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First record of Norian (Triassic) fossil wood from the Junggar Basin, northwestern China
AresearchgroupheadedbyDr.TANGPengfromNanjingInstituteofGeologyandPalaeontology,ChineseAcademyofSciencesdescribedapermineralisedgymnospermouswood,Xenoxylonjunggarensissp.nov.fromtheNorian(upperTriassic)HuangshanjieFormationinDalongkouSection,JimsarCounty,XinjiangUygurAutonomousRegion,northwesternChina.Thepycnoxylicwoodconsistsofthick-walledtracheidsandthin-walledrays.Itischaracterizedbycommonlyroundedtoverycompressed,contiguousorsometimesseparateduniseriate,occasionallyroundedandalternatebiseriateradialpitsandoneortwosimple,largepitsineachcorss-field.ThefossilwoodgenusXenoxylonGothanisknowntobeanindicatorofcoolerand/orwetterclimatesintheborealhemisphereduringtheMesozoic.ItsoccurrenceintheHuangshanjieFormationfromJunggarBasin,togetherwiththepalaeobotanicalandpalynologicaldata,indicatesthatawetandtemperateclimateprevailedinthenorthernXinjiangduringtheNorianinterval.Themeansensitivityofanalysisof22growthringsis0.36,suggestingaseasonalresponsetoclimate.Growthringsinthefossilwoodsarelarge(2.3mmaveragewithamaximumof5.44mm),representingeitheralongergrowingseasonormorefavorableconditionsforgrowth,includingreadilyavailablewaterandhighertemperature.Basedonaconsiderableamountofearlywoodandasmallpercentageoflatewoodandsomeindirectevidence,itishypothesizedthatgrowthofXenoxylonjunggarensisinthehigh-latitudeJunggarBasininthelateTriassicwaslimitedbylightlevels. ThisresearchwasrecentlypublishedinPalaeogeography,Palaeoclimatology,Palaeoecology. ThisresearchwasjointlysupportedbytheStateKeyLaboratoryofPalaeobiologyandStratigraphy,NationalBasicResearchProgramofChinaandtheNationalNatureScienceFoundationofChina. Relatedinformation:Wan,M.,Zhou,W.,Tang,P.,Liu,L.,Wang,J.,2016.Xenoxylonjunggarensissp.nov.,anewgymnospermousfossilwoodfromtheNorian(Triassic)HuangshanjieFormationinnorthwesternChina,anditspalaeoclimaticimplications.Palaeogeography,Palaeoclimatology,Palaeoecology441,679-687.FiledphotosofthefossilwoodsandthemapsshowingcrosssectionMapsshowingtheradialandtangentialsectionofthefossilwood
2016-02-19
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New results obtained for the studies on the Mesozoic Dipteridaceae ferns
TheextantfamilyDipteridaceaeincludes8speciesof1genus(Dipteris),whichisrestrictedtotropicalandsubtropicalIndo-Malaysianregions,includingnortheasternIndia,andsouthernChina.ThefossilrecordofthisfamilyhasbeenwidelyreportedfromtheMesozoic,andisregardedastheindicatorsforglobalwarmingandphytogeography.AlthoughmanystudieshavebeenfocusedonthesystematicrelationshipoffossilDipteridaceaeferns,thereproductiveanatomyandinsitusporesaswellasdiversityanddistributionpatternofthesefossilsarerelativelypoorknown.Prof.WANGYongdongfromNanjingInstituteofGeologyandPalaeontology,ChineseAcademyofSciencesandhisteammembershaverecentlyinvestigatedthefertilestructuresincludinginsitusporesofaLateTriassicdipteridfern,ClathropterisobovataOishifromGuangyuanofSichuanProvince,China.Thewell-preservedcompressionspecimensshowroundtoovalandexindusiatesori,verticaltoobliqueannuliinsporangia,andinsitutriletesporeswithverrucateandbaculatesculptures,whicharecomparabletodispersedsporegeneraofConverrucosisporitesandConbaculatisporites.ComparisonsofrelevantfossiltaxasuggestthatspecimensofC.obovatafromTriassicofChinaprovideforthefirsttimeinAsiathedetailedfertilestructureswithinsitusporecharactersofdipteridfossilClathropteris.UnlikelivingDipteris,thefossilevidenceshowsahighdiversityandmorphologicalvariationofinsitusporeswithinthefamilyDipteridaceaeintheMesozoic,thusshowinginsightsfortheevolutionarylinksbetweenDipteridaceaeandotherrelatedfernclade.ThisresulthasbeenpublishedinJournalofPlantResearch.Inaddition,Prof.WANGetal.investigatedthefossilrecord,diversityvariationadntampo-spatialdistributionpatternoftheMesozoicDipteridaceaefernsinChina.Theydemonstratedthatsofar,about74speciesof6generahavebeenreported.Geographically,theyaredistributedbothinSouthernandNorthernFloristicProvinces,andareparticularlywelldevelopedintheSouthernFloristicProvinceduringtheLateTriassicandtheEarlyJurassicinterval.FossildiversityofDipteridaceaevariesinthedifferentepisodesoftheMesozoicinChina.ItisshownthatDipteridaceaehasundergoneadiversitydevelopmentprocessduringtheMesozoic.Thedipteridfossildiversityvariationissupposedtobecloselylinkedwithandclimatechange.ThisresultispublishedonlineintheElsevierjournalPalaeoworld.ThisstudywasjointlysupportedbytheStateKeyBasicResearchProgramofChina,NationalNaturalSciencesFoundationofChina,theKnowledgeInnovationProjectofCAS,andtheTeamProgramofScientificInnovationandInterdisciplinaryCooperationofCAS.Publicationinformation:WangYongdong*,LiLiqin,GuignardG,DilcherDL.,XieXiaoping,TianNing,ZhouNing,WangYan,2015.FertilestructureswithinsitusporesofadipteridfernfromtheTriassicinsouthernChina.JournalofPlantResearch,128:445-457.Doi:10.1007/s10265-015-0708-9.ZhouNing,WangYongdong*,LiLiqin,ZhangXiaoqing,2015.Diversityvariationandtempo-spatialdistributionoftheDipteridaceaefernsintheMesozoicofChina.Palaeoworld,http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palwor.2015.11.008.Thefertileleaf,soriandsporangiaofClathropterisobovatafromtheLaterTriassicofChinaSterileandfertileleaves,sporangiaandinsitusporesoflivingDipterisconjugataFossildiversityvariationofDipteridaceaefernsintheMesozoicofChina
2016-02-19
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Oceanic redox evolution across the end-Permian mass extinction at Shangsi, South China
Theend-Permianmassextinction(EPME)wasthemostsevereextinctioneventofthePhanerozoic.ToinvestigateoceanicredoxconditionsaroundtheEPME,Dr.XIANGLeiandcolleaguesfromNanjingInstituteofGeologyandPalaeontology,ChineseAcademyofSciencesconductedaseriesofgeochemicalanalyses,includingironspeciation,traceelementgeochemistry,totalorganiccarbon(TOC),andnitrogenisotopesofkerogen(δ15Nkero),aroundtheEPMEattheShangsisection,SouthChina.Theydistinguishedthreeintervalswithdifferentredoxconditionsbasedonironspeciation.Duringthefirstinterval(earlyandmiddleChanghsingian),bottomwaterswerepervasivelyeuxinic.Inthesecondinterval(lateChanghsingianandtheEPME),bottomwaterfluctuatedbetweenoxicandanoxic,butnon-sulfidicconditions,withtheoxicmodebecomingincreasinglypredominantovertime.Duringthethirdinterval,followingtheEPME,bottomwatersappearedtohavebeenconsistentlyanoxic,thoughagainnotpervasivelyeuxinic.Thisredoxhistoryissupportedbyenrichmentsintheauthigenicfractionofredoxsensitiveelements.Theserelativelyhighδ15Nkerovalues(>1.0‰)correspondingwithChanghsingianeuxiniasuggestreducingbottomwatersdidnotimpingeonthephoticzone.Theshifttovaluesnear0‰withinandabovetheEPMEindicatesanecologicalexpansionofdiazotrophs.StratigraphictrendsofNixs,Cdxs,PxsandTOCindicatethatprimaryproductivitywashighestinthefirstinterval,coincidingwitheuxinicbottomwater,thendecreasedduringthelowerpartofInterval2andremainedatlowlevelthroughtheremainderofthestudiedsection.ThetemporalrelationshipbetweenredoxconditionandprimaryproductivitysuggestthateuxiniawassupportedbyhighproductivityandcarbonexportintheearlyChanghsingian.TheexpansionofN2-fixationcoincidescloselywiththepreviouslydocumentedwarmingoftheoceansurfaceatShangsi,andmayberelatedtoreducedoceaniccirculationandsuppressedverticalmixing.Thetemporaldistributionofdeep-wateranoxiaandeuxiniasuggestthattheywerenotprimarycausesfortheextinctionofbenthosatShangsi.ThisresearchwaspublishedinPalaeogeography,Palaeoclimatology,Palaeoecology.ItwassupportedbytheNationalNaturalScienceFoundationofChina. Relatedinformationofthispaper:LeiXiang,S.D.Schoepfer,HuaZhang*,Dong-xunYuan,Chang-qunCao,Quan-fengZheng,C.M.Henderson,Shu-zhongShen,2016.Oceanicredoxevolutionacrosstheend-PermianmassextinctionatShangsi,SouthChina.Palaeogeography,Palaeoclimatology,Palaeoecology.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.10.046StratigraphicdistributionsofredoxproxiesintheShangsisection,SouthChinaStratigraphicdistributionsofTOC,Pxs,Cdxs,(C/N)kero,δ15Nkero,andδ18OintheShangsisection
2016-01-07
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An endoparasitoid fly in Burmese amber
PhotographofZheniaxiaigen.et.sp.nov.a,holotype;b,paratype;c,paratypeParasitoidism—thelarvaedevelopingbyfeedingonotherarthropodsandeventuallykillingthem—representsamajorshiftinthemodeofcarnivorywithinterrestrialecosystemsandstronglyregulatesmoderntrophicwebs.Parasitoidismisakeyinnovationininsectevolution,andparasitoidinsects,nowadays,playasignificantroleinstructuringecologicalcommunities.ThereisnodirectfossilevidenceforinsectparasitoidismbeforetheEarlyJurassic,EarlyJurassicwaspshavebeenwidelythoughttopossesstheparasitoidlifestylewhichevolvedonceinHymenoptera.Inaddition,severalCretaceousinsects(StrepsipteraandColeoptera)wereregardedasparasitoidsbasedontheirlarvalevidenceof“parasitism”.OtherMesozoicevidencecomesfromtaxonomicassignments,anddefinitiveparasitoidfliesareveryscarceforthisperiod.ZHANGQingqing,apostgraduatestudent,Dr.WangBoandProf.ZhangJunfengfromNanjingInstituteofGeologyandPalaeontology,ChineseAcademyofSciencesreportedanendoparasitoidinsectbasedonthreewell-preservedspecimens,Zheniaxiai,fromthemid-CretaceousBurmeseamber.Zheniaxiaiisanendoparasitoidinsectasevidencedbyahighlydeveloped,hypodermic-likeovipositorformedbyabdominaltergitesVIII+IXthatwasusedforinjectingeggsintohostsandenlargedtridactylousclawssupposedlyforclaspinghosts.ZheniaxiairepresentsthelatestoccurrenceofthefamilyEremochaetidae.Theresultsrevealthattheparasitoidbehavior,associatedwithconsiderablemorphologicaladaptations,wasalreadywellestablishedineremochaetids,providingrobustevidenceforthegreatdiversificationofparasitoidsduringtheMiddleJurassictoLateCretaceous.ThisresearchwassupportedbytheNationalBasicResearchProgramofChina,NationalNaturalScienceFoundationofChina,andYouthInnovationPromotionAssociationofCAS.Relatedinformationofthispaper:QingqingZhang,JunfengZhang,YitaoFeng,HaichunZhang,BoWang(2015)AnendoparasitoidCretaceousflyandtheevolutionofparasitoidism.TheNatureofScience,103:2.doi:10.1007/s00114-015-1327-y.a,headofZheniaxiai;b,tarsiandtridactylousclawsofhindleg;c,ovipositor.RestorationofZheniaxiaigen.et.sp.nov.
