Recently, a joint research team led by Prof. WANG Yongdong from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), and Prof. TIAN Ning from the College of Palaeontology, Shenyang Normal University, reported the discovery of fossil evidence for fungal parasitism and host defense in the Cretaceous Jehol Biota of western Liaoning, China. This marks the first documented record of fungal fossils within the Jehol Biota. The findings of this study were published online in Science Bulletin, an international comprehensive science journal, under the title "A 120-million-year-old fungal parasite from the Cretaceous Jehol Biota".Fungi are vital components of modern terrestrial ecosystems, playing a pivotal role in sustaining material cycling, energy flow, and the structural stability of these systems as a whole. Furthermore, they have forged complex ecological relationships with terrestrial plants through diverse strategies, including saprophytism, parasitism, and symbiosis. However, in comparison to the abundant fossil records of plants and animals throughout geological history, fungal fossils, particularly those of parasitic fungi, remain relatively scarce.The Early Cretaceous "Jehol Biota" of western Liaoning is a world-renowned fossil lagerstaett, celebrated for yielding exquisitely preserved fossils across a wide range of taxa. It provides critical fossil evidence for investigating major evolutionary events, such as the origin of early angiosperms, birds and mammals, thus serving as a key window into the origin and evolution of modern terrestrial ecosystems. Despite this, there have long been no research reports documenting fungal fossils within the Jehol Biota.Recently, a joint research team led by Prof. WANG Yongdong from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), and Prof. TIAN Ning from the College of Palaeontology, Shenyang Normal University, reported the discovery of fossil evidence for fungal parasitism and host defense in the Cretaceous Jehol Biota of western Liaoning, China. This marks the first documented record of fungal fossils within the Jehol Biota. The findings of this study were published online in Science Bulletin, an international comprehensive science journal, under the title "A 120-million-year-old fungal parasite from the Cretaceous Jehol Biota".The research team uncovered well-preserved coniferous wood wood fossil, Protopodocarpoxylon jingangshanense Ding, from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation in the Heichengzi Basin, Beipiao, western Liaoning. Their anatomical features, including Araucaria-type radial pits and Podocarpaceae-type cross-field pits, resemble those of extant Podocarpaceae species. Within these wood fossils, numerous exquisitely preserved characteristic hyphal structures bearing septa and clamp-connections were identified (Figs. 2–3), indicating their phylogenetic affiliation with Basidiomycota fungi. These hyphae colonized host tissues via two mechanisms: first, by penetrating tracheid walls to form apertures; second, by establishing complex branching networks within tracheid lumens through radial and cross-field pits. Additionally, spherical structures like chlamydospores, specialized asexual reproductive propagules, were observed attached to the hyphae. Notably, abundant tyloses were also detected in the infected host wood (Figs. 2–3). Studies of modern plant-fungal interactions have demonstrated that tyloses are physiological defense structures produced by hosts to counteract parasitic fungal invasions. On this basis, the fossil fungus is inferred to have been ecologically parasitic.This marks another significant advancement in the field of Mesozoic wood-inhabiting fungal fossils by the research team, building on their earlier discovery this year of the oldest fossil blue-stain fungi in Jurassic wood from western Liaoning, which was recently published in National Science Review. The fossil evidence of Basidiomycota fungi parasitizing Podocarpaceae plants uncovered in this study reveals that this parasitic association existed 120 million years ago. It provides direct empirical support for investigating plant-fungal interactions of that period and facilitates insights into the evolution of plant defense mechanisms and fungal parasitic strategies.Beyond being the first documented fungal fossil record from the Jehol Biota, this discovery also represents the earliest Cretaceous evidence of fungal fossils co-occurring with tyloses, bridging the gap in relevant records between the Jurassic and Cenozoic. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that fungi played a key role in Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems, furnishes robust evidence of physiological defense responses by Cretaceous wood to parasitic fungi, and deepens our understanding of plant-fungal symbioses in Early Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystems.TIAN Ning serves as the first author and co-corresponding author of the paper, with WANG Yongdong acting as a co-corresponding author. Additionally, Dr. XIE Aowei from the Senckenberg Natural History Museum (Germany), Prof. JIANG Zikun and PhD candidate HAO Ruiying from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, and PhD candidate LI Fangyu from Guizhou University contributed to the study.This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Liaoning Revitalization Talents Program.Reference: Tian Ning*, Xie Aowei, Wang Yongdong*, Jiang Zikun, Li Fangyu, Hao Ruiying, 2025. A 120-million-year-old fungal parasite from the Cretaceous Jehol Biota. Science Bulletin, 70(24): 4170-4172; 30 December 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scib.2025.08.014.Fig.1 The anatomical features of fossil conifer wood, Protopodocarpoxylon jingangshanense Ding, from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation in western Liaoning, China. (a-c, cross sections; d-j, radial sections; k-m, tangential sections）Fig.2 Fungal hyphae (a-e) and tyloses at different developmental stages (f-q) within the wood fossilFig.3 Anatomical structures, parasitic fungal hyphae, and tyloses from the fossil wood specimens in the Early Cretaceous of western Liaoning
