrained to 1.75-1.40 Ga via zircon U-Pb dating. This dating extends back the time of the first appearance of complex eukaryotic characters (e.g. processes, complex wall structure) in the fossil record. We have conducted a biostratigraphic investigation on of the samples throughout the fossiliferous Ruyang Group to provide an estimate of the early eukaryotic diversity in the Mesoproterozoic. Light- and scanning electron microscope studies have documented 26 species, including several that are reported for the first time, and some that were previously known only from younger, Neoproterozoic strata. Fossil diversity is high in the upper Baicaoping Formation, declines in the middle and reaches its peak in the upper Beidajian Formation. Novel morphologies among the unicellular Ruyang biota include a variety of processes, from tube-like extensions to hirsute spines, vesicles with velutinous outer membranes, as well as numerous specimens with internal bodies of varying sizes. We have also recorded the globally distributed Mesoproterozoic taxa Dictyosphaera, Shuiyousphaeridium, and Tappania. Key characters displayed by the Ruyang biota are consistent with reproductive structures (especially cysts among modern protists. These microfossils provide an additional evidence for the emergence of the crown group Eukarya by 1.7-1.4 Ga.
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| 4. |
- Agić, Heda, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Is cyst formation in early eukaryotes a requirement for their preservation in the fossil record?
- 2015
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In: Abstracts of the Astrobiology Science Conference 2015: Habitability, Habitable Worlds and Life.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Most of the Archaean-Proterozoic fossil record consists of non-biomineralizing microorganisms or their signatures. Body fossils of bacteria and early eukaryotes are preserved in siliciclastics, shales and carbonates, and are usually studied by preparation of thin sections or extraction from the rock matrix via acid maceration.The first eukaryotic organic-walled microfossils (OWM) appear at least by 1.8 Ga and undergo morphological diversification and evolutionary radiation in the Mesoproterozoic. There are no preserved eukaryotic-grade microfossils except OWM until the onset of biomineralization much later in the Neoproterozoic, evident in the record of testate amoebae (VSM) and microfossils with scaly elements.OWM are a less conspicuous component of the fos-sil record than taxa with skeletal or shelly elements. Organic matter decays quickly upon death of the organism, due to autolytic enzymes or degradation via het-erotrophy. However, species producing vegetative cells, resting cysts, zygotes, or spores, show considerable resistance to autolysis. Case studies on extractable carbonaceous OWM indicate they are preserved due to complex refractory molecules in the structure of their sturdy vesicle walls. Living analogues across protistan clades utilise such sporopollenin-like compounds for the cyst wall construction during reproductive phase. Algaenan-containing trilaminar sheath structure (TLS) is secreted during aplanospore formation in extant chlorophyte alga Haematococcus. TLS has also been documented in Leiosphaeridia acritarchs from the Cambrian Lükati Formation in Estonia. Leiosphaeridia is a long ranging morphotype, dating as far back as 1.8 Ga. Presence of TLS in these fossils suggests their function as reproductive cyst. Dictyosphaera-Shuiyousphaeridium plexus from the Mesoproterozoic Ruyang Group, China, also exhibits cyst-like morphology and unique elements of wall reinforcement: internally secreted organic platelets.In addition to these early OWM, many Meso-Neoproterozoic taxa such as Tappania, Trachyhystrychosphaera and Kildinella contain cyst-like characters: 1) reproductive openings, 2) ornamentation, 3) occa-sionally preserved internal bodies and 4) acetolysis-resistant vesicle walls – properties observed among extant encysting protists.Ornamented (process-bearing) microfossils in par-ticular bear strong similarities with zygotes of living unicellular algae. Property of acetolysis-resistant vesicle is a result of sporopollenin-like macromolecules in the wall, synthesized most commonly by the autotrophic eukaryotes. Presence of such recalcitrant organic walls requires significant metabolic investment by the microorganism, which suggests a protective and/or reproductive function. This also allows for easier, and more detailed preservation in the rock record.One of the concerns arising from the studies on the early eukaryotic fossils is the bias towards encysting organisms. The eventual search for the fossil record on other planetary bodies could face the same challenges as the Precambrian palaeobiology: fossilisation and eventual detection might be problematic for any unicellular eukaryotic-grade organisms if they have not evolved reproduction via encystment, or cyst formation as means of coping with adverse environmental conditions.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Agić, Heda, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Morphology of the Proterozoic eukaryotic microfossils as a reflection of their intracellular complexity
- 2014
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In: 4th International Palaeontological Congress Abstract Volume. ; , s. 256-
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Mesoproterozoic is a time of increasing diversity of microscopic life and appearance of intricate new cell morphologies. First eukaryotes may have evolved around 2.4 Ga, but the first microbiota with intricate sculpture and ornamentation are found in the younger, 1.8.-1.6 Ga successions worldwide. Such microfossils were uncovered from the Ruyang Formation in Shanxi, China and Roper Group, Northern Territories, Australia, dating back to 1.6-1.0 Ga ago. Some of these unicellular organic-walled fossils share characters with Ediacaran and Phanerozoic fossils, as well as extant green microalgae. Key characters among some Precambrian acritarchs are acetolysis-resistant vesicle with multi-layered walls; vesicle ornamentation by diverse processes that are produced during cyst formation; and excystment openings for the release of gametes or daughter-cells. Combination of these morphological elements, also present in extant phytoplankton, reflects the fossils’ protective function as reproductive cysts, indicating that complex life cycles and reproduction were well under way in Mesoproterozoic. Several case studies of microfossil morphology likely induced by intrinsic eukaryotic mechanisms are presented.Distinctive vesicle wall composed of the primary layer reinforced by polygonal platelets in Mesoproterozoic taxa Dictyosphaera and Shuiyouisphaeridium, as well as the sophisticated vesicle-wall patterning on the fossil sphaeromorphs Valeria and younger Cerebrosphaera would have required a certain degree of complexity for their formation, as observed in the present day analogues among eukaryotic protists. This suggests the activity of the key eukaryotic organelles and cellular mechanisms and signalling for the cyst formation. Considering that Golgi apparatus and the endoplasmatic reticulum are the organelles regulating eukaryotic secretory pathway and synthesis of biopolymers used in cell-wall construction, they would have been required for the complex morphology observed in these Precambrian taxa. Therefore, the presence of GA and ER in the eukaryotic cell is inferred at the minimum age of 1.6-1.4 Ga. Similarly, morphology of acritarchs of the Cambrian galeate plexus, namely openings with opercula, is likely induced by the activity of the LFA organelle (lid-forming apparatus) as in the extant dasycladalean alga Acetabularia.Additionally, several new morphotypes from the Ruyang Formation are presented. These unicellular fossils bear a velutinous outer membrane surrounding an internal sphere, which suggests a protective function of a reproductive or a resting cyst.Cyst-like morphology varies in disparity, but its key features are consistent through Mesoproterozoic, Neoproterozoic and early Palaeozoic.
