在早期Neoproterozoic微生物珊瑚礁中,可能存在体化石
1Harquail School of Earth Sciences, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. eturner@laurentian.ca.
Nature
|July 29, 2021
概括
最古老的动物尸体化石可能已经被发现,可以追溯到8.9亿年前. 这些化石被认定为虫状微观结构,可能代表早期的海绵,早于新新生代的氧化事件.
科学领域:
- 古生物学的古生物学
- 地质地质地质地质地质地
- 进化生物学 进化生物学
背景情况:
- 分子类遗传学表明,元动物 (metazoans) 起源于早期的新新生态时代,但物理证据仍然很少.
- 鉴定前世动物化石是具有挑战性的,因为对预期的物理特征的不确定性.
- 最基本的已知动物类型 - - 无状状体 - - 具有虫状的微观结构,这种微观结构在法内罗纪的珊瑚礁和微生物碳酸盐中发现.
研究的目的:
- 从大约8.9亿年前的珊瑚礁中呈现出岩石学上相同的虫状微观结构.
- 提供迄今为止最古老的动物尸体化石证据.
- 提供第一个物理证据,证明动物在新新生代氧化事件之前出现,并幸存下来了冷时期的冰川时期.
主要方法:
- 在古代珊瑚碳酸盐中对微观结构的岩石分析.
- 与已知的Phanerozoic化石海绵 (keratosan demosponges) 进行Proterozoic微观结构的比较.
- 对生物体息地的生态上下文分析与化蓝菌的关系.
主要成果:
- 在大约8.9亿年前的珊瑚礁中发现了与非状状菌体的微观结构相同的形微观结构.
- 这种生物体居住在珊瑚礁上,珊瑚礁内和珊瑚礁旁边的微型中,这些由化蓝藻细菌构成.
- 这一发现代表了发现的最古老的潜在动物身体化石证据.
结论:
- 鉴定到的虫状微观结构可能代表了早期质海绵的化石组织.
- 这一发现提供了最早的动物生命的物理证据,可能早于新新生态时期的氧化事件.
- 这些发现表明,动物存在并通过主要的冷纪冰川事件幸存下来.
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