Earth system box models are essential tools for reconstructing long-term climatic and environmental evolution and for uncovering the Earth system mechanisms. To break through the spatial and temporal resolution limits of current deep-time models, Dr. Yinggang Zhang from the team of Prof. Maoyan Zhu at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), collaborated with Prof. Yongyun Hu and Dr. Shuai Yuan from Peking University, Prof. Benjamin Mills from the University of Leeds, and Dr. Andrew Merdith from the University of Adelaide. Together, they developed CESM-SCION, a new generation high-resolution climate-biogeochemistry coupled model. This model increases the spatiotemporal resolution of long-term Earth system simulations to a new level and identifies marine regression as a key driver for the onset of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. The findings were recently published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.Earth system box models are essential tools for reconstructing long-term climatic and environmental evolution and for uncovering the Earth system mechanisms. To break through the spatial and temporal resolution limits of current deep-time models, Dr. ZHANG Yinggang from the team of Prof. ZHU Maoyan at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), collaborated with Prof. HU Yongyunand Dr. YUAN Shuai from Peking University, Prof. Benjamin Mills from the University of Leeds, and Dr. Andrew Merdith from the University of Adelaide. Together, they developed CESM-SCION, a new generation high-resolution climate-biogeochemistry coupled model. This model increases the spatiotemporal resolution of long-term Earth system simulations to a new level and identifies marine regression as a key driver for the onset of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. The findings were recently published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters.Since the establishment of the classic GEOCARB carbon cycle model by Berner and colleagues in the 1980s, Earth system box models have evolved from early zero-dimensional biogeochemical models (e.g., GEOCARB, COPSE) to climate-biogeochemistry coupled models like SCION, which can dynamically represent terrestrial climate and silicate weathering across space and time. Although SCION achieved three-dimensional dynamic expression of terrestrial silicate weathering, its built-in climate emulator (or climate datasets) was limited by low spatial resolution. This low resolution made it difficult to accurately capture complex and heterogeneous weathering processes on the deep-time Earth surface, often overlooking small-area weathering “hotspots”. This limitation became a technical bottleneck in further revealing terrestrial silicate weathering and temperature variations throughout Earth’s history.Addressing the deficiencies of the original SCION model, which relied on low-resolution (20–40 Myr, 7.5°×4.5°) climate data from the Fast Ocean and Atmosphere Model (FOAM), the research team utilized high-resolution climate datasets from the Community Earth System Model (CESM). By increasing the spatiotemporal resolution to 3.75°×3.75° and 10 Myr, they replaced the original low-resolution climate emulator to construct CESM-SCION. This advancement allows for the high-resolution dynamic capturing of terrestrial silicate weathering processes, bringing deep-time Earth system modeling into a new frontier of spatiotemporal precision.To verify the reliability of the new model, the team selected the Late Paleozoic Ice Age, the longest-lasting icehouse event of the Phanerozoic, as a probative case study. Previous studies using low-resolution versions of SCION, despite considering mechanisms such as the expansion of vascular plants and the assembly of Pangea, failed to reproduce the transition from a greenhouse to an icehouse climate during the mid-to-late Devonian. Using CESM-SCION, the team successfully captured a key driving mechanism previously overlooked: the critical control of tectonically driven land area changes over Earth's “weatherability” and surface albedo.Modeling results show that during the mid-to-late Devonian, the assembly of Pangea was accompanied by a long-term global sea-level fall (marine regression). With the improved resolution, the CESM-SCION model quantified the “dual cooling effect” of this process. The increased global continental exposure caused by marine regression acted in two ways: first, it induced physical cooling by increasing global surface albedo; second, it vastly expanded the regions available for silicate weathering, thereby enhancing the global silicate weathering flux. This accelerated the consumption of atmospheric CO2, driving global cooling. This result not only replicates the critical transition from greenhouse to icehouse conditions in the mid-to-late Devonian but also proposes a new perspective: “Tectonically driven marine regression preceded and drove the Late Paleozoic Ice Age”.This study emphasizes the importance of increasing the resolution of deep-time Earth system simulations. It not only resolves long-standing controversies regarding the initiation of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age but also highlights the significant potential of high-resolution climate-biogeochemistry coupled models in deep-time paleoclimate research.The research was jointly funded by the National Key R&D Program of China, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), the Jiangsu Province Excellent Postdoctoral Program, and the UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Dr. Yinggang Zhang (NIGPAS) and Dr. Shuai Yuan (Peking University) are the co-first authors; Prof. Maoyan Zhu (NIGPAS) and Prof. Yongyun Hu (Peking University) are the co-corresponding authors.Reference: Zhang, Y.#, Yuan, S.#, Mills, B. J. W., Merdith, A. S., Hu, Y.*, and Zhu, M*. (2025). Increased continental exposure as a driver of carbon drawdown and initiation of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age. Geophysical Research Letters, 52, https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL119356.Fig.1 Climatic impacts of paleogeographic evolution from 400–320 Ma (CESM simulation results under 2800 ppm atmospheric CO2 forcing).Fig.2 The dual cooling effect driven by increased continental exposure. CESM climate datasets based on fixed CO2 forcing (2800 ppm) show that as land area expands, temperatures decrease due to enhanced surface albedo (physical cooling), while global silicate weathering flux significantly increases (chemical cooling), revealing the weathering enhancement mechanism driven by marine regression.Fig.3 Atmospheric CO2 levels and ice-line latitude variations reproduced by the CESM-SCION model.Fig.4 Ice-line latitude variations and changes in global mean and tropical temperatures simulated by the CESM-SCION model.
