Taxaceae, commonly known as yews, is widely cultivated all over the world and has been loved by most people. Taxaceae sensu stricto includes Taxus (yew), Pseudotaxus (whiteberry yew), Amentotaxus (catkin-yew), Austrotaxus (New Caledonia yew), and Torreya. Many species of yews are endangered in the wild. Extant Amentotaxus comprises five to six species, which all are the endangered species on the IUCN list. The Taxaceae has a long history as the earliest group in the fossil record appeared in the earliest Jurassic, and probably had a certain diversity during the Jurassic and the Cretaceous. However, well-preserved fossil yews carrying important information have been extremely limited, especially absence of fossils preserved with reproductive organs, which result in the insufficient of our understanding of the origin and early evolution of the Taxaceae. Recently, Dr. DONG Chong, Dr. SHI Gongle, and Professor WANG Yongdong of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Science (NIGPAS), and other members from the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Oak Spring Gardens Foundation and School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, collaborated with a research focusing on the Middle？Late Jurassic yew fossils from the Daohugou Biota in northeastern China. Comparative morphological evidence and morphological phylogenic analysis both support that the fossils can be assigned to the genus Amentotaxus. The results show that, like Ginkgo, the catkin-yew is another living fossil dating back to the Middle？Late Jurassic that have undergone little morphological change over at least ~ 160 million years. This study was published online on June 2020 in the National Science Review, a high-level comprehensive academic journal. The fossils were collected from the Daohugou Bed in the Daohugou village in Ningcheng County, Inner Mongolia. Well-preserved catkin-yew fossil shoots have linear-lanceolate leaves borne in opposite pairs that are decussately inserted, and opposite ultimate shoots that spread in more or less a single plane. Attached seed-bearing structures arise singly from the axil of a normal vegetative leaf and consist of a short, naked axis bearing a single terminal seed that is enclosed by up to five pairs of opposite and decussate bracts. These features closely resemble those of the extant catkin-yew Amentotauxs. A close relationship of the Daohugou fossils to extant catkin-yews is consistent with the results of a phylogenetic analysis based on 13 groups scored for three Jurassic Taxaceae fossil species, and six extant species representing Cephalotaxus and the five genera Taxaceae. Both an unconstrained analysis and an analysis with the relationships of extant Taxaceae constrained to the topology of the molecular phylogeny support that it would be reasonable to assign to the Daohugou fossils to the catkin-yew Amentotauxs. The Middle？Late Jurassic Daohugou fossils confirm that the origin of the catkin-yew was at least 160 million years ago. “Living fossil” firstly appeared in Darwin’s book on the Origin of Species in 1859. The morphological stasis reflected by the “Living fossil” is one of the most interesting scientific topics in evolutionary biology. China is rich in plant diversity, including a large number of ancient families or genera and relict groups. The credible fossil record of relictual genera such as Craigia, Davidia, Cyclocarya and Metasequoia extend back to the early Cenozoic, and Taiwania and Hedyosmum extend back into the Cretaceous. However, the extent of morphological stasis between Daohugou fossils and extant Amentotaxus highlights that, like Ginkgo, Amentotaxus is a living fossil and its earliest record extends back into the Jurassic. This research was jointly supported by the National Science Foundation of China, the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the U. S. National Science Foundation, and Youth Innovation Promotion Association, CAS. Article reference: Dong Chong, Shi Gongle*, Herrera F., Wang Yongdong, Herendeen P. S., Crane P. R., Middle-Late Jurassic fossils from northeastern China reveal morphological stasis in the catkin-yew. National Science Review. https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwaa138 (a, b) cf. Amentotaxus from the Middle-Late Jurassic Daohugou Bed in eastern Inner Mongolia; (c, d) Extant Amentotaxus; (e, f) Reconstructive drawings of the cf. Amentotaxus from the Daohugou biota.
Nature is full of colors, from the radiant shine of a peacock’s feathers or the bright warning coloration of toxic frogs to the pearl-white camouflage of polar bears. Nature is full of colors, from the radiant shine of a peacock’s feathers or the bright warning coloration of toxic frogs to the pearl-white camouflage of polar bears. Usually, fine structural detail necessary for the conservation of color is rarely preserved in the fossil record, making most reconstructions of the fossil based on artists’ imagination. A research team from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) has now unlocked the secrets of true coloration in the 99-million-year-old insects. Colors offer many clues about the behaviour and ecology of animals. They function to keep organisms safe from predators, at the right temperature, or attractive to potential mates. Understanding the coloration of long-extinct animals can help us shed light on ecosystems in the deep geological past. The study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B on July 1, offers a new perspective on the often overlooked, but by no means dull, lives of insects that co-existed alongside dinosaurs in Cretaceous rainforests. Researchers gathered a treasure trove of 35 amber pieces with exquisitely preserved insects from an amber mine in northern Myanmar. “The amber is mid-Cretaceous, approximately 99 million years old, dating back to the golden age of dinosaurs. It is essentially resin produced by ancient coniferous trees that grew in a tropical rainforest environment. Animals and plants trapped in the thick resin got preserved, some with life-like fidelity,” said Dr. CAI Chenyang, associate professor at NIGPAS who lead the study. The rare set of amber fossils includes cuckoo wasps with metallic bluish-green, yellowish-green, purplish-blue or green colors on the head, thorax, abdomen, and legs. In terms of color, they are almost the same as cuckoo wasps that live