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| 7. |
- Agić, Heda, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Organically-preserved multicellular eukaryote from the early Ediacaran Nyborg Formation, Arctic Norway
- 2019
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In: Scientific Reports. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 2045-2322. ; 9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Eukaryotic multicellularity originated in the Mesoproterozoic Era and evolved multiple times since, yet early multicellular fossils are scarce until the terminal Neoproterozoic and often restricted to cases of exceptional preservation. Here we describe unusual organically-preserved fossils from mudrocks, that provide support for the presence of organisms with differentiated cells (potentially an epithelial layer) in the late Neoproterozoic. Cyathinema digermulense gen. et sp. nov. from the Nyborg Formation, Vestertana Group, Digermulen Peninsula in Arctic Norway, is a new carbonaceous organ-taxon which consists of stacked tubes with cup-shaped ends. It represents parts of a larger organism (multicellular eukaryote or a colony), likely with greater preservation potential than its other elements. Arrangement of open-ended tubes invites comparison with cells of an epithelial layer present in a variety of eukaryotic clades. This tissue may have benefitted the organism in: avoiding overgrowth, limiting fouling, reproduction, or water filtration. C. digermulense shares characteristics with extant and fossil groups including red algae and their fossils, demosponge larvae and putative sponge fossils, colonial protists, and nematophytes. Regardless of its precise affinity, C. digermulense was a complex and likely benthic marine eukaryote exhibiting cellular differentiation, and a rare occurrence of early multicellularity outside of Konservat-Lagerstatten.
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| 8. |
- Agić, Heda, 1989-
(author)
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Palaeobiology and diversification of Proterozoic-Cambrian photosynthetic eukaryotes
- 2015
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Doctoral thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- One of the most important events in the history of life is the evolution of the complex, eukaryotic cell. The eukaryotes are complex organisms with membrane-bound intracellular structures, and they include a variety of both single-celled and multicellular organisms: plants, animals, fungi and various protists. The evolutionary origin of this group may be studied by direct evidence of past life: fossils. The oldest traces of eukaryotes have appeared by 2.4 billion years ago (Ga), and have additionally diversified in the period around 1.8 Ga. The Mesoproterozoic Era (1.6-1 Ga) is characterised by the first evidence of the appearance complex unicellular microfossils, as well as innovative morphologies, and the evolution of sexual reproduction and multicellularity. For a better understanding of the early eukaryotic evolution and diversification patterns, a part of this thesis has focused on the microfossil records from various time periods and geographic locations. Examination of microfossil morphology, cell wall microstructure and biochemical properties, reflect their intracellular complexity and function, and allow reconstructions of their life cycle, as well as observing the evolutionary pattern of change from Mesoproterozoic, to Cambrian-Ordovician transition. Several case studies included assemblages deriving from Mesoproterozoic, Neoproterozoic and early Paleozoic time intervals that show disparate morphotypes and innovative features indicative of algal clades. The Mesoproterozoic Ruyang Group in northern China has yielded a diverse microfossil assemblage that provides important clues about the diversification of different eukaryotic groups. Furthermore these microfossils contributed an additional evidence for the emergence of the crown group Eukarya by 1.7-1.4 Ga. In another part of this thesis, examination of wall microstructure and chemical properties via Raman spectroscopy has been used to assess the biological affinities of various Neoproterozoic problematic carbonaceous compression fossils. Studies on the early Phanerozoic (c. 545-485 Ma) assemblages from Estonia reconstructed patterns of the early radiations of phytoplankton and its evolutionary innovations. A continuing theme in this thesis has been using a combination of evidence of microfossils’ fine-scale morphology, ecology and chemical properties to determine their function in life, in addition to their systematic position.
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| 9. |
- Agić, Heda, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Raman spectra analysis and comparison of Neoproterozoic organic-walled mesofossils
- 2012
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In: The 2012 Fermor Meeting of the Geological Society. - London. ; , s. 86-
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Skeletal material first appears in the rock record in the terminal Ediacaran, leaving most of the Earth’s history only to minute organic fossils. Aside from abundant acritarchs (unicellular organic-walled phytoplankton) present from at least ~2.5 Ga, other Proterozoic organic fossils of complex (eukaryotic) organisms include fungi and macroscopic algae of still debated taxonomy. Often preserved as flattened carbonaceous filaments in several morphologies: (1) rounded, (2) stick-like elongate and (3) branching, these Neoproterozoic fossils, including Chuaria, Morania, Beltanelloides, Vendotaenia, possess limited characters and differ little in gross morphology. As a result, other methods are needed to elucidate their biological affinities and, ultimately, phylogeny.Here we present the comparison of the Raman spectra analysis of different macroalgal genera from Yakutia, Siberia, as well as that of a putative polychaete Sabellidites from the East European Platform, dated to the early Cryogenian (840-700 Ma) and lowermost Cambrian respectively.Data from the vibrational modes of organic molecules from the wall of unmineralised organisms reveal their chemistry and partially wall ultrastructure, presumably an indication of their relationships. Polyaromatic chain hydrocarbons and n-aliphatic pyrolysates suggest algal affinity for some of the Neoproterozoic organic problematica, yet most of the Raman spectra results are still difficult to fully identify, partially owing to the thermal maturity of the host rocks. However, there are clear differences between various groups, differentiating between parts of a single plexus (cf previous studies of Chuaria-Tawuia suggesting them to be components of a multicellular plant) and elements from other taxa. Additionally, the distinct organic matter spectra of Chuaria and Sabellidites indicate that Raman spectroscopy could be a useful method in identifying different branches of the early eukaryotes.As they are usually shallow-water and dependant on sunlight, the record of sturdy photosynthetic macroorganisms in the Neoproterozoic strengthens the evidence that limits the extent of the harsh environmental conditions during the Cryogenian period, at least during the Kaigas and Sturtian glaciations.
