Survival on a soft seafloor: life strategies of brachiopods from the Cambrian Burgess Shale

Topper, Timothy P.; Strotz, Luke C.; Holmer, Lars E.; Caron, Jean‐Bernard

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2015.10.015

Cited by 37 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 93 publications

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“…; Topper et al . , b). Therefore, the conical ventral valve appears to be related to the secondary tiering life habits sitting like little ‘bells’ on sponges and other filtrating benthos (Wang et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post‐metamorphic allometry in the earliest acrotretoid brachiopods from the lower Cambrian (Series 2) of South China, and its implications

2017

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Abstract:The earliest growth of post-metamorphic (postlarval) shells in two species of Eohadrotreta is described from the Cambrian Shuijingtuo Formation of South China. Two different growth patterns can be observed by quantifying developmental variations in size and shape of successive stages of post-metamorphic shell growth (including the pedicle foramen forming stage, pedicle foramen enclosing stage and intertrough increasing stage) of Eohadrotreta zhenbaensis and Eohadrotreta? zhujiahensis. The pedicle foramen is never enclosed within the metamorphic shell of E. zhenbaensis, while the enclosed pedicle foramen of E.? zhujiahensis is located directly outside the metamorphic shell after the pedicle foramen enclosing stage. A strongly allometric growth pattern of E. zhenbaensis is demonstrated by the early enclosure of the pedicle foramen; an accelerated lengthening of the ventral intertrough is associated with the development of a more complex dorsal median septum during the intertrough increasing stage. By contrast, E.? zhujiahensis demonstrates possible paedomorphic development by delayed enclosure of pedicle foramen and an associated decreased lengthening of ventral intertrough during the intertrough increasing stage. This ontogenetic developmental sequence represents the marginal accretionary formation and growth of the pedicle foramen, which resembles that of linguloid brachiopods. Furthermore, the developmental process of the pedicle foramen of Eohadrotreta seems to recapitulate the likely evolutionary transition from the Botsfordiidae, with open delthyrium, to the Acrotheloidea, with an enclosed foramen. This study provides a unique opportunity to obtain a complete understanding of the ontogenetic development of the earliest acrotretoids, and casts new light on the phylogeny of lingulate brachiopods.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post‐metamorphic allometry in the earliest acrotretoid brachiopods from the lower Cambrian (Series 2) of South China, and its implications

2017

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“…The Chengjiang and Burgess Shale deposits yield a highly disparate and low diversity brachiopod fauna (Zhang & Holmer ; Topper et al . ). Sixteen species from eleven families have been documented across the two localities (excluding the stem‐group forms), allowing for an expansive view of life strategies across the phylum (Fig.…”

Section: The Cambrian Way Of Lifementioning

confidence: 97%

“…; Topper et al . , ,b, ) and to a lesser extent the Stage 4 Guanshan Biota (Hu et al . ) have provided much of our knowledge regarding the early ecology and adaptive morphologies of the Brachiopoda.…”

Section: The Cambrian Way Of Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Micromitra burgessensis Resser ; see Topper et al . ,b; Fig. A, B) to a much thicker and longer (<2 times shell length) pedicle (e.g.…”

Section: The Cambrian Way Of Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Topper et al . (, ,b) suggested that perhaps one of the most important adaptations of Cambrian brachiopods was the ability to attach to hard substrates and subsequently raising the individuals above the seafloor. The potential evolutionary advantage of hard substrate attachment has been discussed in some detail, with brachiopods benefiting from ease of attachment, increased food supply, avoidance of turbid benthic conditions, biofoul and possible protection from predators (Zhang et al .…”

Section: The Cambrian Way Of Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

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The dawn of a dynasty: life strategies of Cambrian and Ordovician brachiopods

Topper

Zhang

Gutiérrez-Marco

et al. 2018

LET

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Brachiopods are among the first animal phyla to emerge from the Cambrian Explosion, rapidly diversifying to all major palaeocontinental blocks within 20 million years. The group underwent another steep rise in diversity during the Ordovician, and their relative abundance and diversity made them one of the most successful invertebrate groups during the entire Palaeozoic. During this time, brachiopods lived in a range of environments and represented a significant component of marine ecosystems, yet information regarding their modes of life and ecology is somewhat limited. Recent studies, primarily from the Chengjiang and Burgess Shale Lagerstätten, have revealed that by the Middle Cambrian (Series 3, Stage 5) brachiopods from across the phylum had already developed a range of ecological strategies and life modes. Cambrian brachiopods occupied distinct trophic niches on soft and hard substrates and exhibited at least five types of lifestyles: pedicle attachment, pedicle anchoring, cemented, free‐lying and semi‐infaunal. Comparisons with Ordovician benthic assemblages show that despite the explosion of brachiopod taxa witnessed in the Ordovician, with the exception of the appearance of burrowing brachiopods, life strategies of brachiopods remained largely the same. Indicating that the majority of life modes observed in brachiopods had rapidly evolved and was already in place prior to the Great Ordovician Biodiversity Event.

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Early Cambrian sponges of the Sirius Passet Biota, North Greenland

Botting

Peel

2016

Papers in Palaeontology

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The Sirius Passet Biota of the Buen Formation in North Greenland is one of the key Burgess Shale‐type faunas, as it represents the only diverse early Cambrian (Stage 2, Series 3) biota from Laurentia. The sponges are one of the major components of the fauna, although they appear to be much less abundant than arthropods, based on the available collections. At least 13 species are described here, including the new taxa Hamptonia limatula sp. nov., Lenica perversa sp. nov., Saetaspongia procera sp. nov., Constellatispongia canismajorii gen. et sp. nov. and Crassicoactum cucumis gen. et sp. nov. An additional new species, Ratcliffespongia freuchenensis sp. nov., is described from the upper part of the Buen Formation. The assemblage is dominated by a major lineage of protomonaxonids, together with rarer reticulosans and demosponges. Some taxa, such as the anthaspidellid lithistid Fieldospongia bellilineata, were previously known only from Laurentian faunas; others, such as Saetospongia densa, Solactiniella cf. plumata and Lenica unica, were previously recognized from South China and/or Siberia. The described assemblage confirms the cosmopolitan distribution of Cambrian sponges generally, and suggests that the differences between Laurentian and Chinese assemblages are due more to a taxonomic overturn during Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4, than to the geographical separation. Furthermore, crown‐group demosponges appear to have occupied shallow‐water (perhaps dominantly platform) environments at this time, and may have been much more diversified and widespread than is currently recognized during the early Cambrian.

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Survival on a soft seafloor: life strategies of brachiopods from the Cambrian Burgess Shale

Cited by 37 publications

References 93 publications

Post‐metamorphic allometry in the earliest acrotretoid brachiopods from the lower Cambrian (Series 2) of South China, and its implications

Post‐metamorphic allometry in the earliest acrotretoid brachiopods from the lower Cambrian (Series 2) of South China, and its implications

The dawn of a dynasty: life strategies of Cambrian and Ordovician brachiopods

Early Cambrian sponges of the Sirius Passet Biota, North Greenland

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