today, said Dr. CAI. The researchers also discovered blue and purple beetle specimens and a metallic dark-green soldier fly. “We have seen thousands of amber fossils but the preservation of color in these specimens is extraordinary,” said Prof. HUANG Diying from NIGPAS, a co-author of the study. “The type of color preserved in the amber fossils is called structural color. It is caused by microscopic structure of the animal’s surface. The surface nanostructure scatters light of specific wavelengths and produces very intense colors. This mechanism is responsible for many of the colors we know from our everyday lives,” explained Prof. PAN Yanhong from NIGPAS, a specialist on palaeocolor reconstruction. To understand how and why color is preserved in some amber fossils but not in others, and whether the colors seen in fossils are the same as the ones insects paraded more than 99 million years ago, the researchers used a diamond knife blades to cut through the exoskeleton of two of the colorful amber wasps and a sample of normal dull cuticle. Using electron microscopy, they were able to show that colorful amber fossils have a well-preserved exoskeleton nanostructure that scatters light. The unaltered nanostructure of colored insects suggested that the colors preserved in amber may be the same as the ones displayed by them in the Cretaceous. But in fossils that do not preserve color, the cuticular structures are badly damaged, explaining their brown-black appearance. What kind of information can we learn about the lives of ancient insects from their color? Extant cuckoo wasps are, as their name suggests, parasites that lay their eggs into the nests of unrelated bees and wasps. Structural coloration has been shown to serve as camouflage in insects, and so it is probable that the color of Cretaceous cuckoo wasps represented an adaptation to avoid detection. “At the moment we also cannot rule out the possibility that the colors played other roles besides camouflage, such as thermoregulation,” adds Dr. CAI. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association, CAS. Reference: Cai C*, Tihelka E, Pan Y*, Yin Z, Jiang R, Xia F, Huang D. (2020) Structural colours in diverse Mesozoic insects. Proc. R. Soc. B 287: 20200301. doi:10.1098/rspb.2020.0301 Fig. 1. Diverse structural-colored insects in mid-Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar (Image by NIGPAS) Fig. 2. Comparisons between original and altered metallic colors in cleptine wasps (Image by NIGPAS)
Macroalgae, which are usually multicellular or coenocytic eukaryotes, play an important role, both ecologically and biogeochemically, in modern marine ecosystems. Molecular clock studies suggest that eukaryotic algae have an evolutionary deep history tracing back to the Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic. However, fossil biomarkers indicate that prokaryotes were the only notable primary producers in pre-Cryogenian oceans and it was not until the Cryogenian that eukaryotic algae rose to ecological prominence. The fossil record of macroalgae during the Tonian Period is poorly documented, hampering our ability to evaluate the potential ecological and geobiological importance of early macroalgae. Moreover, compared with Ediacaran macroalga assemblages, the taxonomic diversities of Tonian macroalga assemblages are usually considered much lower and their morphology relatively simple. Macroalgae, which are usually multicellular or coenocytic eukaryotes, play an important role, both ecologically and biogeochemically, in modern marine ecosystems. Molecular clock studies suggest that eukaryotic algae have an evolutionary deep history tracing back to the Paleoproterozoic to Mesoproterozoic. However, fossil biomarkers indicate that prokaryotes were the only notable primary producers in pre-Cryogenian oceans and it was not until the Cryogenian that eukaryotic algae rose to ecological prominence. The fossil record of macroalgae during the Tonian Period is poorly documented, hampering our ability to evaluate the potential ecological and geobiological importance of early macroalgae. Moreover, compared with Ediacaran macroalga assemblages, the taxonomic diversities of Tonian macroalga assemblages are usually considered much lower and their morphology relatively simple. A team of scientists led by Dr. PANG Ke from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), and Drs. LI Guangjin and CHEN Lei from Shandong University of Science and Technology collected thousands of specimens from a fossiliferous horizon in the ca.~910 Ma to ~720 Myr rocks (Shiwangzhuang Formation, Tumen Group) from western Shandong Province, North China. Related results have recently been published in the Precambrian Research. The Shiwangzhuang assemblage consists of macroscopic and diversified carbonaceous compression fossils. In total, the Shiwangzhuang assemblage consists of twelve genera, sixteen species and one type of unnamed filaments, including a new genus and six new species: Anqiutrichoides constrictus n. gen. and sp.; Eosolena magna n. sp.; Protoarenicola baishicunensis n. sp.; Protoarenicola shijiacunensis n. sp.; Pararenicola gejiazhuangensis n. sp.; Sinosabellidites huangshanensis n. sp. The taxonomic diversity of the Shiwangzhuang assemblageis remarkable. It is more diverse than many other Tonian macrofossil assemblages all over the world. Indeed, the Shiwangzhuang assemblage nearly matches the Ediacaran Lantian and Miaohe biotas in terms of taxonomic diversity. Eleven taxa of the Shiwangzhuang assemblage are likely eukaryotic organisms on the basis of morphological features and sub-millimetric to millimetric size, whereas four taxa of the Shiwangzhuang assemblage are likely of cyanobacterial origin and two taxa are left undetermined in terms of biological affinity. Three taxa, including Anqiutrichoides constrictus, Eosolena magna, and Chuaria colony, show evidence of simple multicellularity with delicately preserved cellular structure. Among them, Anqiutrichoides constrictus and Eosolena magna consist of submillimetric to millimetric giant cells and comparable to giant-celled green algae. Seven tubulartaxa, including Protoarenicola baiguashanensis, Protoarenicola baishicunensis, Protoarenicola shijiacunensis, Pararenicola huaiyuanensis, Pararenicola gejiazhuangensis, Sinosabellidites huainanensis, and Sinosabellidites huangshanensis, are likely