A diverse calcified cyanobacteria assemblage in the latest Ediacaran

Xiao, Min; Hong, Hui; Liu, Lijing; Sun, Bo; Cui, Zaihang; Dai, Qiaokun

doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2020.105669

Cited by 9 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 31 publications

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“…Body fossils of Archean and Proterozoic cyanobacteria are mostly preserved as condensed carbon in kerogen, embedded in silica, or phosphatized, and are rarely calcified. In contrast, Phanerozoic fossil cyanobacteria are usually calcified (Golubic and Seong-Joo, 1999;Riding, 2006;Schopf, 2012;Min et al, 2020), a process that is often microbially induced and is dependent on water chemistry and physiological and morphological factors (Riding, 2006;Konhauser and Riding, 2012). Calcified cyanobacteria are relatively common on Paleozoic and Mesozoic marine carbonate platforms (Riding, 1992) and played an important role in the formation of lime mud in ancient shallow-marine carbonates, especially in the early Paleozoic (Pratt, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity and systematics of Middle-Late Ordovician calcified cyanobacteria and associated microfossils from Ordos Basin, North China

Liu

Bao

et al. 2020

J. Paleontol.

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Calcified cyanobacteria are of considerable research value for reconstructing the ecology of Paleozoic and Mesozoic benthic communities on carbonate platforms due to their ability to produce oxygen and fix nitrogen and CO2. The diversity and abundance of calcified cyanobacteria was initially suggested to have declined in the Middle and Late Ordovician, although more recent work suggests that complex and diverse assemblages persisted throughout the Ordovician. Here, calcified cyanobacteria and associated microfossil flora from the Middle and Late Ordovician of the Ordos Basin, North China Block, are systematically described for the first time based on 1330 thin sections from seven outcrop profiles and four drill cores. In total, there are 18 species belonging to 16 genera, including a new species, Proaulopora ordosia n. sp. Girvanella, Subtifloria, Acuasiphonoria, Xianella, and Oscillatoriaceae gen. indet. are assigned to Osillatoriales of cyanobacteria; Ortonella, Hedstroemia, Cayeuxia, Zonotrichites, Proaulopora, and Phacelophyton are assigned to Nostocales of cyanobacteria; and Garwoodia, Renalcis, Izhella, Rothpletzella, and Wetheredella are assigned to calcified Microproblematica. A literature survey of Ordovician microfloral assemblages shows that cyanobacteria and associated microfossils occur in reef, open platform, lagoon, and tidal facies. Most genera occur on at least two independent blocks, and many have a cosmopolitan distribution in similar sedimentary facies. Our research suggests that calcified cyanobacteria and associated microfossils formed complex ecosystems and played greater ecological roles on carbonate platforms during the late Middle and Late Ordovician than was previously thought. UUID: http://zoobank.org/1812ccf8-136c-4cff-92ba-faeaf06523ef

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