Prokaryotic and eukaryotic microfossils from a Proterozoic/Phanerozoic transition in China

Awramik, Stanley M.; McMenamin, Dianna Schulte; Yin, Changqing; Zhao, Zhong-Qiu; Qixiu, Ding; Zhang, Shusen

doi:10.1038/315655a0

Cited by 66 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…In addition, the assemblage described here generally resembles those described from Dengyingxia'an strata in southern China (Song et al, 1984). Awramik et al (1985) have described large process-bearing microfossils from Upper Proterozoic rocks of south China, but these fossils are found only in silicified carbonates. Apparently they do not occur in palynological preparations of cherts or shales.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The obvious approach to an answer is to examine microfossil assemblages from other geographic areas. This is now being done; Upper Proterozoic sequences in western North America (Vidal & Ford, 1985) and China (Sin & Liu, 1976;Song et al, 1984;Awramik et al, 1985) are currently the subjects of intensive micropalaeontological investigation. In this paper, we describe a well- …”

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confidence: 97%

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Micropalaeontology of the Late Proterozoic Arcoona Quartzite Member of the Tent Hill Formation, Stuart Shelf, South Australia

Damassa

Knoll

1986

Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

mentioning

confidence: 97%

Micropalaeontology of the Late Proterozoic Arcoona Quartzite Member of the Tent Hill Formation, Stuart Shelf, South Australia

Damassa

Knoll

1986

Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology

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“…Zhu et al 22 first reported fossils in Doushantuo phosphorites, but it was Zhang 23 8,9 , but structures originally interpreted as microburrows 25 appear to be oblique sections through large, multilamellate cyanobacterial filaments 13 .…”

Section: Multicellular Algaementioning

confidence: 97%

Three-dimensional preservation of algae and animal embryos in a Neoproterozoic phosphorite

Xiao

Zhang²,

Knoll

1998

Nature

713

378

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Phosphorites of the late Neoproterozoic (570 Ϯ 20 Myr BP) Doushantuo Formation, southern China, preserve an exceptional record of multicellular life from just before the Ediacaran radiation of macroscopic animals. Abundant thalli with cellular structures preserved in three-dimensional detail show that latest-Proterozoic algae already possessed many of the anatomical and reproductive features seen in the modern marine flora. Embryos preserved in early cleavage stages indicate that the divergence of lineages leading to bilaterians may have occurred well before their macroscopic traces or body fossils appear in the geological record. Discovery of these fossils shows that the early evolution of multicellular organisms is amenable to direct palaeontological inquiry.Most of the fossils that document the first 85% of evolutionary history are microscopic. Not until the Phanerozoic eon (Ͻ544 Myr BP) do the remains of large animals, algae and, later, plants become conspicuous constituents of the sedimentary record. The most important biological event that connects these palaeobiologically distinct eras is the evolution of complex multicellularity in eukaryotes. Multicellular organisms arose at least six times: in animals, fungi and several groups of algae 1 . Macroscopic remains of uncertain systematic affinities occur in rocks as old as 1,800-2,100 Myr BP 2 and cellularly preserved microfossils of red, green and stramenopile (brown and related) algae indicate that multicellularity was achieved in these groups by about 1,000 Myr 3 . Multicellularity may have evolved comparably early in minute ancestral animals, but until now any pre-Ediacaran animal history has been contentious and thought by many to be unrecognized and perhaps unrecognizable by palaeontologists.Phosphorites of the Doushantuo Formation in southern China contain three-dimensionally preserved fossils that record in exquisite Figure 1 Location and generalized stratigraphy of the fossiliferous Weng'an section in Guizhou Province, South China. The arrow indicates the principal stratigraphic horizon containing phosphatized algae and embryos. Fm, Formation.Figure 2 Algal thalli from the Doushantuo phosphorite and the modern bangiophyte red alga, Prophyra suborbiculata. a-c, Thalli from Doushantuo phosphorite. a, b, Scanning electron micrographs of a thallus composed of cuboidal cell packets similar to those of modern chlorosarcinacean green algae; b, the upper left quadrant of a at higher magnification. c, Photomicrograph of cruciate cell tetrads embedded in a foliose thallus; d, Carposporangia within the thallus of living Porphyra. Scale bar (in d): 200 m for a; 50 m for b; and 100 m for c and d.

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“…Traces associated with Late Proterozoic faunas are horizontal or nearly so and did not penetrate the ancient sediments deeply, suggesting creeping surficial or semi-infaunal locomotion on the sea floor (21-23, 26, 27). The only documented penetrating vertical burrows known to be in place in Late Proterozoic rocks are microscopic and are unlikely to record the activities of coelomates (28), although Fedonkin (29) has noted that there is evidence of shallow burrowing in the shallowest water facies of Late Proterozoic sediments.…”

Section: Early Fossil Record Of Body Plansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bilaterians of the Precambrian—Cambrian transition and the annelid—arthropod relationship

Valentine

1989

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

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Prokaryotic and eukaryotic microfossils from a Proterozoic/Phanerozoic transition in China

Cited by 66 publications

References 12 publications

Micropalaeontology of the Late Proterozoic Arcoona Quartzite Member of the Tent Hill Formation, Stuart Shelf, South Australia

Micropalaeontology of the Late Proterozoic Arcoona Quartzite Member of the Tent Hill Formation, Stuart Shelf, South Australia

Three-dimensional preservation of algae and animal embryos in a Neoproterozoic phosphorite

Bilaterians of the Precambrian—Cambrian transition and the annelid—arthropod relationship

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