coenocyticalgae with diagnostic transverse annulations. Among them, Protoarenicolais characterized byannulated tubes with a bulbous terminal structure at one end, Pararenicola is characterized by annulated tubes with a constricted opening at one end and a round and closed termination at the other end, and Sinosabellidites is characterized by annulated tubes with two round and closed ends. The new Shiwangzhuang assemblage provides an important window onto the evolution of pre-Cryogenian macroalgae. It indicates that some eukaryotic clades had achieved macroscopic growth through simple multicellularity or coenocytism, paving the way, either ecologically or phylogenetically, for the eventual appearance of complex multicellularity. The abundant occurrence of diverse macroalgae in the Shiwangzhuang Formation also implies that the Tonian diversity of multicellular or coenocytic macroalgae is probably underestimated and macroscopic photoautotrophs may have played important roles, both ecologically and geobiologically, at least at a local scale in the Tonian. In addition, there are some biostratigraphically significant genera, including the Chuaria-Tawuia and Sinosabellidites-Protoarenicola-Pararenicola assemblages, indicating a Tonian age for the Shiwangzhuang Formation. This research was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shandong University of Science and Technology Research Fund, Taishan Scholars Project, and State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy. Reference: Li, G#., Chen, L.#*, Pang, K.*, Zhou, G., Han, C., Yang, L., Lv, W., Wu, C., Wang, W., Yang, F. An assemblage of macroscopic and diversified carbonaceous compression fossils from the Tonian Shiwangzhuang Formation in western Shandong, North China. Precambrian Research,2020, 346: 105801. Fig.1 Chuariacircularis and Chuaria colonies (A-C), Tawuia dalensis (E-G), Vendotaenia sp. (H-I), Mucoplagum primitivum (J), Glomulus filamentum (K), Unnamed filaments (L) and Beltina danai (M) from the Shiwangzhuang assemblage Fig.2. Protoarenicola baiguashanensis (A-B), Protoarenicola baishicunensis n. sp. (C-E), Protoarenicola shijiacunensis n. sp. (F-G), Pararenicola huaiyuanensis (H-I), Pararenicola gejiazhuangensis n. sp. (J–K), Sinosabellidites huainanensis (L), Sinosabellidites huangshanensis n. sp. (M) from the Shiwangzhuang assemblage Fig.3 Anqiutrichoides constrictus n. gen. and sp. (A-E) and Eosolena magna n. sp. (F-J) from the Shiwangzhuang assemblage
The Ediacara biota (580–541 Ma) documents an important evolutionary episode just before the Cambrian explosion and marks the first appearance of macroscopic and complex multi-cellular life. Most Ediacara-type fossils were preserved as casts and molds in sandstone successions, but several recent studies have shown that some taxa of the Ediacara biota can also be preserved as casts and molds in carbonate successions or as carbonaceous. The Ediacara biota (580–541 Ma) documents an important evolutionary episode just before the Cambrian explosion and marks the first appearance of macroscopic and complex multi-cellular life. Most Ediacara-type fossils were preserved as casts and molds in sandstone successions, but several recent studies have shown that some taxa of the Ediacara biota can also be preserved as casts and molds in carbonate successions or as carbonaceous. In addition, and some of these taxa also extend to the early Ediacaran Period. Various Ediacaran strata in South China, including black shales in the Doushantuo/Lantian Formation and limestones in the Shibantan Member of the Dengying Formation, are known to preserve Ediacara-type fossils and they offer an opportunity to broaden our view of the stratigraphic, environmental, and taphonomic distributions of the Ediacaran macrofossils. Recently, Dr. WAN Bin, and other members of the Innovative Research Group on ‘Origin and early evolution of multi-cellular life from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), collaborated with researchers from Virginia Tech and University of California at Riverside of USA, and Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences of India discovered a common Ediacara-type fossil Flabellophyton among the Lantian and Shibantan biotas form South China and Ediacara biota form South Australia. This study was recently published as Focus review on the Gondwana Research, Flabellophyton was the representative genus of early Ediacaran Lantian biota (635-580 Ma) preserved as carbonaceous compressions in black shales of the Lantian Formation, and later was founded from the Ediacara biota (560-550 Ma) form South Australia preserved as casts and molds in the Ediacara Sandstone. Recently, it was discovered from the Shibantan biota (550-539 Ma), and preserved as casts and molds in the Shibantan Limestone of the Dengying Formation. This discover makes Flabellophytonthe only genus that occurs in all three taphonomic modes. In this study, they provided a systematic description of Flabellophyton based on material from the Lantian and Dengying formations in South China, recognizing three morphospecies—F. lantianense, F. typicum sp. nov., and F. obesum sp. nov. Based on morphological and structural characters, Flabellophyton is reconstructed as an erect epibenthic marine organism attached to sandy, carbonate, and muddy substrates. Its phylogenetic affinity remains ambiguous though it was historically interpreted as an algal fossil. Flabellophyton occured in all three taphonomic modes, allowing comparative ecological and taphonomic analyses. First, taphonomic analysis of Flabellophyton indicates that multiple taphonomic pathways can facilitate the preservation of Ediacaran macrofossils. In particular, the precipitation of authigenic minerals such as pyrite, clay minerals, calcite, and possibly silica may have contributed to the preservation of Flabellophyton in a certain degree of three-dimensionality. Second, environmental factors such as water depth, sediment substrates and redox conditions exert a strong control through taphonomic and/or paleoecological processes of Flabellophyton. The wide geographicand environmental distribution of Flabellophyton points to an unusual capability of Flabellophyton to evolutionarily adapt to different environments. Third, as a window into Ediacaran paleoecology, Flabellophyton and other Ediacaran fossils played a crucial role in the construction of epibenthic communities in Ediacaran oceans, and helps to understand the ecologicalmigration and evolutionary expansion from deeper to shallower oceans during the Ediacaran Period. This research was jointly supported by the the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Strategic Priority Research Program (B) and Major program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China and SKLPS State Key Lab Funding of NIGPAS, and National Geographic Society of USA. Article reference：Bin Wan, Zhe Chen, Xunlai Yuan, Ke Pang, Qing Tang, Chengguo Guan, Xiaopeng Wang, S. K. Pandey, Mary L. Droser and Shuhai Xiao. 2020. A Tale of Three Taphonomic Modes: The Ediacaran Fossil Flabellophyton Preserved in Limestone, Black Shale, and Sandstone. Gondwana Research 84: 296-314. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2020.04.003 Stratigraphic columns, representative specimens, and morphological reconstruction of Flabelloophyton from the early Ediacaran Lantian biota（635-580 Ma）and late Ediacaran Shibantan biota（551-539 Ma）of South China, and Middle-late Ediacaran Ediacara biota (560-550 Ma) of Australia Paleoecological reconstruction of Flabellophyton from the early Ediacaran Lantian biota, showing a Flabellophyton community on early Ediacaran ocean floor
The increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (pCO2) is widely regarded as the main factor leading to global warming. Therefore, reconstructing the atmospheric CO2 concentration during the geological history has important reference significance for humans to predict the future global climate trend. The inverse relationship between concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere (pCO2) and the stomatal index of vascular plant has been widely used to estimate ancient levels of atmospheric CO2. However, some atmospheric concentration of CO2 in the geological past (paleo-CO2) estimates show little congruence because they are derived using different correlative methods, or from different fossil plant species with different calibration approaches. The increase of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration (pCO2) is widely regarded as the main factor leading to global warming. Therefore, reconstructing the atmospheric CO2 concentration during the geological history has important reference significance for humans to predict the future global climate trend. The inverse relationship between concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere (pCO2) and the stomatal index of vascular plant has been widely used to estimate ancient levels of atmospheric CO2. However, some atmospheric concentration of CO2 in the geological past (paleo-CO2) estimates show little congruence because they are derived using different correlative methods, or from different fossil plant species with different calibration approaches. Recently, an international research team leading by Prof. WANG Yongdong from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), Dr. ZHOU Ning from the Department of Geology of Northwest University, China and Prof. Jennifer McElwain from the Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Ireland published a new report in the international journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology about inter-comparison study of three stomatal-proxy methods for CO2 reconstruction applied to early Jurassic Ginkgoales plants. Researchers applied three methods, including the empirical method of McElwain (1998), the empirical method of Barclay and Wing (2016) and the mechanistic method of Franks et al., (2014) to a single fossil Ginkgo species (Ginkgoites marginatus) to track and assess their consistency of pCO2 estimates for the Early Jurassic. By using an inter-comparison of three methods, a high degree of consistency in pCO2 estimates and trends had been observed in two empirical proxy methods. In addition, the mechanistic method and both the empirical methods also showed generally good consistent paleo-CO2 estimates at the bed-level. To test the congruence of paleo-CO2 estimates, they also applied all three methods to one additional Ginkgoalean fossil species (Sphenobaiera huangii). All three methods showed species-dependent uncertainty in paleo-CO2 estimates when applied to different Ginkgalean fossil species collected from the same fossiliferous bed. Moreover, considering the potential effect of guard cell size to the mechanistic method, the genome size of fossil and living Ginkgo taxa was analyzed based on the significant positive relationship between genome size and guard cell size. In addition, the continuous variation curve of pCO2 in the early Jurassic in southern China was reconstructed by the three models, it showed that the CO2 concentration is 900–1400 ppm. This result agreed with the values of the early Jurassic pCO2 using the other plant stomatal parameter method and the geochemical models. It is thus demonstrated that the late Early Jurassic (dated about 180 Ma) was characterized by a greenhouse climate condition with global warming and oceanic anoxic events. This study was jointly supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, State Key Programme of Basic Research of Ministry of Science and Technology, China and SKLPS State Key Lab Funding of NIGPAS. Article reference：Zhou Ning, Wang Yongdong*, Li Ya, Porter Amanda, Kürschner Wolfram, Li Liqin, Lu Ning, McElwain Jennifer*, 2020. An inter-comparison study of three stomatal-proxy methods for CO2 reconstruction applied to early Jurassic Ginkgoales plants. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 542, 109547. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.109547 Two fossil ginkgoalean plants from the Early Jurassic in western Hubei and their epidermal structures and stomatal distribution（left, Ginkgoites; right, Sphenobaiera) Comparisons of paleo-CO2 estimates using three stomatal-proxy methods. (Red indicates empirical method of Barclay and Wing (2016) ; Blue indicates empirical method of McElwain (1998); and Blue indicates mechanistic method of Franks et al., (2014)) The estimated genome size from guard cell data of fossil Ginkgoites and Sphenobaira and living Ginkgo from South China and East Greenland Estimated paleo-CO2 values during Early Jurassic obtained from three methods (blue, red and green box), and comparison with other paleo-CO2 estimates based on the stomatal ratios of plant fossils and geochemical models
