Phylogeny and life habits of Early Arthropods-Predation in the Early Cambrian Sea

We investigated two new arthropods from the Maotianshan-Shale fauna of southern China in the course of our research on life strategies, particularly predation, in Early Cambrian marine macrofaunal biota. One form clearly belongs to the so-called "great-appendage" arthropods, animals that were, most likely, active predators catching prey with their first pair of large, specialized frontoventral appendages. Based on this, we hypothesize that the new species and many others, if not all, of the "great-appendage" arthropods were derivatives of the chelicerate stem lineage and not forms having branched off at different nodes along the evolutionary lineage of the Arthropoda. Rather, we consider the "great-appendage" arthropods as belonging to a monophyletic clade, which modified autapomorphically their first pair of appendages (antennae in general arthropod terminology) into raptorial organs for food capture. The second new form resembles another Maotianshan-Shale arthropod, Fuxianhuia protensa, in sharing a head made of only two separate segments, a small segment bearing oval eyes laterally, and another bearing a large tergite, which forms a wide shield freely overhanging the subsequent narrow trunk segments. This segment bears a single pair of rather short anteriorly directed uniramous appendages, considered as the "still" limb-shaped antennae. Particularly the evolutionary status of head and limbs of these two forms suggests that both are representatives of the early part of the stem lineage toward the crown-group of Arthropoda, the Euarthropoda. These forms appear rather unspecialized, but may have been but simple predators. This adds to our hypothesis that predation was a common, if not dominant feeding strategy in the Cambrian, at least for arthropods.     

An Early Cambrian tunicate from China

Like the Burgess Shales of Canada, the Chengjiang Lagerst?tte from the Lower Cambrian of China is renowned for the detailed preservation as fossils of delicate, soft-bodied creatures, providing an insight into the Cambrian explosion. The fossils of possible hemichordate chordates and vertebrates have attracted particular attention. Tunicates, or urochordates, comprise the most basal chordate clade, and details of their evolution could be important in understanding the sequence of character acquisition that led to the emergence of chordates and vertebrates. However, definitive fossils of tunicates from the Cambrian are scarce or debatable. Here we report a probable tunicate Cheungkongella ancestralis from the Chengjiang fauna. It resembles the extant ascidian tunicate genus Styela whose morphology could be useful in understanding the origin of the vertebrates.     

A venomous arthropod in the Early Cambrian Sea

A number of recently evolved animals possess poison glands for feeding and/or defense.However,examples of such animals are rare in the fossil record.We report a fossil arthropod Isoxys curvirostratus from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang biota of China.This species is regarded as the oldest known venomous arthropod based on the presence of venomous glands in its head region.The adult animal is 2-5 cm long and the body is covered entirely with a carapace.The presence of large stalk eyes and a pair of stout grasping appendages with a terminal spine suggest it was raptorial.Interestingly,the two pear-shaped,three-dimensionally preserved objects that are present in the head region and at the base of the grasping appendages closely resemble the venom glands of some living arthropods in size,shape,and position.These features indicate that the presence of venomous predators could date back 520 million years.Furthermore,our observations suggest that the feeding strategies and organs adapted for this purpose had already reached a high level of diversity and anatomical sophistication in the Early Cambrian ecosystems.     

Sophisticated particle-feeding in a large Early Cambrian crustacean

Most Cambrian arthropods employed simple feeding mechanisms requiring only low degrees of appendage differentiation. In contrast, post-Cambrian crustaceans exhibit a wide diversity of feeding specializations and possess a vast ecological repertoire. Crustaceans are evident in the Cambrian fossil record, but have hitherto been known exclusively from small individuals with limited appendage differentiation. Here we describe a sophisticated feeding apparatus from an Early Cambrian arthropod that had a body length of several centimetres. Details of the mouthparts resolve this taxon as a probable crown-group (pan)crustacean, while its feeding style, which allowed it to generate and handle fine food particles, significantly expands the known ecological capabilities of Cambrian arthropods. This Early Cambrian record predates the major expansions of large-bodied, particle-handling crustaceans by at least one hundred million years, emphasizing the importance of ecological context in driving adaptive radiations.     