Recently, Associate Professor WANG Yaqiong from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), together with collaborators from several domestic and international institutions, reported for the first time the occurrence of two marine ostracod fossils, Bicornucythere bisanensis s.l. and Pistocythereis bradyformis (Fig. 1), from Pleistocene lacustrine deposits of the Qaidam Basin.Recently, Associate Professor WANG Yaqiong from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), together with collaborators from several domestic and international institutions, reported for the first time the occurrence of two marine ostracod fossils, Bicornucythere bisanensis s.l. and Pistocythereis bradyformis (Fig. 1), from Pleistocene lacustrine deposits of the Qaidam Basin.The relevant research findings have been published in the international geoscience journal Palaeoentomology.Long-distance dispersal (LDD) refers to the process by which organisms or their dispersal units spread, over a given time scale, to regions that are difficult or impossible to reach under their normal dispersal capabilities. Previous studies on the long-distance dispersal of marine ostracods at intercontinental, intra-oceanic, and interoceanic scales have generally considered migratory birds to be an unlikely dispersal vector.These fossil specimens had previously been misidentified as the non-marine ostracod Cytherissa qaidamensis. Both fossil and extant records indicate that B. bisanensis s.l. and P. bradyformis are largely restricted to coastal areas of the western Pacific, including China, Korea, Japan, and the Russian Far East, within a latitudinal range of approximately 20°-43° N (Fig. 2).The discovery of these marine ostracods in Pleistocene terrestrial deposits of the Qaidam Basin, far from any modern coastline, strongly suggests that they may have undergone long-distance dispersal via migratory water birds during the Pleistocene, crossing more than 2,000 km and traversing vast continental interiors. This finding not only provides new fossil evidence for the potential role of migratory birds in the long-distance dispersal of marine ostracods, but also implies that the East Asian Flyway or East Asia/Australasia Flyway, one of the world’s three major modern migratory bird flyways, may have already been established during the Pleistocene. In addition, the palaeo-Qaidam Lake may have served as an important stopover site within this migratory network.This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.Reference: Yaqiong Wang*, Ping Yang, David J. Horne, Yanhong Pan, 2025. Marine ostracods found in lacustrine deposits of the Qaidam Basin suggest long-distance dispersal during the Pleistocene. Palaeoentomology, 8(6): 609-617. https://doi.org/10.11646/palaeoentomology.8.6.2.Fig.1 Bicornucythere bisanensis s.l. (A) and Pistocythereis bradyformis (B–I).Fig.2 Long-distance dispersal of marine ostracods via water birds from the coastal areas of the West Pacific Ocean to the Qaidam palaeo-lake.
