The Emu Bay Shale Konservat-Lagerstätte: a view of Cambrian life from East Gondwana

Paterson, John R.; García‐Bellido, Diego C.; Jago, James B.; Gehlîng, James G.; Lee, Michael S. Y.; Edgecombe, Gregory D.

doi:10.1144/jgs2015-083

Cited by 85 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 84 publications

(94 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…; figured but undescribed by Paterson et al . ); 20, Burgess Shale and associated units, British Columbia, Canada, five species plus an additional undescribed form from Marble Canyon (see Parry et al . ); 21, Kessyusa Formation, Siberia, Russia, priapulid teeth SCF s (Nagovitsin ); 22–24, 26–34, see Smith et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cryptic record of Burgess Shale‐type diversity from the early Cambrian of Baltica

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Exceptionally preserved 'Burgess Shale-type' fossil assemblages from the Cambrian of Laurentia, South China and Australia record a diverse array of non-biomineralizing organisms. During this time, the palaeocontinent Baltica was geographically isolated from these regions, and is conspicuously lacking in terms of comparable accessible early Cambrian Lagerst€ atten. Here we report a diverse assemblage of small carbonaceous fossils (SCFs) from the early Cambrian (Stage 4) File Haidar Formation of southeast Sweden and surrounding areas of the Baltoscandian Basin, including exceptionally preserved remains of Burgess Shale-type metazoans and other organisms. Recovered SCFs include taxonomically resolvable ecdysozoan elements (priapulid and palaeoscolecid worms), lophotrochozoan elements (annelid chaetae and wiwaxiid sclerites), as well as 'protoconodonts', denticulate feeding structures, and a background of filamentous and spheroidal microbes. The annelids, wiwaxiids and priapulids are the first recorded from the Cambrian of Baltica. The File Haidar SCF assemblage is broadly comparable to those recovered from Cambrian basins in Laurentia and South China, though differences at lower taxonomic levels point to possible environmental or palaeogeographical controls on taxon ranges. These data reveal a fundamentally expanded picture of early Cambrian diversity on Baltica, and provide key insights into high-latitude Cambrian faunas and patterns of SCF preservation. We establish three new taxa based on large populations of distinctive SCFs: Baltiscalida njorda gen. et sp. nov. (a priapulid), Baltichaeta jormunganda gen. et sp. nov. (an annelid) and Baltinema rana gen. et sp. nov. (a filamentous problematicum).

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A cryptic record of Burgess Shale‐type diversity from the early Cambrian of Baltica

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…; Jago & Cooper ) and at Big Gully, which is situated approximately 7 km east of the Emu Bay township and 1.5 km west of White Point (see Paterson et al . , fig. ).…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…E. bilobata approaches densities of up to 300 individuals per square metre within the EBS (comprising up to 80% of individuals on each slab), and it has been suggested that this species was an exaerobic specialist, occupying a niche between oxic and anoxic areas of the seafloor (Paterson et al . ). Specimens of the larger trilobite Redlichia takooensis Lu are also very common.…”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

See 1 more Smart Citation

An exceptional record of Cambrian trilobite moulting behaviour preserved in the Emu Bay Shale, South Australia

Drage

Holmes

García‐Bellido

et al. 2018

LET

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Trilobites dominate the Emu Bay Shale (EBS) assemblage (Cambrian Series 2, Stage 4, South Australia) in terms of numbers, with Estaingia bilobata Pocock being extremely abundant, and the larger Redlichia takooensis Lu , being common. Many specimens within the EBS represent complete moulted exoskeletons, which is unusual for Cambrian fossil deposits. The abundance of complete moults provides an excellent record that has allowed the recognition of various recurrent moult configurations for both species, enabling the inference of movement sequences required to produce such arrangements. Moult configurations of E. bilobata are characterized by slight displacement of the joined rostral plate and librigenae, often accompanied by detachment of the cranidium, suggesting ecdysis was achieved by anterior withdrawal via opening of the cephalic sutures. Moulting in R. takooensis often followed the same method, but configurations show greater displacement of cephalic sclerites, suggesting more vigorous movement by the animal during moulting. Both species also show rare examples of Salter's configuration, with the entire cephalon anteriorly inverted, and several other unusual configurations. These results indicate that moulting in trilobites was a more variable process than originally thought. In contrast, other Cambrian Konservat‐Lagerstätten with an abundance of trilobites (e.g. Wheeler Shale, USA, and Mount Stephen Trilobite Beds, Canada) show larger numbers of ‘axial shields’ and isolated sclerites, often interpreted as disarticulated exuviae. This points to a higher level of disturbance from factors, such as animal activity, depositional processes or water movement, compared to that of the EBS, where quiescent conditions and intermittent seafloor anoxia contributed to an unparalleled trilobite moulting record.

show abstract

“…), Emu Bay (Paterson et al . ) and the Spence Shale (Garson et al . ); however, they are typically bereft of soft parts and offer no or little direct evidence of attachment or lifestyles.…”

Section: The Cambrian Way Of Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

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

Topper

Zhang

Gutiérrez-Marco

et al. 2018

LET

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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.

show abstract

The Emu Bay Shale Konservat-Lagerstätte: a view of Cambrian life from East Gondwana

Cited by 85 publications

References 84 publications

A cryptic record of Burgess Shale‐type diversity from the early Cambrian of Baltica

A cryptic record of Burgess Shale‐type diversity from the early Cambrian of Baltica

An exceptional record of Cambrian trilobite moulting behaviour preserved in the Emu Bay Shale, South Australia

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

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About