图利蒙斯特鲁姆的眼睛显示出脊椎动物的亲和力
Thomas Clements1, Andrei Dolocan2, Peter Martin3,4
1Department of Geology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
Nature
|April 14, 2016
概括
这种神秘的塔利怪物 (Tullimonstrum gregarium) 已被确定为脊椎动物. 分析它化石的眼睛揭示了独特的黑色素体, 这是一种与脊椎动物共同的关键特性.
科学领域:
- 古生物学
- 进化生物学
- 脊椎动物学
背景情况:
- 塔利蒙斯特鲁姆 (Tullimonstrum gregarium) 是一个来自梅森溪的石灰岩化石,几十年来一直在挑战遗传学分类.
- 之前的研究未能确定其亲属性,并提出与类,类和类的联系.
- 由于缺乏明确的同类解剖学证据,
研究的目的:
- 为了确定Tullimonstrum gregarium的遗传亲缘关系.
- 为了研究图利蒙斯特姆眼睛的超结构细节.
- 确定化石黑色素体是否可以提供遗传信号.
主要方法:
- 扫描电子显微镜 (SEM) 用于对化石眼睛进行解剖分析.
- 飞行时间二次离子质谱 (ToF-SIMS) 用于识别微生物.
- 多变量统计分析微生物的化学特征.
主要成果:
- 图利蒙斯特鲁姆的眼睛呈现出具有明显的球形和圆柱形黑色素的视网膜.
- ToF-SIMS和统计分析证实这些微生物是黑色体.
- 两种不同的黑色素体形态的分层排列是一种脊椎动物的协同形态.
结论:
- 在Tullimonstrum中存在脊椎动物特有的黑色素结构表明它是脊椎动物.
- 化石黑色素可以保存色彩和生态之外的基因信息.
- 图利蒙斯特鲁姆是脊椎动物群中一个解剖学上不寻常的脊椎动物.
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