Microfossils with tail-like structures in the 3.4 Gyr old Strelley Pool Formation
Microfossils with tail-like structures in the 3.4 Gyr old Strelley Pool Formation
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DOI：
10.1016/j.precamres.2021.106187
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发表时间：
2021-06
影响因子：
3.8
通讯作者：
F. Delarue;S. Bernard;K. Sugitani;F. Robert;R. Tartèse;S. Albers;R. Duhamel;S. Pont;S. Derenne
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
F. Delarue;S. Bernard;K. Sugitani;F. Robert;R. Tartèse;S. Albers;R. Duhamel;S. Pont;S. Derenne
一些最古老的浮游生活方式的痕迹已在大约 10 世纪被报道。来自西澳大利亚斯特雷池地层的 34 亿年前的硅化沉积物。对凸缘附属物的观察表明，太古宙的生命运动是被动的，是由周围环境中微生物的漂移驱动的。到目前为止，最古老的主动运动痕迹是大约。 21亿年历史。太古代时期是否已经存在主动运动仍然是一个悬而未决的问题。在这项研究中，我们报告了从斯特雷利池地层中分离出来的新的 34 亿年前的微化石的发现，这些化石表现出尾状结构。拉曼光谱通常在斯特雷池地层的有机壁微化石中观察到，这些呈现尾状结构的微化石与其主岩是同生的。这些有机壁微化石由碳、氮和（其中一个样本）磷组成，其中一些有机壁微化石还表现出显着水平的脂肪族和酰胺部分，支持其生物源性。此外，这些微化石表现出尾状附属物，与现代微生物中的运动细胞器（如古菌、鞭毛和纤毛）具有相似的形态特征。这表明观察到的这种附肢可能为它们提供了运动能力。如果正确的话，这些微生物具有移动能力，早在 34 亿年前就能够逃离恶劣的环境和/或定居新的生态位。
Some of the oldest traces for planktonic lifestyle have been reported in ca. 3.4 billion years old silicified sediments from the Strelley Pool Formation in Western Australia. Observation of flange appendages suggests that Archean life motility was passive and driven by drifting of microorganisms in their surrounding environment. Until now, the oldest traces for active motility are ca. 2.1 billion years old. Whether or not active motility already existed during the Archean eon remains an open question. In this study, we report the discovery of new 3.4 billion years old microfossils exhibiting a tail-like structure isolated from the Strelley Pool Formation. Exhibiting Raman spectra typically observed in organic-walled microfossils from the Strelley Pool Formation, these microfossils exhibiting a tail-like structure are syngenetic with their host rock. Composed of carbon, nitrogen, and, for one specimen, phosphorus, some of these organic-walled microfossils also exhibit significant level of aliphatic and amide moieties supporting their biogenicity. In addition, these microfossils exhibit a tail-like appendage sharing similar morphological features with locomotory organelles in modern microorganisms such as archaella, flagella, and cilia. This suggests that this observed appendage likely provided them with movement capabilities. If correct, with the ability to move, these microorganisms were capable of escaping from harsh environments and/or colonizing new ecological niches as early as 3.4 billion years ago.