The earliest-known ancestors of Recent Priapulomorpha from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstaette

The taxonomy of an early ancestor of Recent Priapulidae, Xiaoheiqingella peculiaris (= Yunnanpriapulus halteroformis Huang et al., 2004) from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang fossil Lagerstaette, is revised. Morphological characters comprise a pair of caudal appendages rather than a single appendage flanking the trunk end and a possible urogenital duct found inside the preanal region. An additional extremely rare fossil priapulid worm, Paratubiluchus bicaudatus gen. nov., sp. nov. is also described herein. Its diagnostic characters are: an introvert bearing 25 longitudinal rows of scalids, a distinct neck region, no annulus on the oval trunk, and a pair of caudal appendages. The proportion of body parts is similar in size to that of loricate larvae of Recent priapulids and larva-formed Palaeopriapulitidae. Taking account of the features of Xiaoheiqingella, bicaudal appendages are considered to be a synapomorphy of Priapulidae and Tubiluchidae. Paratubiluchus gen. nov. is most likely a candidate for the ancestor of the Tubiluchidae; it probably originated from a larva-formed priapulid with 25 rows of scalids, thus representing an intermediate link between the priapulids in mature-form and the priapulids with lorica.     

贵州早寒武世黑色页岩地球化学特征及其意义

贵州早寒武世早期普遍存在一套黑色页岩。通过对麻江羊跳、铜仁、遵义中南、遵义松林小竹、天柱大公塘剖面实地考察与地球化学分析,认为贵州早寒武世黑色页岩是在缺氧环境下,热水沉积为主导,同时受陆源强烈影响,是海水、生物和地球深部物质共同作用下形成的.     

Modern optics in exceptionally preserved eyes of Early Cambrian arthropods from Australia

Despite the status of the eye as an "organ of extreme perfection", theory suggests that complex eyes can evolve very rapidly. The fossil record has, until now, been inadequate in providing insight into the early evolution of eyes during the initial radiation of many animal groups known as the Cambrian explosion. This is surprising because Cambrian Burgess-Shale-type deposits are replete with exquisitely preserved animals, especially arthropods, that possess eyes. However, with the exception of biomineralized trilobite eyes, virtually nothing is known about the details of their optical design. Here we report exceptionally preserved fossil eyes from the Early Cambrian (～ 515 million years ago) Emu Bay Shale of South Australia, revealing that some of the earliest arthropods possessed highly advanced compound eyes, each with over 3,000 large ommatidial lenses and a specialized 'bright zone'. These are the oldest non-biomineralized eyes known in such detail, with preservation quality exceeding that found in the Burgess Shale and Chengjiang deposits. Non-biomineralized eyes of similar complexity are otherwise unknown until about 85 million years later. The arrangement and size of the lenses indicate that these eyes belonged to an active predator that was capable of seeing in low light. The eyes are more complex than those known from contemporaneous trilobites and are as advanced as those of many living forms. They provide further evidence that the Cambrian explosion involved rapid innovation in fine-scale anatomy as well as gross morphology, and are consistent with the concept that the development of advanced vision helped to drive this great evolutionary event.     

Early Cambrian protoconodonts and conodont-like fossils from China: Taxonomic revisions and stratigraphic implications

Tooth likephosphaticprotoconodontsand“con odont likefossils”arecharacteristiccomponentsoftheEarlyCambriansmallshellyfossils (SSF )withaworldwidedistribution .Theyarerepresentedexclu sivelybyisolatedscleritesandareoften presentinaceticacid etchedresiduesfromLowerCambriancar bonates .SincethefirstreportofProtohertzinaMis sarzhevsky 1973fromthebasalCambrianoftheYangtzePlatformin 1977[1] ,andalongwithenthusi asticresearchactivitiesonthesmallshellyfossilsandcandidatesectionsforaglobalPrecamb…     

