现代淡水微岩类似于古代树状珊瑚礁结构的现代微岩
B Laval1, S L Cady, J C Pollack
1School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.
Nature
|October 18, 2000
概括
研究人员在加拿大发现了现代的淡水微生物,其微观结构类似于古代的Epiphyton和Girvanella. 这些发现提供了关于神秘的早期坎布里亚纪珊瑚礁结构背后的生物地化学过程的见解.
科学领域:
- 地质地质地质地质地质地
- 古生物学的古生物学
- 微生物学 微生物学
背景情况:
- 微生物质是由各种微生物形成的古老的有机沉积物结构.
- 坎布里亚早期的珊瑚礁中出现了Epiphyton和Girvanella,但形成它们的过程仍然不清楚.
- 现代微石为研究古代珊瑚礁形成过程提供了潜在的类似物.
研究的目的:
- 为了研究位于不列颠哥伦比亚省帕维伦湖 (Pavilion Lake) 的现代淡水微生物.
- 为了比较现代微生物的微观结构与神秘的坎布里亚早期珊瑚礁建造者,如Epiphyton和Girvanella.
- 探索这些现代微型矿石作为古代石灰质结构的类比的潜力.
主要方法:
- 在Pavilion湖的不同深度进行了现场勘探和微生物样本采集.
- 现代微生物的微结构分析.
- 现代微生物质织物与化石Epiphyton和Girvanella结构的比较.
主要成果:
- 发现了一种独特的淡水石微生物聚合物.
- 观测到现代微生物中类似于古代Epiphyton和Girvanella的微观结构.
- 形态变化随着深度的增加,包括深水土丘 (>30米) 中的树突微结构.
结论:
- 来自Pavilion Lake的现代微岩石表现出微观结构的相似性,与关键的早期坎布里亚纪珊瑚礁构建生物相似.
- 深水微岩的形态表明它们可能是古代石灰质结构的现代类比.
- 这些发现为研究对神秘的早期坎布里亚纪珊瑚礁结构负责的生物地球化学相互作用提供了有价值的系统.
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