Early Cambrian Metazoan Eggs, Embryos, and Phosphatic Microfossils From Northwestern Canada

Pyle, Leanne J.; Narbonne, Guy M.; Nowlan, Godfrey S.; Xiao, Shuhai; James, Noël P.

doi:10.1666/0022-3360(2006)80[811:ecmeea]2.0.co;2

Cited by 39 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 47 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Some specimens contain apatite-encrusted filaments (Fig. 3F) similar to the filamentous interior found in many phosphatized microfossils in Neoproterozoic-Cambrian phosphorites (32,33).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 58%

The controversial “Cambrian” fossils of the Vindhyan are real but more than a billion years older

Bengtson¹,

Belivanova²,

Rasmussen

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The age of the Vindhyan sedimentary basin in central India is controversial, because geochronology indicating early Proterozoic ages clashes with reports of Cambrian fossils. We present here an integrated paleontologic-geochronologic investigation to resolve this conundrum. New sampling of Lower Vindhyan phosphoritic stromatolitic dolomites from the northern flank of the Vindhyans confirms the presence of fossils most closely resembling those found elsewhere in Cambrian deposits: annulated tubes, embryolike globules with polygonal surface pattern, and filamentous and coccoidal microbial fabrics similar to Girvanella and Renalcis. None of the fossils, however, can be ascribed to uniquely Cambrian or Ediacaran taxa. Indeed, the embryo-like globules are not interpreted as fossils at all but as former gas bubbles trapped in mucus-rich cyanobacterial mats. Direct dating of the same fossiliferous phosphorite yielded a Pb-Pb isochron of 1,650 ؎ 89 (2) million years ago, confirming the Paleoproterozoic age of the fossils. New U-Pb geochronology of zircons from tuffaceous mudrocks in the Lower Vindhyan Porcellanite Formation on the southern flank of the Vindhyans give comparable ages. The Vindhyan phosphorites provide a window of 3-dimensionally preserved Paleoproterozoic fossils resembling filamentous and coccoidal cyanobacteria and filamentous eukaryotic algae, as well as problematic forms. Like Neoproterozoic phosphorites a billion years later, the Vindhyan deposits offer important new insights into the nature and diversity of life, and in particular, the early evolution of multicellular eukaryotes.geochronology ͉ India ͉ Mesoproterozoic ͉ paleontology ͉ Paleoproterozoic

show abstract

“…Some specimens contain apatite-encrusted filaments (Fig. 3F) similar to the filamentous interior found in many phosphatized microfossils in Neoproterozoic-Cambrian phosphorites (32,33).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 58%

The controversial “Cambrian” fossils of the Vindhyan are real but more than a billion years older

Bengtson¹,

Belivanova²,

Rasmussen

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In the Northwest Territories of Canada the first appearances are reported from the Ingta Formation of the Wernecke Mountains, correlated with the basal Cambrian Anabarites-Protohertzina Zone (Pyle et al 2006) and underlain by the Precambrian-Cambrian boundary negative excursion (Narbonne, Kaufman & Knoll, 1994;Pyle et al 2004), and from the Sekwi Formation of the Mackenzie Mountains and basal Rosella Formation of the Cassiar Mountains, correlated with the Fallotaspis and Nevadella zones (Voronova et al 1987;Dillard et al 2007). In Greenland, important first occurrences are reported from the lower Buen Formation, biostratigraphically correlated with the Nevadella Zone and upper Atdabanian Stage (Conway Morris et al 1987;Conway Morris, 1989;Debrenne & Reitner, 2001;Conway Morris & Peel, 2008, and from the upper Bastion-Ella Island formations, correlated with the Bonnia-Olenellus Zone and Botoman Stage (Skovsted, 2003(Skovsted, , 2004(Skovsted, , 2006.…”

Section: H Laurentiamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A probably coeval occurrence of Carinachites sp. is described from the upper Ingta Formation in northwestern Canada (Laurentia), also assigned to the Anabarites trisulcatus-Protohertzina anabarica Zone (Pyle et al 2006; online Appendices 1, 2 at http://journals.cambridge.org/geo; Fig. 2).…”

Section: B4 Protoconulariidsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Probably the earliest hyolithelminths are represented by Hyolithellus spp. from the Anabarites trisulcatus-Protohertzina anabarica Assemblage Zone of South China (Brasier, 1989a;Qian & Bengtson, 1989;Qian, 1999;Qian et al 2002), Ingta Formation of Laurentia (Pyle et al 2006) and Lower Tal Formation of India (Brasier & Singh, 1987; online Appendices 1, 2 at http://journals.cambridge.org/geo; Fig. 2).…”