The majority of the deep ocean was likely under ferruginous conditions during the first four billion years of Earth’s history. As the atmosphere was gradually oxygenated, the sources, sinks, redox cycling, and reservoir size of dissolved iron in the deep ocean are likely to have changed dramatically. Whether deep water was thoroughly oxygenated by the time of the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition, and the relationship of this oxygenation to the Cambrian explosion, remains debated. To explore the degree of oceanic oxygenation and its effect on Cambrian explosion, a research team, composed of Dr. XIANG Lei, Prof. ZHANG Hua and Prof. CAO Changqun from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and collaborators from the University of West Carolina, the University of Science and Technology of China and Nanjing University, measured the iron isotopic composition (δ56Fe) of bulk rock (i.e., cherts and mudstones/shales) through the Piyuancun and Hetang formations, using samples collected from the Chunye-1 core, on the Lower Yangtze Block in western Zhejiang. The limited variation in δ56Fe values (<0.7‰) and low FeT/Al ratios (<0.77) in euxinic samples show that the deep-water Fe2+ reservoir was quite limited, and likely similar to that of the modern ocean, during the latest Ediacaran and Cambrian Stages 1-3. Iron isotope results, combined with published data from sections on the Middle and Upper Yangtze Block, record a general decline in seawater δ56Fe values from >0.55‰ during the end-Ediacaran and Cambrian Stages 1-3 to <0‰ during Cambrian Stage 4. Seawater δ56Fe values in the lower and middle Hetang Formation range between 0 and 0.2‰, suggesting that the riverine dissolved and suspended flux and/or aeolian dust was the predominant source of highly reactive iron to the deep basin. Positive deep-water δ56Fe values, above 0.55‰ during the terminal Ediacaran and Cambrian Stages 1-3, likely reflect a basin where pyritization, rather than oxidation, was the predominant sink for deep-water ferrous Fe. Thus, researchers infer that only the shallow water was sufficiently oxygenated to support complex metazoans and the evolutions of skeletons, and that atmospheric oxygen levels were not high enough to directly oxygenate deep water environments during the Cambrian explosion.The research results have been published online in the international geology journal Chemical Geology. And this research was supported by by the Strategic Priority Research Program (B) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Reference: Xiang, L., Schoepfer, S.D., Zhang, H., Chen, Z.W., Cao, C.Q., Shen, S.Z., 2020. Deep-water dissolved iron cycling and reservoir size across the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition. Chemical Geology, 541: 119575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemgeo.2020.119575 Iron isotope and iron composition data in Chunye 1 core
The end-Permian mass extinction is the greatest life crisis during the Phanerozoic, which eliminated more than 90% species in the marine realm, resulting in widespread development of microbialites for the dramatical decrease of grazing pressure and bioturbation. Common occurrence of microbialites is the feature of the Precambrian strata, so the widespread microbialites near the Permian-Triassic boundary is regarded as an anachronistic facies, which indicates a primitive ecosystem similar to that of the Precambrian after the end-Permian mass extinction. The end-Permian mass extinction is the greatest life crisis during the Phanerozoic, which eliminated more than 90% species in the marine realm, resulting in widespread development of microbialites for the dramatical decrease of grazing pressure and bioturbation. Common occurrence of microbialites is the feature of the Precambrian strata, so the widespread microbialites near the Permian-Triassic boundary is regarded as an anachronistic facies, which indicates a primitive ecosystem similar to that of the Precambrian after the end-Permian mass extinction. Although lots of studies have been performed on the Permian-Triassic boundary microbialites (PTBMs), these works mainly focused on stratigraphy, morphology, structures and macro-/microfossils of the PTBMs. We still know little about the microbes constructing the PTBMs, because on the one hand microbes can hardly be mineralized to fossils, and on the other hand the PTBMs were commonly undergone intense diagenesis, making the preservation and identification of microbe fossils more difficult. Recently, Dr. ZHENG Quanfeng, Prof. LI Yue and ZHANG Hua from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborating with researchers from South China Sea Institute of Oceanology of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Nanjing University, made a comprehensive study on the PTBMs from 8 localities in South China. The research results have been published in the international journals Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology. Their study found that a specific type of microbe fossils with high abundance and low diversity commonly occurred in the PTBMs of South China. This microbe fossil comprises a laminated stalk and an endpoint spheroid. The spheroid is about 20-40 μm across, composed of micritic magnesian calcite/dolomite wall and calcite spar infillings. The laminated stalk, generally several to hundreds of microns, consists mainly of multiple “stacked-cup” laminae of micron-sized magnesian calcites/dolomites. Calcite microspars and spars can fill the inter-laminae spaces. This microbe fossil is very similar to the Precambrian benthic cyanobacteria fossil Polybessurus bipartitus in morphology. And a modern morphological counterpart, which is also a cyanobacterial benthos, is living in coastal Bahamian environments. So we tentatively named this microbe fossil as Polybessurus-like, and interpreted it as the calcified remains of a benthic unicellular coccoid cyanobacteria and its extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). These coccoid cyanobacteria secreted EPS unidirectionally to form laminated stalks, through which they can not only attach to the substrate in the coastal shallow marine, but also lift themselves upward, both of which can make these cyanobacteria get more sunlight for photosynthysis. Polybessurus-like fossils are the key contributors to the PTBMs. With different growth patterns of Polybessurus-like fossils, different morphotype PTBMs formed, including stromatolites, thrombolites and dentrolites. This study revealed the main microbe contributors to the PTBMs of South China, as well as formation mechanisms of different morphotype PTBMs. The results also present us a picture of the microbial biota in the coastal marine environments on carbonate platforms near the equator during the Permian-Triassic interval, which has great significance to our knowledge about the marine ecosystem after the end-Permian mass extinction. This work was supported by the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. Reference: Zhang, X.Y., Zheng, Q.F.