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| 10. |
- Agić, Heda, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Raman spectroscopy and microstructural comparison of carbonaceous compression and body fossils from the Neoproterozoic of Siberian and Eastern European platforms
-
Other publication (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Macroscopic, organic-walled fossils preserved as carbonaceous compressions and body fossils are commonly occurring in the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian successions worldwide. Most of these fossils, including studied here Chuaria, Tawuia, and Beltemelliformis, have been accepted as algae, and Sabellidites as an early metazoan. They possess limited characters for biological identification and differ in gross morphology of spherodial vs. tubular millimetre-sized specimens. Consequently, other methods than morphologic observations are needed to elucidate their affinities and, ultimately, phylogeny. Here we present a comparison of the Raman spectrographic signatures and new scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations on different carbonaceous compression and body fossils from the Khajpakh Formation (Siberian Platform), and Nekrasovo Formation (East European Platform), referred to the Tonian-Cryogenian transitional interval (c. 840-700 Ma) and the lowermost Cambrian stage, respectively. Data from the Raman spectroscopy of the walls of non-mineralised organisms reveal their chemical properties, and, in additions to microstructural characters, may be used to resolve the fossils’ phylogenetic affinities. To test the basic recognition of organic matter in studied photosynthetic organisms vs. animals, we have examined algal compression fossils and organically-preserved body-fossil. Differences in the Raman spectroscopic signature between various taxa have been observed. Vibrational absorption bands similar to those characteristic of α-chitin signature have been detected in the organic wall of Sabellidites, consistent with its metazoan identity. Distinct organic matter spectra of the macroalgae Chuaria, Tawuia and Beltanelliformis, and the possible early annelid Sabellidites indicate that Raman spectroscopy could be a useful method in identifying different branches of the early eukaryotes. Additionally, the recognition of the earliest metazoans among un-diagnostic tubular fossils by biochemical signatures and wall ultrastructure, could provide the minimum age of their origins.
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| 11. |
- Agić, Heda, 1989-, et al.
(author)
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Reproductive cyst and operculum formation in the Cambrian-Ordovician galeate-plexus microfossils
- 2016
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In: GFF. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1103-5897 .- 2000-0863. ; 138:2, s. 278-294
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Unicellular organic-walled microfossils from the Cambrian-Ordovician transition in Estonia (ca. 490-480 million years ago) exhibit rare characters reflecting their function as reproductive algal cysts. The studied assemblages record the evolutionary history of phytoplankton in the early Paleozoic Era: novel morphologies appearing through the Cambrian and subsequently diversifying in the Ordovician. Well preserved specimens were extracted following a standard palynological method and studied by light transmitted microscopy. The galeate plexus acritarchs Caldariola, Priscogalea and Stelliferidium have revealed exceptionally preserved morphological elements and a rare structure among both fossil and extant protists – an opening with operculum (lid) in reproductive cysts, in addition to lavish vesicle ornamentation and sculpture. Analogous morphology is observed in the living dasycladalean alga Acetabularia (Chlorophyta), which possesses an intrinsic lid-forming apparatus used during organism’s reproductive stage. Based on the observations on the fossil material and studies on the Acetabularia lid-formation, we propose a model of operculum formation in the galeate plexus microorganisms. Due to strong morphological and ecological similarities between galeate fossils and dasycladalean cysts, and the antiquity of this algal order, galeates may be positioned within green algae, more specifically Dasycladales. Unique morphology of the operculum-bearing microbiota would have required a high degree of intracellular complexity for its development, suggesting that advanced intracellular machinery was present already in the early Paleozoic phytoplankton. Additionally, minute prasinophyte microfossils Reticella corrugata are reported for the first time in the Upper Cambrian strata.
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| 12. |
- Agic, Heda, et al.
(author)
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Unusual organic-walled microfossil from the late Neoproterozoic Nyborg Formation, Digermulen Peninsula, Arctic Norway
- 2017
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In: ISECT 2017.
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The late Neoproterozoic Nyborg Formation is exposed in the Tanafjord area, Finnmark, Arctic Norway, on Digermulen and Varanger Peninsulas. The succession is composed of ~400 m of interbedded shales, siltstone and purple to grey sandstone, deposited between Neoproterozoic low latitude glacial deposits. The Nyborg Fm. lies on top of the Smalfjord diamictite, and is overlain by the Mortensnes diamictite (the latter was attributed to both Marinoan (650-635 Ma) and Gaskiers (579 Ma) glaciations) and the Ediacaran-Cambrian Stáhpogieddi Formation. Thus, the Nyborg Fm. represents late Neoproterozoic, probably the last Cryogenian interglacial interval. Presented material was collected in 2014 by members of Digermulen Early Life Research Group, from organic-rich, grey-green shales and siltstones of the Nyborg Mbr. D, uppermost Nyborg Fm. between Árasulluokta and Guvssájohka valleys. Organic-walled microfossils were extracted from shale via standard palynological acetolysis in hydrofluoric acid, and studied via light and scanning electron microscopy. Microfossils from the Nyborg Fm. include Synsphaeridium-type aggregated cells, unbranched bacterial filaments (Polythrichoides and Siphonophycus), sphaeromorph and envelope-bearing acritarchs (leiosphaerids, Stictosphaeridium, Simia), and previously unrecognized aggregated tubular microfossils. These taxa are long-ranging, but common in glacial-interglacial units worldwide, and thus broadly corroborate the Cryogenian age of the Nyborg sediments. The novel fossil, up to 300 μm in size, is a parenchymatous meshwork of interconnected organic-walled tubes that terminate in cup-shaped apices 4-11 µm in diameter. Irregular tube clusters are truncated both in macerates and in thin sections, suggesting post mortem transport. Elemental EDXS analysis indicates that extracted meshwork microfossils are predominantly composed of carbonaceous material and also associated with small amounts of titanium and vanadium. Considering the branching and adjoined body plan of carbonaceous fossil, it was likely multicellular and of eukaryotic affinity. As such, it may represent an important step in the evolution of complex multicellularity and morphological complexity several million years before the appearance of Ediacaran organisms.
