埃迪卡拉纪晚期的化石生物群是研究寒武纪生命大爆发事件演化背景的直接证据。然而，目前该段地史时期特异埋藏化石生物群资料的匮乏导致古生物学者对这一演化背景的认识还知之甚少。产于我国上扬子地台北缘陕西宁强境内埃迪卡拉系灯影组顶部、主要以磷酸盐化方式保存的化石生物群是目前世界范围内研究早期生命在前寒武纪–寒武纪过渡时期演化历史的宝贵证据来源。申请人及项目组成员在国家自然科学基金青年基金的资助下，在对过去发现的化石生物类型进行系统深入研究的基础上又发现了新的重要化石类型。新发现的化石类型主要包括：兼有埃迪卡拉纪和寒武纪化石形态特征的管状化石、似胚胎化石、似Namacalathus (纳玛高脚杯虫)化石、带刺疑源类化石。本研究拟对这些新发现的化石类型进行系统深入的化石埋藏学、古生物学、古生态学研究，并争取在此基础上进一步发现更多的生物类型。

Late Ediacaran fossil biotas shed remarkable insights into the understanding of the evolutionary background of the “Cambrian Explosion” event. However, our current knowledge on the evolutionary history of life at the Precambrian–Cambrian transitional periods has largely been limited by the shortage of exceptionally preserved fossil deposits. Three-dimensionally phosphatized fossil assemblages from dolostone bed of the latest Ediacaran Dengying Formation—located in the northwest margin of the Yangtze Platform, southern Shaanxi Province, South China—are among the most important fossil biotas which help to bridge the evolutionary links of life in the Ediacaran and Cambrian periods. Under financial support of the National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Fund, we conducted a systematic evaluation on the paleobiology and paleoecology of the previously reported fossil taxa in this assemblage. More important, more new taxa have been discovered in the past two years’ taxonomic investigation, including Ediacaran- and Cambrian-like tubular fossils, possible fossil embryos, Namacalathus-like fossils, and acritarchs. This project aims to carry out a synthesis of thorough taphonomic, paleobiological, and paleoecological documentation on this important fossil biota. Hopefully, more new taxa can be found in the following four-year study.