*, Li, Y., Yang, H.Q.*, Zhang, H., Wang, W.Q., Shen, S.Z., 2020. Polybessurus-like fossils as key contributors to Permian-Triassic boundary microbialites in South China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 552: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109770. Lithological columns of the studied sections Outcrop photos of the studied Permian–Triassic boundary sections Polished slabs of microbe-bearing microbialites in the studied sections Microphotographs and line drawings of microbe fossils in the PTBMs of the South China SEM photos of microfossils in the PTBMs of the South China SEM images and EDS analysis results of microbe fossils in the PTBMs of South China
As one of the five major extinction events in Earth history, the Frasnian-Famennian boundary (FFB) crisis caused dramatic reductions in marine and terrestrial diversity. The effects of this event on terrestrial ecosystems are not well understood due to the limited preservation of terrestrial sedimentary rocks and the relative scarcity of plant fossils. Besides, the stratigraphic position of the FFB remains tentative. As one of the five major extinction events in Earth history, the Frasnian-Famennian boundary (FFB) crisis caused dramatic reductions in marine and terrestrial diversity. The effects of this event on terrestrial ecosystems are not well understood due to the limited preservation of terrestrial sedimentary rocks and the relative scarcity of plant fossils. Besides, the stratigraphic position of the FFB remains tentative. In the past years, and Prof. XU Honghe, the group members of from the ‘Modern terrestrial ecosystem origin and early evolution’ of Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Dr. ZHENG Daran from The University of Hong Kong, has made detailed investigations for several Devonian terrestrial outcrops in West Junggar, northwestern China. Related results were published online in the international geoscience journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. They provide a robust zircon U-Pb age (371.5 ± 0.9 Ma; earliest Famennian) for a new fossil assemblage containing Lycopsida, Archaeopteridales, and Cladoxylopsida from the upper Zhulumute Formation of the West Junggar Basin, NW China. These taxa are typical arborescent plants of the Late Devonian and represent the oldest-known forest in China, documenting afforestation in West Junggar coevally with or just after the Upper Kellwasser event (~372 Ma). The new U-Pb ages generated in this study refine the placement of the FFB in West Junggar to within the Zhulumute Formation, instead of the Hongguleleng Formation as previously thought. In the study area, the Upper Devonian Zhulumute Formation contains at least three types of potentially forest-forming plants: the arborescent lycopsid L. rhombicum, the archaeopteridalean progymnosperms C. trifilievii and C. newberryi, and the cladoxylopsid X. lignescens. Although the floral assemblages of the lower Famennian Zhulumute Formation do not represent in-situ growth, the presence of abundant arborescent taxa is inferred to represent the earliest known forest in the West Junggar region. These fossil assemblages show the same taxonomic composition as those confidently ascribed to Late Devonian forest ecosystems elsewhere globally. It is significant that the early Frasnian Hujiersite and early Famennian Zhulumute floras contain no duplicate members. The elevation differences probably cause the different components of two floras. The present radiometric results constrain this floral transition to a ~9 to 11-Myr window between the Hujiersite Flora (maximum depositional ages 382.4 ± 1.0 Ma to 380.4 ± 1.1 Ma and the Zhulumute Flora (maximum depositional age 371.5 ± 0.9 Ma). Thus, our results are permissive of the possibility that this transition, although not tightly age-constrained, coincided with the Upper Kellwasser Event (~372-374 Ma). In West Junggar, the stratigraphic position of the FFB remains tentative. The FFB was controversially interpreted to occur in the lower part of the marine Hongguleleng Formation. Numerous studies have debated the age of the Hongguleleng Formation. Its conodont biostratigraphy has been interpreted as Famennian, late Frasnian–Famennian, or Famennnian–Tournaisian in age. At Bulongguoer, the FFB was placed 2.7 m above the base of the marine Hongguleleng Formation, but not without controversy. At Saerba, the 371.5 U-Pb ages of the present study favor FFB placement within the Zhulumute Formation. Strata of the upper Zhulumute Formation at Bulongguoer and Saerba are considered to be correlative based on similar lithologies and finds of Leptophloeum rhombicum and Callixylon newberryi. This interpretation differs from long-held interpretations regarding placement of the FFB in NW China. Specifically, our age data indicate that the FFB is present in the terrestrial Zhulumute Formation and not within the marine Hongguleleng Formation. Together with paleontological evidence, this new chronostratigraphic constraint indicates that forest development occurred synchronously with or immediately following the Upper Kellwasser crisis in West Junggar. These findings are consistent with the possibility of a major floral turnover at the FFB, although further investigation will be required to test this hypothesis. This research was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the HKU Seed Fund for Basic Research, and National Natural Science Foundation of China. Reference: Zheng, D.R., Chang, S.C. *, Algeo, T., Zhang H.C., Wang, B., Wang, H., Wang, J., Feng, C.Q., Xu, H.H.*, 2020. Age constraint for an earliest Famennian forest and its implications for Frasnian-Famennian boundary in West Junggar, Northwest China. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 552, 109749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109749 Figure 1. Field photo of the Saerba Section of the Zhulumute Formation in West Junggar, Xinjiang, China Figure 2. The turn-over and the geological ages of the Middle to Late Devonian flora of West Junggar, Xinjiang, China Figure 3. Representative Frasnian-Famennian fossil plants in West Junggar, Xinjiang, China