Recently, a research team focusing on the Late Paleozoic at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS)—consisting of Associate Professor ZHENG Quanfeng, Professor WANG Yue, Assistant Professor HUANG Xing, and Professor CHEN Bo—collaborated with Nanjing Normal University, China University of Mining and Technology, and Nanjing University to conduct a high-resolution sedimentological, fusuline biostratigraphic, and inorganic carbon isotope stratigraphic study of the Chuanshan–Chihsia formations at the Kongshan section in Nanjing. Based on regional and global correlations, this team reconstructed a high-resolution glacioeustatic sea-level curve spanning the Asselian to middle Kungurian stages, thereby elucidating the evolution of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) during the early Permian.Recently, a research team focusing on the Late Paleozoic at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS)—consisting of Associate Professor ZHENG Quanfeng, Professor WANG Yue, Assistant Professor HUANG Xing, and Professor CHEN Bo—collaborated with Nanjing Normal University, China University of Mining and Technology, and Nanjing University to conduct a high-resolution sedimentological, fusuline biostratigraphic, and inorganic carbon isotope stratigraphic study of the Chuanshan–Chihsia formations at the Kongshan section in Nanjing. Based on regional and global correlations, this team reconstructed a high-resolution glacioeustatic sea-level curve spanning the Asselian to middle Kungurian stages, thereby elucidating the evolution of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) during the early Permian.This study has been published in the international journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.Since the beginning of the Phanerozoic Eon, Earth has experienced four major icehouse periods: the end-Ordovician, Late Devonian, Late Paleozoic, and Cenozoic ice ages. Among them, the LPIA was the most extensive and long-lasting, profoundly influencing environmental and biological evolution on Earth. However, its termination age has long been debated, with proposed timings ranging from the mid-Sakmarian to the Artinskian, late Guadalupian, and even late Lopingian.During major icehouse intervals, large volumes of surface water are stored in continental or alpine glaciers at high latitudes or altitudes, thereby reducing global seawater volume and maintaining sea level at a long-term low stand. At the same time, Milankovitch orbital cycles drive alternating cold and warm phases, causing periodic glacier advance and retreat and resulting in high-frequency, globally synchronous sea-level fluctuations. These long- and short-term changes in sea level, known as glacioeustasy, provide a key geological indicator for reconstructing the onset, evolution, and disappearance of ancient ice ages.The study shows that the Chuanshan Formation (Asselian to early Artinskian) was deposited in a shallow-water carbonate shoreface environment, whereas the overlying Chihsia Formation (middle–late Artinskian to middle Kungurian) formed in a deep-water carbonate shelf setting. This lithofacies transition records a rapid and significant transgression during the middle–late Artinskian.Detailed sedimentological analysis reveals that the Chuanshan Formation is characterized by numerous meter-scale depositional cycles, each comprising lower subtidal deposits and upper subaerial-exposure or intertidal deposits, indicating prominent high-frequency sea-level oscillations. However, these cycles abruptly disappear in the Liangshan Member of the basal Chihsia Formation. Up-section, the Chihsia Limestone becomes uniformly composed of deep-shelf bioclastic limestones, reflecting a marked weakening—and eventual disappearance—of high-frequency sea-level fluctuations.Inorganic carbon isotope values correlate closely with lithofacies: intertidal or subaerial exposure facies typically yield δ¹³C values below 1‰, whereas subtidal deposits generally exceed 2‰. These patterns suggest that isotopic variations were mainly controlled by the relative influence of meteoric and marine diagenesis, making them a reliable proxy for relative sea-level changes.Regional and global correlations indicate that both the high-frequency sea-level fluctuations from the Asselian to early Artinskian and the major transgression in the middle–late Artinskian are globally recognizable phenomena. The 19 high-frequency cycles identified in the Asselian-Sakmarian Chuanshan Formation have an average periodicity of ~463 kyr, closely matching the long-eccentricity Milankovitch cycle, supporting an orbital forcing origin for these fluctuations.Taken together, the relative sea-level changes recorded in the Chuanshan–lower Chihsia formations at Kongshan can be confidently interpreted as glacioeustatic signals driven by the waxing and waning of continental ice sheets. This allows reconstruction of the LPIA evolution during the early Permian, including: (1) an ice maximum during the Asselian–early Sakmarian; (2) a brief warming during the mid-Sakmarian; (3) a final ice maximum from the late Sakmarian to early Artinskian; and (4) a rapid, great deglaciation during the middle–late Artinskian.The middle–late Artinskian deglaciation effectively marks the termination of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age, during which continental ice sheets nearly completely disappeared, with only limited alpine glaciers persisting into the late Permian.This study provides the first high-resolution, multi-scale evidence of glacioeustatic sea-level changes from South China, delineating the complete transition of the LPIA from peak glaciation to final demise, offering crucial geological insights into Earth's late Paleozoic climate evolution.This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.Reference: Zheng, Q.F.*, Wang, Y.*, Huang, X, Chen, B, Wu, H.P., Yuan, D.X., Wang, X.D., Shen, S.Z., 2025. Artinskian great deglaciation: Glacioeustasy evidence from South China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 679: 113310. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2025.113310.Fig. 1 Outcrop photograph of the upper Chuanshan Formation showing meter-scale cyclic deposits at the Kongshan section in Nanjing (A), and representative images of major lithofacies on polished slab (B) and in thin sections (C–D).Fig. 2 Integrated stratigraphic column of the Kongshan section in Nanjing, showing chronostratigraphy, lithostratigraphy, lithofacies associations (LFA), sedimentary environments (Sed. Env.), sedimentological log, inorganic carbon isotopes, and relative sea-level changes.Fig. 3 Comparison of sea-level changes, relative global continental ice-volume variations, glacial history, and atmospheric CO₂ partial pressure during the Asselian to middle Kungurian stages of the Cisuralian Series (Early Permian).