Section: B5 Hyolithelminthsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Protoconodonts are microstructurally different from para-and euconodonts (see Section 3.q); finds of animals with grouped protoconodonts in the Chengjiang fossil lagerstätte (Chen & Huang, 2002;Vannier et al 2007) and partially articulated protoconodont apparatuses of lower Meishucunian species Mongolodus longispinus ) demonstrate their affinity with chaetognathans (Szaniawski, 1982(Szaniawski, , 2002Hamdi, Brasier & Jiang, 1989;Azmi, 1996;McIlroy & Szaniawski, 2000;Doguzhaeva, Mapes & Mutve, 2002;Azmi & Paul, 2004;Qian et al 2004;Pyle et al 2006;Vannier et al 2007; see also Remarks in section 'Protoconodonts' in online Appendix 1 at http://journals.cambridge.org/geo). The primary nature of phosphatization in protoconodonts has been questioned, however, because microstructures rather suggest that in analogy with grasping hooks of modern chaetognaths the protoconodonts had an organic composition, i.e.…”

Section: C Protoconodontsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Chronology of early Cambrian biomineralization

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-Data on the first appearances of major animal groups with mineralized skeletons on the Siberian Platform and worldwide are revised and summarized herein with references to an improved carbon isotope stratigraphy and radiometric dating in order to reconstruct the Cambrian radiation (popularly known as the 'Cambrian explosion') with a higher precision and provide a basis for the definition of Cambrian Stages 2 to 4. The Lophotrochozoa and, probably, Chaetognatha were first among protostomians to achieve biomineralization during the Terreneuvian Epoch, mainly the Fortunian Age. Fast evolutionary radiation within the Lophotrochozoa was followed by radiation of the sclerotized and biomineralized Ecdysozoa during Stage 3. The first mineralized skeletons of the Deuterostomia, represented by echinoderms, appeared in the middle of Cambrian Stage 3. The fossil record of sponges and cnidarians suggests that they acquired biomineralized skeletons in the late Neoproterozoic, but diversification of both definite sponges and cnidarians was in parallel to that of bilaterians. The distribution of calcium carbonate skeletal mineralogies from the upper Ediacaran to lower Cambrian reflects fluctuations in the global ocean chemistry and shows that the Cambrian radiation occurred mainly during a time of aragonite and high-magnesium calcite seas.

show abstract

Phosphogenesis in the 2460 and 2728 million‐year‐old banded iron formations as evidence for biological cycling of phosphate in the early biosphere

Sun

Chan

2013

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The banded iron formation deposited during the first 2 billion years of Earth's history holds the key to understanding the interplay between the geosphere and the early biosphere at large geological timescales. The earliest ore-scale phosphorite depositions formed almost at ∼2.0–2.2 billion years ago bear evidence for the earliest bloom of aerobic life. The cycling of nutrient phosphorus and how it constrained primary productivity in the anaerobic world of Archean–Palaeoproterozoic eons are still open questions. The controversy centers about whether the precipitation of ultrafine ferric oxyhydroxide due to the microbial Fe(II) oxidation in oceans earlier than 1.9 billion years substantially sequestrated phosphate, and whether this process significantly limited the primary productivity of the early biosphere. In this study, we report apatite radial flowers of a few micrometers in the 2728 million-year-old Abitibi banded iron formation and the 2460 million-year-old Kuruman banded iron formation and their similarities to those in the 535 million-year-old Lower Cambrian phosphorite. The lithology of the 535 Million-year-old phosphorite as a biosignature bears abundant biomarkers that reveal the possible similar biogeochemical cycling of phosphorus in the Later Archean and Palaeoproterozoic oceans. These apatite radial flowers represent the primary precipitation of phosphate derived from the phytoplankton blooms in the euphotic zones of Neoarchean and Palaoeproterozoic oceans. The unbiased distributions of the apatite radial flowers within sub-millimeter bands do not support the idea of an Archean Crisis of Phosphate. This is the first report of the microbial mediated mineralization of phosphorus before the Great Oxidation Event when the whole biosphere was still dominated by anaerobic microorganisms.

show abstract

Early Cambrian Metazoan Eggs, Embryos, and Phosphatic Microfossils From Northwestern Canada

Abstract: BioOne Complete (complete.BioOne.org) is a full-text database of 200 subscribed and open-access titles in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences published by nonprofit societies, associations, museums, institutions, and presses.

Cited by 39 publications

References 47 publications

The controversial “Cambrian” fossils of the Vindhyan are real but more than a billion years older

The controversial “Cambrian” fossils of the Vindhyan are real but more than a billion years older

Chronology of early Cambrian biomineralization

Phosphogenesis in the 2460 and 2728 million‐year‐old banded iron formations as evidence for biological cycling of phosphate in the early biosphere

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About