川中古隆起构造演化特征及其与早寒武世绵阳-长宁拉张槽的关系

根据早寒武世绵阳-长宁拉张槽的发现,为深化对四川盆地基础地质的认识开展相关构造演化研究。通过震旦系顶界古构造恢复,对比分析拉张槽分布范围与各期川中古隆起分布范围,研究了古隆起演化与拉张槽的关系。以拉张槽和古隆起为主体可将四川盆地划分为12个区域。认为川中地区的隆起是伴随着早寒武世拉张槽由隆起转换为凹陷演化形成的,川西南地区在晚震旦世拉张槽隆升剥蚀阶段已具有雏形。拉张槽东西两侧是相互独立的构造区域,印支期(晚三叠世)古隆起与拉张槽具有北东向联合古隆起特征。此后演化特征仍具有差异性,特别是喜马拉雅期至今的演化过程中,川西南地区的隆升幅度远大于川中地区,致使现今构造特征表现为震旦系顶界构造川西南与川中分别位于同一隆起构造的高点和斜坡位置。因此,绵阳-长宁拉张槽对震旦系-下古生界原生油气地质条件的控制和川中古隆起对震旦系-下古生界古今油气藏的形成、调整和保存具有控制作用。     

Plankton from Early Cambrian black shale series on the Yangtze Platform, and its influences on lithologies

Blackshalesandcherts ,containingnodularphosphoritesandorelayers[1] arecommonintheEar lyCambriandeeperwaterfaciesoftheYangtzePlat form[2 ] andoffera goodchanceformicropaleonto logicalresearchusingtechniquesofchemicaldissolu tion ,peelingandsectioning .Wetriedtoseparateandinvestigateoceanicplanktoncommunitiesfrombitu minous,“deeperwater”chert ,blackshale andphosphoritelithologies ,andtodocumenttheirpreser vationandinfluencesonthecompositionofthesedi ments .Thepresentpaperaimsatgivingareportof…     

Speciation of the genus Arthricocephalus Bergeron, 1899 (Trilobita) from the late Early Cambrian and its stratigraphic significance

The genus Arthricocephalus Bergeron, 1899 is revised, and Halipanktos Balker & Peel, 1997 is suggested here as a senior synonym. The subgenus Arthricocephalus (Arthricocephalites) Chien & Lin in Lu et al. , 1974 is considered as a separate genus. Of the 20 previously assigned species of Arthricocephaius (Arthricocephalus) Bergeron, 1899, Arthricocephalus (Arthricocephalites) Chien & Lin in Lu et al. , 1974, Arthricocephalus (Euarthricocephalus) Ju, 1983 are lumped into eight species. The speciation trend of Arthricocephalus and Arthricocephalites is demonstrated based on their stratigraphic occurrences. It not only enhances the resolution of the biostatigraphic zonation in the uppermost Lower Cambrian, but also represents a potential candidate to define the Duyunian stage. The base of the stage is suggested at the first appearance datum (FAD) of Arthricocephalus chauveaui Bergeron, 1899 within the evolutionary lineage from Ar. jiangkouensis Yin in Yin & Li, 1978 to Ar. chauveaui in a global scale.     

δ13Ccarb and Ceanom excursions in the post-glacial Neoproterozoic and Early Cambrian interval in Guizhou,South China

Secular δ 13Ccarb and Ceanom profiles in the post-glacial Neoproterozoic and Early Cambrian interval are reported from Guizhou on the southeasten border of the Yangtze platform, South China. Overall, the δ 13Ccarb profile drifts to negative values in the post-glacial Nantuo and lower to middle Doushantuo Formations, and then to positive values in the upper Doushantuo and Dengying Formations of Neoproterozoic, followed by negative values in the Lower Cambrian Gezhongwu and Niutitang Formations. A detailed investigation of the relationship between the δ 13Ccarb and Ceanom profiles reveals that the main anoxic and oxic episodes are coupled with negative and positive δ 13Ccarb values, respectively. This may suggest a control of alternation between ocean stratification and mixing on variations in 13C abundance in the ancient ocean of the investigated areas.     