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| 13. |
- Brocks, J. J., et al.
(author)
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Early sponges and toxic protists : possible sources of cryostane, an age diagnostic biomarker antedating Sturtian Snowball Earth
- 2016
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In: Geobiology. - : Wiley. - 1472-4677 .- 1472-4669. ; 14:2, s. 129-149
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The period 800-717million years (Ma) ago, in the lead-up to the Sturtian Snowball glaciation, saw an increase in the diversity of eukaryotic microfossils. To afford an independent and complementary view of this evolutionary period, this study presents the distribution of eukaryotic biomarkers from three pre-Sturtian successions across the supercontinent Rodinia: the ca. 780Ma Kanpa Formation of the Western Australian Officer Basin, the ca. 800-740Ma Visingso Group of Sweden, and the 740Ma Chuar Group in Arizona, USA. The distribution of eukaryotic steranes is remarkably similar in the three successions but distinct from all other known younger and older sterane assemblages. Cholestane was the only conventional structure, while indigenous steranes alkylated in position C-24, such as ergostane, stigmastane, dinosterane and isopropylcholestane, and n-propylcholestane, were not observed. This sterane distribution appears to be age diagnostic for the pre-Sturtian Neoproterozoic. It attests to the distinct evolutionary state of pre-Snowball eukaryotes, pointing to a taxonomic disparity that was still lower than in the Ediacaran (635-541Ma). All three basins also show the presence of a new C-28 sterane that was tentatively identified as 26-methylcholestane, here named cryostane. The only known extant organisms that can methylate sterols in the 26-position are demosponges. This assignment is plausible as molecular clocks place the appearance of the earliest animals into the pre-Sturtian Neoproterozoic. The unusual 26-methylsterol may have protected sponges, but also other eukaryotes, against their own membranolytic toxins. Some protists release lytic toxins to deter predators and kill eukaryotic prey. As conventional membrane sterols can be the site of attack for these toxins, sterols with unusual side-chain modification protect the cell. This interpretation of cryostane supports fossil evidence of predation in the Chuar Group and promotes hypotheses about the proliferation of eukaryophagy in the lead-up to the Cryogenian.
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| 14. |
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| 15. |
- Grey, Kathleen, et al.
(author)
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Neoproterozoic subdivision in Australia
- 2005
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In: Central Australian Basins Symposium.
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Neoproterozoic subdivision is well advanced in Australia using integrated results from lithostratigraphy, palynology, isotope chemostratigraphy and stromatolite biostratigraphy. Previously proposed Cryogenian correlations were tested by the drilling of GSWA Lancer-1 in the western Officer Basin and were found to be reliable. The consistency of the results allows the succession to be tied to limited geochronological ages from the Adelaide Rift Complex. Data are still sparse on the interval between the Sturtian and Marinoan glaciations, but good correlations exist in the Ediacaran.The base of the cap carbonate in Enorama Creek in the Adelaide Rift Complex has been ratified as the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the newly defined Ediacaran System and Period. The Flinders Ranges have a near-continuous section from the Marinoan glaciation to the Cambrian boundary, especially around the Brachina and Bunyeroo gorges. Lithostratigraphy, and local and regional correlations are well established, including links between the type sections, measured sections throughout the Adelaide Rift Complex and continuously cored drillhole sections on the Stuart Shelf, 80–100 km to the northeast, and to the Officer and Amadeus basins. An integrated approach, using lithostratigraphy; stratigraphic markers (glacial episodes, the time-synchronous Acraman impact ejecta layer, canyon cutting); carbon isotope chemostratigraphy; sequence stratigraphy; seismic interpretation; stromatolite biostratigraphy; and the first appearance of bilaterians and associated trace fossils, has proved successful.Acritarchs are acid-insoluble fossils of single-celled, phytoplanktonic green algae and are ideal for zonation. A rigorous sampling program began in 1991 to establish an acritarch biostratigraphy throughout Australian Neoproterozoic basins, based on palynological studies of continuously cored drillholes. Extensive field sampling of sections in the Flinders Ranges was unsuccessful, partly because the rift succession is too thermally mature for palynomorphs to be preserved, and partly because organic material has been leached from a deeply weathered profile. No identifiable acritarchs were recovered from this area, or from outcrops in other basins. However, Stuart Shelf drillholes contain well-preserved palynomorphs, although preservation is patchy in parts of the succession. Nevertheless, there are enough data for correlation with excellently preserved assemblages from the Officer and Amadeus basins. Georgina Basin preservation is too poor for useful analysis at present. Data from the Officer and Amadeus basins demonstrate the potential for biostratigraphic zonation in the lower and middle Ediacaran. Biostratigraphic correlation parallels correlations based on organic carbon isotope curves.Middle Ediacaran acritarch assemblages are extraordinarily diverse taxonomically, morphologically complex, and show typical patterns of secular diversity. These characteristics are ideal for the development of a zonal scheme, with levels of precision equivalent to the Phanerozoic record. The zones are independent of taphonomic and palaeoenvironmental influences, and they are demonstrably independent of lithology, lithostratigraphy, and sequence stratigraphy. Using composite sections, two palynofloras, the Ediacaran Leiosphere Palynoflora (ELP) and the Ediacaran Complex Acanthomorph Palynoflora (ECAP), have been recognised. The ECAP has been subdivided into four zones. The scheme is preliminary, but represents a significant advance in Neoproterozoic biostratigraphic studies, and should provide an important tool for future stratigraphic correlation. Additional studies are in progress to refine the correlations by examining undocumented parts of the succession, especially from Murnaroo-1 and Giles-1. The presence of certain acritarch species in probably coeval successions in Australia, Siberia, China, and northern Europe, suggests that the proposed zonation has good potential for global application, and that biostratigraphic principles and methodology can be applied to the Neoproterozoic.
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| 16. |
- Grey, Kathleen, et al.