Between two phases of the Late Ordovician mass extinction, Hirnantia Fauna developed globally, and world widely reported except that from Sibumasu Terrane, which now consists of Myanmar, peninsular Malaysia, western Thailand, Sumatra and parts of western Yunnan of China. The Terrane is geographically important, however, the features of Hirnantia Fauna from which and its relationship to South China have long been unclear. Since Reed firstly reported fossils from northern Shan State, Myanmar in 1915, there has been only one relevant paper (with only 9 brachiopods), and the information about western Yunnan is only recorded in one abstract. Between two phases of the Late Ordovician mass extinction, Hirnantia Fauna developed globally, and world widely reported except that from Sibumasu Terrane, which now consists of Myanmar, peninsular Malaysia, western Thailand, Sumatra and parts of western Yunnan of China. The Terrane is geographically important, however, the features of Hirnantia Fauna from which and its relationship to South China have long been unclear. Since Reed firstly reported fossils from northern Shan State, Myanmar in 1915, there has been only one relevant paper (with only 9 brachiopods), and the information about western Yunnan is only recorded in one abstract. Recently, Academician RONG Jiayu, Prof. ZHAN Renbin, Prof. HUANG Bing and CHEN Di (RA) from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, collaborated with Dr. Kyi Pyar Aung from Taunggyi University, Myanmar and Prof. David Harper from Durham University, Britain, studied Hirnantia Faunas from Hwe Mawng purple shale Member, Naungkangyi Group, Mandalay of Myanmar, Wanyaoshu Formation, Mangshi of western Yunnan, and Kuanyinqiao Bed, Meitan, of Guizhou (South China). A series of papers have been published, with 23 genera and 23 species of brachiopods from Mandalay, Myanmar, 22 species of 22 genera from western Yunnan, and 13 species of 13 genera from northern Guizhou were identified. Among them, Hirnantia itself was recorded from Myanmar for the first time, and a new systematical argument to some key taxa was put forward. In addition, Xenocrania, a new genus of Craniid brachiopod was established, and the synonyms for some core taxa of the fauna were revised. These systematic works provide a real basis for global summary in the future. More importantly, based on the classification information, with data from global relevant literatures and fossil materials, the studies revealed some facts in paleobiogeography, community ecology, and population ecology and variation as follows. Paleobiogeography: Based on the comparison of common and core taxa of the Hirnantia Fauna in Sibumasu Terrane and South China, the network analysis method is adopted to prove close relationship between them. The comparative study of Hirnantia Faunas from the Sibumasu Terrane and its adjacent blocks shows that the former was not far away from the south China plate and the Lhasa terrains, and they were all in the shallow tropical waters during the latest Ordovician. The Hirnantia Faunas from Sibumasu and South China with such a high diversity at the end of the Ordovician are very rare, shows their global importance. Brachiopod studies revealed the complex climatic differentiation from low latitude to high latitude during global cooling process in the late Ordovician. The origin and extinction of this global benthic fauna dominated by opportunistic is the important signal of the first and second phases of the major event respectively. Community ecology: The kinella-Paromalomena Association, which lived in deeper water (lower part of BA3, closer to BA4), was recognized based on the information of bathymetric indicator taxa together with data of both diversity and abundance of the Hirnantia Fauna in the Mandalay Division, Myanmar. However, The Hirnantia-Eostropheodonta Association in Meitan, Guizhou province lived in a relatively shallow water environment (BA2 to upper part of BA3). These two assemblages showed obvious differences in many features, as key taxa, composition and diversity. The materials in western Yunnan collected from the Wanshuyao Formation, which was significantly thicker than most of the Kuanyinqiao bed. Studies on brachiopods from 7 bottom up layers, two sets of associations (both including key taxa of Hirnantia Fauna, such as Hirnantia), the Fardenia-Hirnantia association (lower) and the Aegiromena-Anisopleurella association (upper). They belong to the typical shallow-water and deep-water Hirnantia Fauna respectively. There were significant differences in diversity, abundance and body size distribution between the two associations. The ecological succession of community from shallow water to deep water reflected the complexity and evolution of global glacial climate and Marine environment. The deglaciation process of the second pulse of the end-Ordovician mass extinction, was confirmed by the succession of brachiopod community. Population ecology and variation: Hirnantia, nominated the Fauna, is the most important taxon in the Hirnantia fauna, but its species assignment has been controversial. Based ondata from South China and other regions in the world for H. sagittifera, the type species of the genus from representative, the measurements and statistics of the key characters confirmed the significant and extensive variation in H. sagittifera. Six species (including two morpho-types) published previously were all proved to be the synonym of H. sagittifera. Based on materials difficult to identify from Myanmar, South China and other regions, a new genus Xenocrania was established, with its type species Palaeocyclus? haimei Reed (originally described as a coral) from the Hirnantia Fauna in northern Shan State, Myanmar. They found drastic variation of ornamentation of this genus. Three types of ornamentation are recognized within the same population of this species, and even on the same individual. This significant phenotypic pleiotropy was considered may be the response to the strong ecological pressure during the bio-event, in order to improve its probability of survival from the deteriorating environment. Financial supports for this work were provided by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The research results have been published recently in the journals Palaeoworld, Papers in Palaeontology, Journal of Paleontology, Lethaia and others. Publications information: Rong Jiayu, Aung K P, Zhan Renbin, Huang Bing, Harper D A T, Chen Di, Zhou Hanghang, Zhang Xiaole, 2020. The latest Ordovician Hirnantia brachiopod Fauna of Myanmar: Significance of new data from the Mandalay Region. Palaeoworld, 29: 1–30. Huang Bing, Zhou Hanghang, Harper D.A.T., Zhan Renbin, Zhang Xiaole, Chen Di, Rong Jiayu. 