A recent study by Assistant Professor CHENG Cheng and Professor ZHANG Hua from the Late Paleozoic research team at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), in collaboration with researchers from Nantong University, Hefei University of Technology, and Nanjing University, has been published in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. The work deciphers how pulsed volcanism in the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) triggered the collapse of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) during the Guadalupian–Lopingian (G–L) transition through disruptions in the global carbon cycle.A recent study by Assistant Professor CHENG Cheng and Professor ZHANG Hua from the Late Paleozoic research team at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), in collaboration with researchers from Nantong University, Hefei University of Technology, and Nanjing University, has been published in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. The work deciphers how pulsed volcanism in the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) triggered the collapse of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) during the Guadalupian–Lopingian (G–L) transition through disruptions in the global carbon cycle.The Late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) was the longest-lasting icehouse climate of the Phanerozoic, and its transition to a greenhouse state represents a critical turning point in Earth's climate evolution. The Guadalupian–Lopingian (G–L) transition, marking the final stage of the LPIA, records key evidence of deglaciation and perturbations in the global carbon cycle. Although the Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) has been proposed as a potential trigger for this transition, the mechanistic linkages between volcanism and deglaciation had remained inadequately understood.The research team conducted high-resolution integrated geochemical analyses of carbonate-dominated strata from the Xikou section in Zhen’an, South Qinling, including mercury geochemistry, paired carbonate and organic carbon isotopes (δ13Ccarb, δ13Corg), redox-sensitive trace elements (e.g., MoEF), and chemical weathering indices (e.g., chemical index of alteration, CIA). The results reveal five distinct volcanic pulses during the Capitanian to Wuchiapingian stages, each showing synchronous correspondence with negative carbon isotope excursions, elevated chemical weathering indices, and enrichments in redox-sensitive elements (Fig. 1).This coupled volcanic-climatic-oceanic pattern demonstrates that ELIP eruptions released massive amounts of 13C-depleted CO2, triggering recurrent warming episodes that progressively destabilized the P4 glaciation and led to ice-sheet collapse. Notably, this pattern can be extended to the global deglaciation of the LPIA, where eruptions from the Tarim II (ca. 290 Ma), Tarim III (ca. 280 Ma), and Emeishan (ca. 260 Ma) large igneous provinces uniformly triggered interglacial phases (Fig. 2).Additionally, an early Wuchiapingian +1.4 ‰ shift in Δ13C (δ13Ccarb -δ13Corg) indicates enhanced organic carbon burial under declining volcanic activity, which contributed to the atmospheric oxygenation and facilitated ecosystem recovery- processes that in turn supported post-eruptive climatic cooling.By correlating volcanic activity with climate proxies from a single section, this study establishes pulsed volcanism as a principal driver of icehouse-greenhouse transitions. The findings offer critical insights into carbon-cycle–climate feedbacks, with direct relevance to understanding modern global warming dynamics.This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology (Chinese Academy of Sciences), and the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education.Reference: Cheng Cheng*, Hua Zhang*, Dan Wang, Shuangying Li, Shuzhong Shen. Pulsed volcanism in the Emeishan Large Igneous Province drove deglaciation during the Guadalupian-Lopingian transition. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 2025, 679, 113302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2025.113302.Fig. 1 Geochemical and isotopic records from the Xikou section spanning the Capitanian to Wuchiapingian stagesFig. 2 Correlation among Permian glaciations from eastern Australia, Large Igneous Provinces, biodiversity changes, and anoxic events
In a new study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, a joint research team led by Dr. LIU Qian and Dr. LI Tao from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), and Dr. CHEN Sang from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has resolved these uncertainties. Collaborating with researchers from the University of Bristol and Nanjing University, the team successfully identified the primary non-environmental controls on Li/Mg fractionation.In a new study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, a joint research team led by Dr. LIU Qian and Dr. LI Tao from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), and Dr. CHEN Sang from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has resolved these uncertainties. Collaborating with researchers from the University of Bristol and Nanjing University, the team successfully identified the primary non-environmental controls on Li/Mg fractionation.Deep-sea scleractinian corals serve as critical "natural archives," preserving high-resolution geochemical records of long-term oceanographic changes. Among emerging proxies, the Lithium-to-Magnesium ratio (Li/Mg) in coral skeletons has gained traction as a potential paleothermometer. However, its reliability