(author)
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Subdividing the Ediacaran of Australia using biostratigraphy
- 2005
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In: Central Australian Basins Symposium.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A new Global Stratotype and Section (GSSP) for the terminal Neoproterozoic, the Ediacaran Period and System, has been ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), but problems of subdivision and correlation remain. Hydrocarbon and mineral exploration in the Officer, Amadeus, and Georgina basins, and the Adelaide Rift Complex has resulted in the development of palynological (mainly acritarch) correlations using range charts, based on >1000 samples from >30 drillholes sampled about every 10 m. As in the Cryogenian, biostratigraphic correlations, based on palynology and stromatolite biostratigraphy, are feasible, and results are consistent with correlations based on carbon isotope curves established using splits of palynology samples.So far, zonation is only possible for the lower and middle Ediacaran in Australia. Upper Ediacaran lithologies are generally unsuitable for palynomorph preservation and assemblages appear to be highly impoverished. However, a distinctive assemblage of large acanthomorph acritarchs, with highly complex morphologies and short stratigraphic ranges, characterises the middle Ediacaran. They are ideal candidates for biostratigraphy and this interval can be correlated with a high degree of confidence. Assemblages from Baltica and the East European Platform suggest that palynological zonation of the upper Ediacaran may be possible, despite species reduction and a return to simple morphologies. Moreover, the upper Ediacaran contains the Ediacara fauna, which may also be a suitable tool for correlation.Stromatolites indicate Australia-wide correlation at certain levels of the Ediacaran. Incipient columns of Elleria minuta, characteristic of the Amadeus Basin (Marinoan-equivalent) cap dolomite, were identified in a 50 cm-thick dolomite horizon above a diamictite, in Empress-1/1A in Western Australia. Tungussia julia is widespread and appears to be facies independent. It occurs in shallow-water carbonates of the Julie Formation (Amadeus Basin), Wonoka Formation (Adelaide Rift Complex), Elkera Formation (Georgina Basin), and Wilari Dolomite Member of the Tanana Formation (eastern Officer Basin), and is present in the periglacial Egan Formation in the Kimberley area. Relative stratigraphy indicates that the Egan Formation is considerably younger than the Elatina Formation (Marinoan glaciation). The Egan glaciation took place at about 560 Ma, only a short time before the appearance of the first bilaterian trace fossils.Palynomorph assemblages are sparse during and between the Sturtian and Marinoan glaciations (~700–600 Ma) and samples immediately above the Marinoan glaciation are barren. Post-glacial benthic mats and leiospheres quickly re-established and flourished, as sea level and temperatures rose, but there is no obvious post-glacial species diversification, and no evidence of invasion by extremophiles from hot-spring refugia as envisaged in Snowball Earth predictions. Only a handful of species survived, but pre-glacial species appear to be identical to post-glacial species. Specimen numbers increased rapidly as sea-level rose, but so far, no new taxa have been identified below the Acraman impact ejecta layer.Above the Acraman impact layer, during a second sea-level rise, there is a striking change in the palynoflora, when >50 species of large acanthomorph acritarchs, belonging to several new genera, first appear and diversify rapidly. They differ significantly from older taxa and in some aspects resemble dinocysts. At least four zones have been recognised, based mainly on assemblages from continuous core in the eastern Officer Basin (Munta-1, Observatory Hill-1, Lake Maurice West-1, and Birksgate-1), the Adelaide Rift Complex succession (SCYW-1a, WWD-1 and MJ-1) and the Amadeus Basin (Wallara-1 and Rodinga-4). More detailed studies are in progress on distributions in Lake Maurice West-1, Observatory Hill-1, Murnaroo-1, and Giles-1. These drillholes are of particular significance because the precise position of the ejecta layer is known in each.Although the acanthomorph assemblage was recognised previously in Murnaroo-1, systematic sampling was not carried out and the position of the ejecta layer was not known. More refined sampling and the discovery of the ejecta layer at 279.55 m has now confirmed observations from other drillholes that the earliest appearance of the acanthomorphs is above the ejecta layer and that diversification was rapid, with 10 species already present, less than 50 m above the ejecta layer. Studies continue in an attempt to locate the earliest appearance of acanthomorphs. Preliminary examination of samples from Giles-1, where the ejecta layer was found at 554.90 m, confirms the acritarch distribution pattern. Stable isotope studies are also providing significant data about the effect of the Acraman impact on the biosphere.Several key acanthomorph species are present elsewhere in the world, including Svalbard, Norway, Siberia, and China, raising the possibility of global correlation. In particular, the Australian assemblage has several taxa in common with a succession in an area in eastern Siberia that contains one of the giant Neoproterozoic gas fields. Further work is required to define the ranges of key species outside Australia, so the scheme can be extended globally.At present, contradictions arise when correlations are attempted with the Doushantuo Formation in China. In part, this reflects the lack of methodical stratigraphic sampling in the Chinese succession and the disparity in thickness between the Chinese succession (<200 m) and the Australian succession (>2000 m). There are also discrepancies in the acritarch biostratigraphy and carbon isotope curves that raise issues about whether the Nantuo Tillite should be correlated with the type ‘Marinoan’ glaciation, the Elatina Formation, and these discrepancies have implications about how many glacial episodes happened in the Neoproterozoic. Recent dating on probable equivalents of the Elatina Formation in King Island and Tasmania suggest an age of 580 Ma. This is similar to the age of the Gaskiers and Squantum Tillites in western Canada, but considerably younger than recently obtained ages of 635 Ma on successions in southern Africa and the Nantuo Tillite in China.Prospects for subdividing and correlating the Ediacaran using biostratigraphy are excellent, provided taxonomic ranges are properly documented. Biostratigraphic subdivisions can be integrated with other means of correlation to provide a rigorous means of global correlation.
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| 17. |
- Hoshino, Yosuke, et al.
(author)
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Cryogenian evolution of stigmasteroid biosynthesis
- 2017
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In: Science Advances. - : AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE. - 2375-2548. ; 3:9
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sedimentary hydrocarbon remnants of eukaryotic C-26-C-30 sterols can be used to reconstruct early algal evolution. Enhanced C-29 sterol abundances provide algal cellmembranes a density advantage in large temperature fluctuations. Here, we combined a literature review with new analyses to generate a comprehensive inventory of unambiguously syngenetic steranes in Neoproterozoic rocks. Our results show that the capacity for C-29 24ethyl- sterol biosynthesis emerged in the Cryogenian, that is, between 720 and 635 million years ago during the Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth glaciations, which were an evolutionary stimulant, not a bottleneck. This biochemical innovation heralded the rise of green algae to global dominance of marine ecosystems and highlights the environmental drivers for the evolution of sterol biosynthesis. The Cryogenian emergence of C-29 sterol biosynthesis places benchmark for verifying older sterane signatures and sets a new framework for our understanding of early algal evolution.