2020a. A latest Ordovician Hirnantia brachiopod fauna from western Yunnan, Southwest China and its paleobiogeographic significance. Palaeoworld, 29: 31–46. Huang Bing, Rong Jiayu, Harper D.A.T., Zhou Hanghang. 2020b. A nearshore Hirnantian brachiopod fauna from South China and its ecological significance. Journal of Paleontology, 94(2): 239–254. Huang Bing, Harper D.A.T., Zhou Hanghang, Rong Jiayu. 2020c. From shallow to deep-water: an ecological study of the Hirnantia brachiopod Fauna (Late Ordovician) and its global implications. Lethaia, doi.org/10.1111/LET.12360. Chen Di，Rong Jiayu. 2019. A new craniid brachiopod genus from the terminal Ordovician Hirnantia fauna of Myanmar and South China. Papers in Palaeontology, 5(3): 521-535. Fig. 1. Paleogeographic map displaying the positions of Sibumasu Terrane and other blocks; Network Analysis for Hirnantia Fauna demonstrates the close relationship between these blocks Fig. 2. Diversity and abundance curves for the Hirnantia Fauna from western Yunnan Fig. 3. Phenotypic pleiotropy of new genus Xenocrania, all are the same species Fig. 4. PCA shows significant variation of the type species of Hirnantia; 6 species were revised Fig. 5. Representative brachiopods of the Hirnantia Fauna of Myanmar (left) and western Yunnan (right)
The Mesoproterozoic interval postdates the Great Oxidation Event, and is considered to be an interval of relative stasis in terms of global tectonics, climate states, and marine geochemical conditions, particularly with regard to the low variance of carbon isotopes. As a result, this interval is referred to as the “boring billion”, although the biosphere changed considerably during this time with the evolution of red and green algae, fungi, and calcifying cyanobacteria. In addition, stromatolite abundance and diversity in the oceans more than doubled in the Mesoproterozoic. The “boring billion” may be, in fact, not “boring”, which attracts persistent studies. The Mesoproterozoic interval postdates the Great Oxidation Event, and is considered to be an interval of relative stasis in terms of global tectonics, climate states, and marine geochemical conditions, particularly with regard to the low variance of carbon isotopes. As a result, this interval is referred to as the “boring billion”, although the biosphere changed considerably during this time with the evolution of red and green algae, fungi, and calcifying cyanobacteria. In addition, stromatolite abundance and diversity in the oceans more than doubled in the Mesoproterozoic. The “boring billion” may be, in fact, not “boring”, which attracts persistent studies. Prof. CHEN Jitao from Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS) started working on Mesoproterozoic from 2014 when he was invited twice by A. Knoll and J. Grotzinger toattend the Agouron Field School of Geobiology and collaborative research in Van Horn area, Texas. Recently, CHEN Jitao together with his colleagues from NIGPAS and US have been working on the well-preserved Mesoproterozoic strata of the Helan Mountains in the western margin of the North China Block (NCB). Based on their integrated works, they (1) reconstruct of the depositional history of a coarse redbed succession, (2) analyze a diverse suite of carbonate facies that include remarkably well preserved stromatolitic assemblages, (3) provide carbon and oxygen isotopic profiles for these strata, (4) present the first recovery of trilobites from Cambrian strata at this site that demonstrate the very specific age of the overlying strata, and (5) provide detrital zircon geochronological data for a suite of samples collected from Paleoproterozoic basement, Mesoproterozoic strata, and overlying Cambrian rocks. The study suggests the significant spatial distribution of approximately age-equivalent strata of the Mesoproterozoic Wangquankou carbonate in the NCB were most likely deposited on stable carbonate platform, rather than in an aulacogen. Carbonate carbon isotopes and detrital zircon ages provide a maximum depositional age of ~1610 Ma and prior to 1000–1200 Ma for the Wangquankou Formation. Detrital zircon geochronologic data also show a consistent provenance throughout the Mesoproterozoic section, and for both Middle Cambrian and Middle Ordovician strata, which could suggest a remarkable paucity of major igneous events in this western part of the NCB over a considerable time span (approximately 1000 Ma). The work provides fundamental basis for future studies on diverse stromatolites and biogeochemistry of the Mesoproterozoic. The study was recently published in the international journal Precambrian Research. This research was supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration and National Science Foundation of US. Reference: Zhang, T., Myrow, P.M., Fike, D.A., McKenzie, N.R. Yuan, J., Zhu, X., Li, W., Chen, J.*, 2020. Sedimentology, stratigraphy, and detrital zircon geochronology of Mesoproterozoic strata in the northern Helan Mountains, western margin of the North China Block. Precambrian Research, 343, 105730. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2020.105730 Detailed sedimentary logs of the Mesoproterozoic redbeds of the Huangqikou Formation and the overlying carbonate succession of the Wangquankou Formation in the Helan Mountains, North China. Representative facies of the Mesoproterozoic redbeds of the Huangqikou Formation. Diverse Mesoproterozoic stromatolites of the Wangquankou Formation. Detrital zircon geochronologic results in the western margin of the North China Block.
Carbonate carbon and oxygen isotopes of the Wangquankou Formation.