has been hindered by unexplained variability across different skeletal structures and an incomplete understanding of the underlying biomineralization mechanisms.To isolate the drivers of geochemical variability, the researchers conducted a systematic analysis of 60 modern branching cold-water coral specimens collected from the North Atlantic, Equatorial Atlantic, and Eastern Equatorial Pacific. They performed comparative sampling of two distinct skeletal structures: the corallites (cup skeletons) and the branches (coenosteum). The results revealed a significant and systematic offset that trace element ratios such as Li/Ca, Mg/Ca, B/Ca, and notably Li/Mg, were consistently enriched in the corallites compared to the branches. Conversely, Sr/Ca and U/Ca ratios showed the opposite trend. After excluding the influence of Centers of Calcification (COC), the modeling results combined with existing inorganic precipitation experiments identified skeletal growth rate as the dominant factor controlling the Li/Mg offset between the two structures.This study has immediate implications for paleoceanography. The authors advocate for a standardized sampling protocol that strictly differentiates between skeletal structures, specifically separating corallites from branches, to eliminate systematic errors caused by growth rate variations. Furthermore, the study highlights the necessity of incorporating biomineralization mechanisms into future Li/Mg temperature calibrations to minimize proxy uncertainty.This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.Reference: Liu, Q., Stewart, J.A., Robinson, L.F., Chen, S.*, Wang, M., Chen, T., Li, T.*, 2026. Colonial cold-water coral Li/Mg palaeothermometry: Influence of growth rate and skeletal heterogeneity. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 674, 119743. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.epsl.2025.119743.Fig.1 Colonial cold-water coral collection map and the subsampling strategyFig.2 The elemental ratios of corallite and Branch and their relationship with temperatureFig.3 The SEM photos of (a) corallite and (b) branch with (c) the influence of growth rate on Li/Mg ratio
Recently, a new high-resolution biomarker study of the Zal section in NW Iran (Fig. 1), was conducted by Ph.D. student JIAO Shenglin, his advisor Prof. ZHANG Hua from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), and an international team. This study systematically reveals ecological disturbance and microbial community dynamics across the P–T transition in Northwest Iran.Recently, a new high-resolution biomarker study of the Zal section in NW Iran (Fig. 1), was conducted by Ph.D. student JIAO Shenglin, his advisor Prof. ZHANG Hua from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), and an international team. This study systematically reveals ecological disturbance and microbial community dynamics across the P–T transition in Northwest Iran.The study is published in the international journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.The Permian–Triassic (P–T) transition witnessed the most severe biocrisis in the Phanerozoic, yet microbial community dynamics across this interval remain poorly constrained in key regions of the Paleotethys. The well-preserved, continuous marine records from Iran (western Paleo-Tethys) provide a critical archive of this event. Comparative studies between the western (Iran) and eastern (South China) Paleo-Tethys are essential for a holistic understanding of environmental and biological dynamics, though many questions about Iran's specific environmental and microbial records remain.Research reveals the simultaneous emergence of a triple environmental crisis: First, biomarkers point to a major shift in primary producers—from eukaryotic green and red algae toward bacteria—with cyanobacteria becoming dominant at the extinction horizon. Second, the sediment record captures recurring bottom water anoxia, strong water-column stratification, and sustained intervals of euxinic conditions. Third, marked increases in terrestrial organic matter, likely linked to wildfire activity and soil erosion, indicate that land-derived nutrients may have intensified marine eutrophication (Fig. 2).Notably, these biomarker patterns align with negative δ13C shifts and match trends reported from South China (Fig. 3), suggesting that ecological decline occurred synchronously across the Paleotethys. Collectively, the results point to volcanism-driven environmental collapse on land and widespread marine anoxia as key factors that magnified the end-Permian biocrisis (Fig. 4).This work is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China and the Jiangsu Innovation Support Plan for International Science and Technology Cooperation Program.Reference: Jiao, S.L., Zhang, H.*, Arefifard, S., Cai, Y.F., Gorgij, M.N., Liu, X.Y., Ni, W., Tang, L.K., Cao, J., Shen, S.Z., 2026. Ecological disturbance and microbial community dynamics across the Permian–Triassic transition in Northwest Iran. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 682, 113432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2025.113432.Fig.1 Chromatogram of the saturated and aromatic fractions of selected samples of the Zal sectionFig.2 High-resolution chemostratigraphy of the Zal section through the P–T transition.Fig.3 Comparison of the geochemical records during the P–T transition between the Zal section in Northwest Iran and the Meishan and Shangsi sections in South China.Fig.4 Conceptual models of oceanic anoxia and ecological disturbance in terrestrial–marine systems from the late Permian to Early Triassic.