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| 18. |
- Högström, Anette, et al.
(author)
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New occurrences and extension of the stratigraphical range of discoidal Ediacara‑type fossils on the Digermul Peninsula, northern Norway
- 2014
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In Scandinavia the evolutionary events across the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition can only be studied in continuous section on the Digermul Peninsula, northern Norway, in the siliciclastic Stáhpogiedde Formation. This roughly 500 m-thick unit comprises, in ascending order, the Lillevannet, Innerelva and Manndraperelva members. Trace fossils, including Treptichnus pedum, and organic-walled microfossils, including Granomarginata prima, position the base of the Cambrian in the upper part of the Manndraperelva Member. Some 20 years ago discoidal Ediacara-type fossils were found in the middle part of Innerelva Member. Recent field seasons have provided abundant new material of Aspidella-type fossils and extended their stratigraphical range to within about 15 m above the Lillevannet Member. The exclusive presence of discoidal forms may reflect a taphonomic bias and/or be evidence of a greater age than that of the more diverse Ediacaran assemblages. That the latter may be the case is indicated by the stratigraphic proximity of the lowest occurrences of Aspidella to the Mortensnes diamictite, recently tentatively considered a Gaskiers glaciation equivalent (c.580 Ma). This raises the question of hitherto unrecognised breaks in sedimentation in the Stáhpogiedde Formation. In order to explore this question we have sampled the succession for organic-walled microfossils, detrital mineral geochronology and sediment geochemistry.
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| 19. |
- Landing, Ed, et al.
(author)
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Global standard names for the Lowermost Cambrian Series and Stage
- 2007
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In: Episodes. - 0705-3797. ; 30:4, s. 287-289
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The GSSP marking the base of the Cambrian System was ratified by the IUGS in 1992. Ratification of the GSSP point at the base of the Trichophycus pedum Ichnozone in the Fortune Head section, eastern Newfoundland, Canada, automatically defined the conterminant base of the lowermost series and stage of the Cambrian although names for those subdivisions were not proposed at the time of the decision. In 2007, the IUGS ratified the names Terreneuvian Series and Fortunian Stage for these previously unnamed chronostratigraphic subdivisions. The Terreneuvian Series replaces the provisional name "Series 1," and the Fortunian Stage replaces the provisional name "Stage 1," of the Cambrian System.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
- Loron, Corentin, et al.
(author)
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Tonian (Neoproterozoic) eukaryotic and prokaryotic organic-walled microfossils from the upper Visingsö Group, Sweden
- 2018
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In: Palynology. - : TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC. - 0191-6122 .- 1558-9188. ; 42:2, s. 220-254
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The diversification of protists and multicellular microorganisms is recorded in numerous worldwide Tonian age successions, including the Visingso Group in Sweden. The Visingso Group contains a taxonomically rich assemblage of cyanobacteria, stromatolites, algal phytoplankton and vase-shaped microfossils. A new record of organic-walled microfossils from the Visingso 1 drillcore reveals the high taxonomic diversity. Several species are reported for the first time from the Visingso Group, and one new species Leiosphaeridia gorda n. sp. is described. They are in gross phycoma-like cysts of the prasinophycean algae Pterospermopsimorpha, Pterospermella, Simia, Macroptycha and Dictyotidium. Morphologically similar to zygotic cysts of chlorophycean algae are Leiosphaeridia gorda n. sp., Cerebrosphaera, Culcitulisphaera and Lanulatisphaera. Schizofusa may represent the earliest yellow-green algae of the Eustigmatiphyte among Stramenopiles. The recorded biodiversity documents the global trend in the evolution of eukaryotic protists during the Tonian Period and the increased radiation of numerous, presumably photoautotrophic biotas, representing various algal lineages.
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| 22. |
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| 23. |
- Miao, Lanyun, et al.
(author)
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A diverse organic-walled microfossil assemblage from the Mesoproterozoic Xiamaling Formation, North China
- 2021
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In: Precambrian Research. - : Elsevier. - 0301-9268 .- 1872-7433. ; 360
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The mid-Proterozoic (ca. 1.85–0.85 Ga) might have been environmentally “boring”, but was a crucial interval of time for the early establishment of eukaryotic life on Earth. The Mesoproterozoic shale-dominated Xiamaling Formation (ca. 1.4–1.35 Ga) in North China preserved abundant organic-walled microfossils, some of which were of eukaryotic affinity but their taxonomic diversity and evolutionary implications remain unclear. In this paper, we present a palynological study of the lower Xiamaling Formation in the northern Tianjin Municipality. Similar to other Mesoproterozoic microbiotas, this assemblage consists of well-preserved and diverse spheroidal to ellipsoidal vesicles, filamentous microfossils and cellular aggregates. In total, 36 species belonging to 28 genera are identified, including 1 new species Quadrimurus clavatus gen. et sp. nov., and 5 unnamed forms. Majority of these taxa are recognised for the first time from this formation, indicating a richer assemblage than previously known. Although most taxa are of unknown biological affinities, this microbiota is thought to be composed of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms, in which 12 taxa are inferred to be eukaryotic. These microfossils indicate a moderate diversity of eukaryotic life documented in the Xiamaling Formation, which is consistent with other microbiotas in the mid-Proterozoic. The presence of Jixiania lineata Yan, 1986 (=Lineaforma elongata Vorob’eva and Sergeev, 2015) in North China extends its geographic distribution and further enhances its potential as index fossil for the early Mesoproterozoic strata. The Xiamaling assemblage provides one of the broader pictures of the Mesoproterozoic biosphere, in which eukaryotes were predominantly protistan-grade microorganisms.
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| 24. |
- Miao, Lanyun, et al.
