一种特殊保存的虫状软体动物来自英格兰的Silurian
M D Sutton1, D E Briggs, D J Siveter
1Earth Sciences Department, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK.
Nature
|March 22, 2001
概括
来自赫雷福德郡Lagerstätte的新发现的Silurian软体动物化石为早期软体动物进化提供了洞察力. 这种特殊的化石代表了一种被化的类动物,揭示了原始软体动物的原始化.
科学领域:
- 古生物学的古生物学
- 进化生物学 进化生物学
- 马拉科学是 Malacology 的一个学科.
背景情况:
- 软体动物的进化起源和关系,特别是像Polyplacophora () 和Aplacophora这样的原始形式,仍然不完全理解.
- 低古生物学时期的鱼化石往往缺乏保存的软组织,而鱼类以前没有被认定为化石,这阻碍了遗传学研究.
研究的目的:
- 为了描述一个新发现的,特别保存的化石软体动物从Silurian Herefordshire Lagerstätte.
- 为了解释这个化石在软体动物中的遗传位置,特别是作为一个潜在的化.
- 利用先进的成像技术,对化石进行详细的三维重建.
主要方法:
- 地质背景:对Herefordshire Lagerstätte进行分析,这是一个Silurian矿床 (大约. 425万年前),以其特殊的化石保存而闻名.
- 化石保存:了解保存微妙结构的分音学过程 (火山灰埋葬,混凝土形成,石填充).
- 图像和重建:采用微米间隔的连续研磨,结合基于计算机的方法,创建化石的3D数字模型.
主要成果:
- 来自赫雷福德郡仓库的完整的虫类软体化石的描述.
- 根据其形态学和板块的存在,将化石解释为一个嵌的aplacophoran.
- 成功的3D重建揭示了非生物矿物化的皮质和内部结构的外部和内部细节.
结论:
- 这一发现代表了首个金甲类动物的化石证据,为了解早期的软体动物多样化做出了重大贡献.
- 这种化石为解决关于最原始的现存软体动物的遗传学不确定性提供了关键数据.
- 赫勒福德郡仓库的特殊保存继续提供有关古生态海洋生物的重要信息.
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