Trace fossil evidence for Ediacaran bilaterian animals with complex behaviors
Trace fossil evidence for Ediacaran bilaterian animals with complex behaviors
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具有复杂行为的埃迪卡拉两侧对称动物的追踪化石证据
DOI：
10.1016/j.precamres.2012.11.004
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发表时间：
2013-01-01
影响因子：
3.8
通讯作者：
Xiao, Shuhai
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Chen, Zhe;Zhou, Chuanming;Xiao, Shuhai
区分埃迪卡拉遗迹化石和管状遗体化石可能是一个挑战，之前被解释为动物遗迹的几个埃迪卡拉化石被证明是管状遗迹化石。尽管如此，仍然存在真正的埃迪卡拉纪遗迹化石，但它们相对较少，形态简单，以水平小径和浅洞穴为主。在寒武纪爆发之前，这种简单的形态被认为是动物生物扰动适度行为复杂性和有限地理生物学影响的证据。本文报道了长江三峡中国南段埃迪卡拉纪灯影组末期(551Ma541 Ma)的三种遗迹化石--水平隧道遗迹、地表遗迹遗迹和垂直遗迹。纵横交错的隧道和划痕的存在表明，这些痕迹不太可能是管状身体化石；相反，这三种类型的痕迹可能分别代表了与垫下觅食、底栖动物移动和临时栖息地有关的动物活动。我们表明，这三种类型的痕迹是由相同的双边动物构建的，这些动物与微生物垫有适度复杂的相互作用，以利用营养物质和氧气资源。这些动物预示着生态系统工程、动物-沉积物相互作用和生物地球化学循环的新纪元。(C)2012爱思唯尔B.V.保留所有权利。
Distinguishing Ediacaran trace fossils from tubular body fossils can be a challenge, and several Ediacaran fossils previously interpreted as animal traces have been shown to be tubular body fossils. Nonetheless, true Ediacaran trace fossils are present, but they are relatively few and morphologically simple, dominated by horizontal trails and shallow burrows. Such simple morphologies have been taken as evidence for a modest behavioral complexity and limited geobiological impact of animal bioturbators before the Cambrian explosion. Here we report three types of trace fossils-horizontal tunnels, surface tracks/trails, and vertical traces-from the latest Ediacaran Dengying Formation (551-541 Ma) in the Yangtze Gorges area of South China. Cross-cutting tunnels and the presence of scratch marks indicate that these traces are unlikely tubular body fossils; instead, these three types of traces likely represent animal activities related to under-mat feeding, epibenthic locomotion, and temporary dwelling, respectively. We show that these three types of traces were constructed by the same bilaterian animals that had moderately complex interactions with microbial mats to exploit nutrients and O-2 resources. These animals heralded a new age in ecosystem engineering, animal-sediment interaction, and biogeochemical cycling. (c) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.