(author)
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New record of organic-walled, morphologically distinct microfossils from the late Paleoproterozoic Changcheng Group in the Yanshan Range, North China
- 2019
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In: Precambrian Research. - : ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV. - 0301-9268 .- 1872-7433. ; 321, s. 172-198
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Eukaryotic life has likely existed since the late Paleoproterozoic, yet little is known about its early diversity and phylogenetic relationships. Organic-walled microfossils (OWMs) with conspicuous morphology provide a unique material to investigate the deep evolution of eukaryotic and prokaryotic microbial clades. Here we report a diverse assemblage of OWMs from the lower Changcheng Group (c. 1673-1638 Ma, Changzhougou and Chuanlinggou formations) in the Yanshan Range, North China, which consists of 15 species, including 2 that are newly described. The fossil assemblage is dominated by spheromorphs with less numerous process-bearing vesicles, as are colonial and filamentous forms. Among these, 6 morphologically complex taxa (Dictyosphaera, 2 species of Germinosphaera, Pterospermopsimorpha, Simia, and Valeria) are identified as unambiguous unicellular eukaryotes. Four species (Cucumiforma, Navifusa, Schizofusa and large Leiosphaeridia) with relatively simple morphology but having large size, thick wall, and some showing median-split excystment structures, are of probable eukaryotic affinity. However, various colonial microfossils could be either eukaryotes or prokaryotes. The new record of morphologically disparate OWMs represents one of the earliest occurrences of eukaryotes in both China and the world, and indicates that the eukaryotic life was already well established in the late Paleoproterozoic and was of moderate diversity, similar to that of the Mesoproterozoic.
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| 25. |
- Moczydlowska, Malgorzata, 1951-, et al.
(author)
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A Tonian age for the Visingsö Group in Sweden constrained by detrital zircon dating and biochronology : implications for evolutionary events
- 2018
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In: Geological Magazine. - 0016-7568 .- 1469-5081. ; 155:5, s. 1175-1189
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Detrital zircon U–Pb ages from samples of the Neoproterozoic Visingsö Group, Sweden, yield a maximum depositional age of ≤ 886±9 Ma (2σ). A minimum depositional age is established biochronologically using organic-walled and vase-shaped microfossils present in the upper formation of the Visingsö Group; the upper formation correlates with the Kwagunt Formation of the 780–740 Ma Chuar Group in Arizona, USA, and the lower Mount Harper Group, Yukon, Canada, that is older than 740 Ma. Mineralized scale microfossils of the type recorded from the upper Fifteenmile Group, Yukon, Canada, where they occur in a narrow stratigraphic range and are younger than 788 Ma, are recognized for the first time outside Laurentia. The mineralized scale microfossils in the upper formation of the Visingsö Group seem to have a wider stratigraphic range, and are older than c. 740 Ma. The inferred age range of mineralized scale microfossils is 788–740 Ma. This time interval coincides with the vase-shaped microfossil range because both microfossil groups co-occur. The combined isotopic and biochronologic ages constrain the Visingsö Group to between ≤ 886 and 740 Ma, thus Tonian in age. This is the first robust age determination for the Visingsö Group, which preserves a rich microfossil assemblage of worldwide distribution. The organic and mineralized microorganisms preserved in the Visingsö Group and coeval successions elsewhere document global evolutionary events of auto- and heterotrophic protist radiations that are crucial to the reconstruction of eukaryotic phylogeny based on the fossil record and are useful for the Neoproterozoic chronostratigraphic subdivision.
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| 26. |
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| 27. |
- Moczydlowska, Malgorzata
(author)
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Algal affinities of Ediacaran and Cambrian organic-walled microfossils with internal reproductive bodies : Tanarium and other morphotypes
- 2016
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In: Palynology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0191-6122 .- 1558-9188. ; 40:1, s. 83-121
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Organically preserved, unicellular microfossils of Ediacaran and Cambrian age, which comprise single and multiple internal bodies within the vesicle, have been studied with a view towards explaining the origin and function of these structures. Assessed by body plan, ornamentation, excystment structure, cell wall resistance and ultrastructure (where available), and newly observed internal bodies defined by their own, robust wall, these microfossils are recognised as algal zygotic cysts and phycomata by comparison with extant green algae. Although rare, these internal bodies are a persistent feature of specific morphotypes regardless of geological age, and are reviewed. Internal bodies are a part of reproductive cysts, resembling those known in different clades of green algae: prasinophytes, chlorophytes and streptophytes, as well as alveolates (including dinoflagellates). They are inferred to be endocysts containing zygotes and/or sacs of swarmers, if single, or offspring cells (spores), if multiple, in sexual and asexual generations of ancient taxa of the classes Prasinophyceae and Chlorophyceae. It may not be excluded, however, that they represent the earliest, stem-group streptophytes or alveolates. The diagnoses of the Ediacaran taxa Ancorosphaeridium, A. magnum, Densisphaera, D. arista, D. fistulosa, Multifronsphaeridium ramosum and Tanarium tuberosum are emended to include the internal bodies as integral morphological structures of microfossils, and to abandon the erroneous identification of the double wall of the vesicle. Based on the earliest occurrence of microfossils with an internal body in the Dictyosphaera-Shuiyousphaeridium plexus, sexual reproduction among photosynthesising microbiota is interpreted at c. 1.6-1.4 Ga, a common phenomenon in the Ediacaran (Tanarium, Ancorosphaeridium, Densisphaera), and dominant in the Cambrian (Skiagia, Polygonium and many others) periods.
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| 28. |
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| 29. |
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| 30. |
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| 31. |
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| 32. |
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| 33. |
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| 34. |
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| 35. |
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| 36. |
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| 37. |
- Moczydłowska, Małgorzata, et al.
(author)
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Ecdysozoan-like sclerites among Ediacaran microfossils
- 2015
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In: Geological Magazine. - Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. - 0016-7568 .- 1469-5081. ; 152:6, s. 1145-1148
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report the occurrence of organically preserved microfossils from the subsurface Ediacaran strata overlying the East European Platform in Poland, in the form of sclerites and cuticle fragments of larger organisms. They are morphologically similar to those known from Cambrian strata and associated with various metazoan fossils of recognized phyla. The Ediacaran age of the microfossils is evident from the stratigraphic position below the base of the Cambrian System and above the isotopically dated tuff layers at c. 551±4Ma. Within this strata interval, other characteristic Ediacaran microorganisms co-occur such as cyanobacteria, vendotaenids, microalgae, Ceratophyton,Valkyria and macroscopic annelidan Sabellidites. The recent contributions of organic sclerites in revealing the scope of the Cambrian explosion are therefore also potentially extendable back to the Ediacaran Period when animals first appear in the fossil record.