Recently, YE Kai, a Master’s student at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), under the joint guidance of Associate Porfessor GUO Wen (NIGPAS) and Associate Porfessor RAO Xin (Northwest University), collaborated with Prof. WANG Ming (Jilin University), Prof. Peter W. Skelton (The Open University, UK), and other researchers, reports the first record of Early Aptian (late Early Cretaceous) radiolitid rudist bivalves—Agriopleura libanica (Astre)—from the Langshan Formation in the Nima Basin, northern Lhasa Terrane. This taxon represents the oldest rudist fossil record currently known in China. The relevant research findings have been published in the international journal Palaeoworld.The Late Jurassic–Cretaceous Hippuritida Newell, 1965 (rudist bivalves) was sessile, epifaunal organisms that abundantly colonized the tropical and subtropical shallow carbonate platform tops and gentle slopes. Their rapid evolution and extensive geographic distribution make rudists particularly valuable for Cretaceous biostratigraphic correlations and paleoenvironmental reconstructions. The Langshan Formation, extensively distributed in the northern Lhasa Terrane of the Tibetan Plateau, has long been considered to have been deposited from the Late Aptian to the Early Cenomanian. However, convincing sedimentary or paleontological evidence for the Early Aptian interval has remained notably scarce.Recently, YE Kai, a Master’s student at the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), under the joint guidance of Associate Porfessor GUO Wen (NIGPAS) and Associate Porfessor RAO Xin (Northwest University), collaborated with Prof. WANG Ming (Jilin University), Prof. Peter W. Skelton (The Open University, UK), and other researchers, reports the first record of Early Aptian (late Early Cretaceous) radiolitid rudist bivalves—Agriopleura libanica (Astre)—from the Langshan Formation in the Nima Basin, northern Lhasa Terrane. This taxon represents the oldest rudist fossil record currently known in China. The relevant research findings have been published in the international journal Palaeoworld.This team collected well-preserved right-valve specimens of Agriopleura libanica, together with associated Offneria murgensis fossils, from the limestones of the Langshan Formation in the Zhongcang area of Nima County. The comparison between Ag. libanica and Auroradiolites supports the hypothesis that Auroradiolites descended directly from Ag. libanica, as evidenced by shared ligamentary, dental and myophoral structures.The Agriopleura libanica–Offneria murgensis assemblage is an index of the lower Aptian of the southern Tethyan Arabian–African margin. The discovery of this assemblage in the Lhasa Terrane confirms the presence of a carbonate seaway in the Nyima region during the early Aptian (late Early Cretaceous), highlighting the significance of the Langshan Formation for reconstructing the paleogeography of northern Lhasa Terrane and the evolution of the Bangong-Nujiang Ocean. The occurrence of A. libanica in the Lhasa Terrane fills a critical geographic gap, bridging its known distribution from Arabia to East Asia during the early Aptian. It represents the first record of this species on the northern margin of the Tethys, as well as the first documentation of early Aptian rudists along the northern margin of the eastern Tethyan Ocean. These discoveries challenge the traditional division between northern and southern Tethyan rudist provinces, demonstrating cross-Tethyan faunal connectivity during the early Aptian.This study is financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program, the Scientific Research Project of the Education Department of Jilin Province, and the State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy.Reference: Kai Ye, Xin Rao*, Quewang Danzeng, Peter W. Skelton, Bintao Gao, Yiwei Xu, Ting Ruan, Kun Liang, Wen Guo, Ming Wang*. First record of early Aptian (Early Cretaceous) radiolitid Agriopleura libanica (Astre) from the Langshan Formation, northern Lhasa Terrane: Oldest rudist bivalves in China. Palaeoworld. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2025.201054.Fig. 1 (A) Tectonic framework of the Qinghai-Xizang (Tibet) Plateau (modified from Li et al., 2006) and (B) simplified geological map of research area in the Zhongcang region (modified from Xie and Zou, 2002).Fig. 2 Agriopleura libanica (Astre) from NyimaFig. 3 Chronostratigraphic ranges of Cretaceous rudists in the Langshan Formation, Lhasa TerraneFig. 4 Paleogeographic distribution of early Aptian Agriopleura libanica.
A collaborative study by the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (Singapore), and Chengdu University of Technology provides new insights into this question. The findings were published in Royal Society Open Science, with Associate Professor LUO Cui from NIGPAS as the first and corresponding author.Porifera represents one of the most basic metazoan lineages, distributed in a wide range of environmental settings since the early Cambrian. Previous studies have established that their ecological success can be attributed to (i) optimized morphologies and anchoring structures adapted to varying hydrodynamic and substrate conditions, and (ii) phenotypic plasticity. Many extant sponges modulate shapes, positions of oscula, spicule density, anchoring strategies, and so on, in response to environmental changes. Have these strategies remained almost unchanged since the early Cambrian, or have they been progressively shaped and refined over geological time?A collaborative study by the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (Singapore), and Chengdu University of Technology provides new insights into this question. The findings were published in Royal Society Open Science, with Associate Professor LUO Cui from NIGPAS as the first and corresponding author.The studied Lotispongia helicolumna gen. et sp. nov. was collected from the Wulongqing Formation (Cambrian Stage 4), Yunnan Province. It belongs to the family Leptomitidae, which encompasses common