The internal structure of Early Cambrian fossil embryo Olivooides revealed in the light of Synchrotron X-ray Tomographic Microscopy

Countless fossil embryo Olivooides and the hatched larvae,juveniles and adults(the latter two kinds are Punctatus) are recovered by means of acid maceration from the fine-crystalline to medium-crystalline phosphatic limestone and phosphatic micrite of Early Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation at the Shizhonggou section,near Kuanchuanpu Village,Ningqiang County,Shaanxi Province,China.Using the technique of Synchrotron X-ray Tomographic Microscopy,the 3D internal structure of Olivooides and Punctatus is reconstructed.The morphological and statistic analyses are also given to the stellae structure of Olivooides and Punctatus,which indicates that this structure is a result of adaptive evolution to a lifestyle of fast-attaching after hatching,probably with the function of mucilage secretion.The internal structure of Punctatus is described and discussed.The ovum-like structure,a common internal feature of Punctatus,is considered as the taphonomic structure,rather than eggs or other biological structure.This structure is thought to be formed after the burial of the animal and before or during the mineralization.The original internal structure of Punctatus is assumed to be tabulae-filled,with soft body grown on them.     

Stable isotopic geochemistry of organic carbon and pyrite sulfur from the Early Cambrian black shales in Northwestern Hunan, China

The early Cambrian black shale sequence in Northwestern Hunan Province has been investigated for its stable isotopic geochemistry of organic carbon and pyrite sulfur. The relatively low δ 13C values of organic matter, -29.7‰～-34.2‰, are interpreted as caused by the high CO2 concentration in atmosphere/ocean and an anoxic depositional environment in early Cambrian. Variable, but significantly positive δ 34S values, 10.2‰～ 28.2‰, for sedimentary pyrite reveals bacterial sulfate reduction as the pyrite-forming process but under sulfate-limited conditions. A protected anoxic basin, which had very limited access to open ocean, and its sediments, where metabolizable organic matter was rich and bioturbation was absent, are supposed to be the sulfate-limited environments and might have existed in South China in the early Cambrian.     

Speciation of the genus Arthricocephalus Bergeron, 1899 (Trilobita) from the late Early Cambrian and its stratigraphic significance

The genus Arthricocephalus Bergeron, 1899 is revised, and Halipanktos Balker & Peel, 1997 is suggested here as a senior synonym. The subgenus Arthricocephalus (Arthricocephalites) Chien & Lin in Lu et al., 1974 is considered as a separate genus. Of the 20 previously assigned species of Arthricocephalus (Arthricocephalus) Bergeron, 1899, Arthricocephalus (Arthricocephalites) Chien & Lin in Lu et al., 1974, Arthricocephalus (Euarthricocephalus) Ju, 1983 are lumped into eight species. The speciation trend of Arthricocephalus and Arthricocephalites is demonstrated based on their stratigraphic occurrences. It not only enhances the resolution of the biostatigraphic zonation in the uppermost Lower Cambrian, but also represents a potential candidate to define the Duyunian stage. The base of the stage is suggested at the first appearance datum (FAD) of Arthricocephalus chauveaui Bergeron, 1899 within the evolutionary lineage from Ar. jiangkouensis Yin in Yin & Li,1978 to Ar. chauveaui in a global scale.     

寒武纪叶足动物与现生有爪类的亲缘关系再讨论

目的 对位于中国云南省东部的早寒武世澄江化石库保存的软躯体构造的叶足动物化石进行系统研究,探究叶足动物这一灭绝类群与现生有爪类的亲缘关系.方法 将叶足动物化石与现生有爪类进行形态对比分析,详细讨论它们之间可能的近裔特征,从生物演化角度系统探究两者之间的亲缘关系.结果 叶足动物与现生有爪类亲缘关系相对较远.结论 现生有爪类极有可能是叶足动物演化过程中的一个侧支.