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| 38. |
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| 39. |
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| 40. |
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| 41. |
- Moczydlowska, Malgorzata
(author)
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Life cycle of early Cambrian phytoplankton.
- 2007
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In: The Palaeontological Association 51st Annual Meeting, 16-19 December 2007, Uppsala, Sweden, Programme with Abstracts. ; , s. 76-
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)
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| 42. |
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| 43. |
- Moczydlowska, Malgorzata, et al.
(author)
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Microstructure and Biogeochemistry of the Organically Preserved Ediacaran Metazoan Sabellidites
- 2014
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In: Journal of Paleontology. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 0022-3360 .- 1937-2337. ; 88:2, s. 224-239
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Metazoans (multicellular animals) evolved during the Ediacaran Period as shown by the record of their imprints, carbonaceous compressions, trace fossils, and organic bodies and skeletal fossils. Initial evolutionary experiments produced unusual bodies that are poorly understood or conceived of as non-metazoan. It is accepted that sponges, ctenophorans, cnidarians, placozoans, and bilaterians were members of the Ediacaran fauna, many of which have uncertain affinities. The fossil Sabellidites cambriensis Yanishevsky, 1926, derived from the terminal Ediacaran strata, is the earliest known organically preserved animal that belonged to a newly evolving fauna, which replaced the Ediacara-type metazoans. Morphologically simple soft-bodied tubular fossils, such as S. cambriensis, and biomineralized, as contemporaneous Sinotubulites sp., are not easy to recognize phylogenetically because many unrelated organisms developed encasing tubes independently. Therefore, in addition to morphologic information, evidence derived from the microstructure of the organic wall and its biochemistry may be vital to resolving fossil origins and phylogenetic relationships. Here we present morphological, microstructural and biogeochemical studies on S. cambriensis using various microscopic and spectroscopic techniques, which provide new evidence that supports its siboglinid, annelidan affinity. The late Ediacaran age of Sabellidites fossil constrains the minimum age of siboglinids and the timing of the divergence of including them annelids by fossil record and this could be tested using molecular clock estimates. The fine microstructure of the organic tube in Sabellidites is multi-layered and has discrete layers composed of differently orientated and perfectly shaped fibers embedded in an amorphous matrix. The highly ordered and specific pattern of fiber alignment (i.e., the texture of organic matter) is similar to that of representatives of the family Siboglinidae. The biogeochemistry of the organic matter that comprised the tube, which was inferred from its properties, composition, and microstructure, is consistent with chitin and proteins as in siboglinids.
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| 44. |
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| 45. |
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| 46. |
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| 47. |
- Moczydlowska, Malgorzata, 1951-
(author)
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New records of late Ediacaran microbiota from Poland
- 2008
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In: Precambrian Research. - Amsterdam : Elsevier. - 0301-9268 .- 1872-7433. ; 167:1-2, s. 71-92
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- New records of organic-walled microfossils, including cyanobacteria, phytoplankton (certain acritarchs) and some microbiota of unknown biological affinities, are reported from the late Ediacaran Włodawa Formation in the Łopiennik IG-1 borehole, Poland. The microfossil association consists mostly of known species, which originated prior to the Cryogenian Period, evidence that these microorganisms survived the Neoproterozoic glacial epochs. The longevity of most of the species is extended herein to ca. 545 Ma. One species is new but described as gen. et sp. indet., because only a single specimen is available. Although the microfossils represent both prokaryotic and eukaryotic groups of organisms, and benthic and planktic modes of life, all, with the exception of Valkyria, are photoautotrophic aerobes. Metabolic processes of nutrition, respiration and reproductive cycles, and ecologic habitats of these biota and the evolutionary lineages to which they belong are analyzed with respect to the basic requirements needed to survive prolonged periods of environmental perturbation.All recorded here cyanobacteria are benthic microbial mat-dwellers, requiring ample water and regular oxygen supply and sun light for their metabolism. Planktic species of Leiosphaeridia studied here are considered to be green algae (chlorophyceans), forming resting cysts and alternating sexual/vegetative generations in their life cycle. They also required habitats of well-oxygenated open water in the photic zone and periodic access to bottom sediment (to rest the cyst) in order to survive the glacial epochs, as they evidently did. It is argued that the natural habitats of all these biota must have been preserved and ecologically functional throughout the Cryogenian Period, and have been robust enough to sustain viable populations and genetic stocks of at least some evolutionary lineages known at the time. This is a primary constraint imposed by contemporaneous marine biosphere on the Earth System model, which can be accepted among hypothetical versions of the Snowball Earth hypotheses based on sedimentological, geochemical, physical and other geological records. The Slushball Earth model, or comparable, is thus favoured over strict Snowball Earth model because it reconciles the habitable conditions with other envisaged geo- and physical conditions during the period.
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| 48. |
- Moczydlowska, Malgorzata, et al.
(author)
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Proterozoic phytoplankton and timing of chlorophyte algae origins
- 2011
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In: Palaeontology. - : Wiley. - 0031-0239 .- 1475-4983. ; 54:4, s. 721-733
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Morphological and reproductive features and cell wall ultrastructure and biochemistry of Proterozoic acritarchs are used to determine their affinity to modern algae. The first appearance datum of these microbiota is traced to infer a minimum age of the divergence of the algal classes to which they may belong. The chronological appearance of microfossils that represent phycoma-like and zygotic cysts and vegetative cells and/or aplanospores, respectively, interpreted as prasinophyceaen and chlorophyceaen microalgae is related to the Viridiplantae phylogeny. An inferred minimum age of the Chlorophyte origin is before c. 1800 Ma, the Prasinophyceae at c. 1650 Ma and the Chlorophyceae at c. 1450 Ma. These divergence times differ from molecular clock estimates, and the palaeontological evidence suggests that they are older.
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| 49. |
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