Cambrian inhabitants of siliciclastic soft substrates but demised after the Ordovician. While conforming to leptomitid diagnostic characteristics, L. helicolumna exhibits a sophisticated set of features unprecedented in this family: (1) a robust body wall woven by spirally twisted monaxonic spicules; (2) a thick stub-like root tuft for anchoring; (3) spicules radiating out from the sponge body to prevent clogging and sinking; and (4) the inferred capability to close the osculum against unfavourable stimuli. Among these features, the spirally twisted monaxons are reminescent of the Cambrian fossil Kiwetinokia, but their presence in L. helicolumna likely represents an independent origin. Features (2) and (3) are common in extant soft-substrate sponges but unprecedented among Cambrian leptomitids. Feature (iv) is also common in modern sponges responding to adverse stimuli, but has not been documented in fossils.These observations indicate that L. helicolumna had evolved some adaptive strategies comparable to extant sponges. However, morphometric analysis of 19 well-preserved specimens (out of the 78 collected specimens) reveals strictly similar lotus-bud-like morphologies regardless of size. This indicates that L. helicolumna lacked the morphological plasticity and modular aquiferous systems that endow the ecological success of modern sponges.This unique case suggests that Cambrian leptomitid sponges may have significant differences from modern sponges in physiology. Although complex adaptive features could be achieved upon this ancient physiology, the absence of morphological plasticity may have ultimately constrained the persistence of these ancient sponge groups. This study offers novel perspectives for future investigation of early sponge evolutionary patterns and mechanisms.This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.Reference: Luo, C., Hong, Y., Sun, Z., Sun, H., Lim, S.C., Wang, T., Zhang, L., and Zhao, F., 2025, Advanced adaptive strategies in an ancestral body plan: insights from a 510-Ma-old leptomitid sponge: Royal Society Open Science, v. 12, p. 251072, https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.251072.Fig. 1 The holotype (A, E, F) and a paratype (B, G, H–I) of L. helicolumna, and the thin sections cutting through a L. helicolumnaspecimen (C) and its host rock (D).Fig. 2 A few paratypes of L. helicolumna, showing its morphological details.Fig. 3 Morphometric analysis of L. helicolumna based on 19 specimens.Fig. 4 Endopsammic demosponge Spheciospongia sp. from Singapore, with the oscula closed (A) and open (B).
Recently, a detailed study on high-resolution carbonate δ15N (Fig. 1) is conducted on the well-preserved Pennsylvanian carbonate slope- to basinal successions from the South China Block by the Ph.D. student YANG Wenli, her advisor Prof. CHEN Jitao, and their colleagues.The global warming event across the Kasimovian-Gzhelian boundary (KGB) in the late Pennsylvanian was marked by prominent perturbations of global biogeochemical cycles, accompanied by abrupt global warming, widespread marine anoxia, and a distinct biodiversity loss. However, the evolution of marine primary productivity and redox conditions during this short-lived warming event has not yet been explored from the perspective of marine nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen (N) plays a crucial role in regulating marine primary productivity and is highly sensitive to marine redox variations, which thus has the potential for tracking oceanic changes during climatic transitions.The KGB warming and anoxic event thus provides a unique opportunity to investigate how the oceanic nitrogen cycle responded to transient global warming and marine anoxia under long-term icehouse conditions. Recently, a detailed study on high-resolution carbonate δ15N (Fig. 1) is conducted on the well-preserved Pennsylvanian carbonate slope- to basinal successions from the South China Block by the Ph.D. student YANG Wenli, her advisor Prof. CHEN Jitao, and their colleagues.High-resolution sedimentary δ15N, δ13Corg, and δ13Ccarb records were reported from the Luodian Basin, South China during the KGB warming event of the LPIA. The perturbations of δ15N recorded in the three study sections indicate the changes in the nitrogen cycle and redox environments during the KGB warming event. The decrease of δ15N in phase Ⅰ indicates the decreased rate of water-column denitrification. The increase of δ15N in phase Ⅱ indicates the dominance of incomplete denitrification caused by the preliminary enhancement of oxygen depletion due to increase of SSTs. The dramatic negative δ15N excursion (by ~7‰) in phase Ⅲ immediately below the KGB coincides with the previously reported negative shift in δ13Corg, δ13Ccarb, and δ238U, and continued increase in atmospheric pCO2 and SSTs (Fig. 2) suggesting the potential linkage among these proxies. The pronounced negative shift in δ15N most likely resulted from enhanced nitrogen fixation, which was promoted by increased nitrogen loss due to denitrification during the warming-associated marine anoxia (Fig. 3). This paper demonstrates the response of the marine nitrogen cycle to the warming episodes in the icehouse climate and provides a reference case for the future study of the ocean nitrogen cycle in an interglacial climate.The study is published in the international journal Global and Planetary Change.The study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.Reference: Wenli Yang, Jitao Chen*, Chaosheng Yue, Junpeng Zhang, Yuping Qi, Xiang-dong Wang, Shu-zhong Shen, Enhanced nitrogen fixation as a result of short-lived global warming and marine anoxia in the Late Pennsylvanian icehouse climate, Global and Planetary Change, 2025, 105134, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105134Fig.1 Correlation of δ15N, δ13Corg, and δ13Ccarb records from the three study sections.Fig.2 Compilation of the Kasimovian-Gzhelian boundary (KGB) warming event.Fig.3 Conceptual diagram of the oceanic nitrogen cycle during the KGB warming event at the Luodian Basin.