2016-01-06
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New records of Jurassic petrified wood in China revealing palaeoclimate implications
AnatomicalstructuresoffossilProtaxodioxylonjianchangenseTianetWangsp.novfromtheJurassicinJianchangofwesternLiaoningDiverseandrichfossilwoodrecordshavebeendocumentedfromtheMesozoicofLiaoningProvince,NEChina.TheTiaojishanFormation(mainlydistributedinBeipiao,Chaoyang,FuxinandJianchangregions)isoneofthemostsignificanthorizonsfortheJurassicpetrifiedwoodinLiaoningProvince.Previously,woodfossilsofthisformationweremainlyreportedinBeipiaoandChaoyangregions,whereasfossilwoodrecordwasmerelyknowninJianchangregion.Prof.WANGYongdongandhisteammembersfromNanjingInstituteofGeologyandPalaeontology,ChineseAcademyofSciencesandShenyangNormalUniversityhavedescribednewfossilwoodspecimensfromtheTiaojishanFormationinJianchangCounty,westernLiaoning.Twofossilwoodtaxa,i.e.,ProtaxodioxylonjianchangenseTianetWangsp.nov.andXenoxylonpeidenseZhengetZhangwererecognizedonthebasisofanatomicalfeatures.Thesefossilwoodrecordsaddnewdataforunderstandingthefossilwooddiversity,floralcompositionandpalaeoclimateoftheTiaojishanFormation.TheoccurrenceofXenoxylonandProtaxodioxylonimpliesacooltemperate,wetandseasonalclimateconditionwithinterannualvariationsduringtheMiddletoLateJurassictransitioninwesternLiaoningregion.Thearticlewaspublishedandcitedin:TianN,XieAW,WangYD*,JiangZK,LiLQ,YinYL,ZhuZP,WangJJ.2015.NewrecordsofJurassicpetrifiedwoodinJianchangofwesternLiaoning,Chinaandtheirpalaeoclimateimplications.ScienceChina:EarthSciences,58:2154–2164,doi:10.1007/s11430-015-5208-1.
2015-12-29
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The first sphinctozoan-bearing reef from an Ordovician back-arc basin
Biotaandmicrofaciesofthereef.A)Polishedslabofsphinctozoan-coral-microbialboundstone.B-D)Thin-sectionsofrectanglesmarkedinA.Whitetriangles—cavities;yellowtriangles—Streptelasma;redtriangles—Palaeophyllum;S—sphinctozoan(Corymbospongia);E—Epiphyton;K—Kordephyton.Sphinctozoan(chambered)spongeswereimportantreef-buildersandcommoncryptobiontsduringthemid-latePermianandmid-lateTriassic.ThesehypercalcifiedspongescanbetracedfromtheCambrian,butitwasoncethoughtthattheywererestrictedtolevel-bottomcommunitiesuntiltheMiddlePermian.ComparetothePermianandTriassic,therewerejustsporadicandlimitedreportsofreef-buildingsphinctozoans(multi-chamberedsponges)intheEarlyPaleozoic.Recently,Dr.LIQijianfromNanjingInstituteofGeologyandPalaeontology,ChineseAcademyofSciencesandhiscolleaguesProf.LIYueandProf.WolfgangKiesslingdiscoveranoldestsphinctozoan-coral-microbialreeffromtheUpperSanqushanFormation(lateKatian)atWu’aiinZhejiang,southeastChina,whichisalsothefirstreportofOrdoviciansphinctozoansfromtheSouthChina.Thehugereef(about120mthick)ismainlyconstructedbycalcimicrobes(Kordephyton,RenalcisandEpiphyton)withasuiteofcalcareousalgae(mostlyredalga)andaccessorymetazoans(sphinctozoansandrugosecorals).Theelongatedstromatactiscavities(centimeter-scale)filledwithcementpervadeinthenon-laminatedmicrobialboundstone.Bio-andlitho-faciesinthisareaaswellasthecharacteristicsofthemicrobialiteshowthatthereefdevelopedinadeepersubtidalandstressfulsettingthatwasunfavorableformostmetazoanbuilders.Incontrasttothehigh-energystromatolite-sphinctozoanreefsintheLateSilurian,ourcaserepresentsalow-energycommunity,indicatingthatthefirstreef-buildingsphinctozoan(Corymbospongia)mighthavebeenoriginatedfromrelativelydeepenvironmentonseamountsofaback-arcbasinduringtheLateOrdovician.Theresearcharticlewaspublishedin:LiQijian,LiYue&KiesslingWolfgang,2015.Thefirstsphinctozoan-bearingreeffromanOrdovicianback-arcbasin.Facies,61(3):availableonline.(DOI:10.1007/s10347-015-0444-6)
2015-11-27
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Scientists Find the First Fossil Record of Kinorhyncha
SEMimagesofEokinorhynchusrarusgen.etsp.nov.Kinorhyncha,Loricifera,Priapulida,Nematoda,Nematomorpha,Onychophora,TardigradaandArthropodaconstitutetheEcdysozoawhichismajorpartoftheanimalworld.TheKinorhynchaincludes~240extantspeciesofexclusivelymarine,holobenthic,free-living,meiofaunalanimals.Sofar,Kinorhynchahasnofossilrecord,anditsoriginandevolutioniscurrentlyunknown.Recently,inacollaborativeresearchbyDr.ZHANGHuaqiaofromNanjingInstituteofGeologyandPalaeontology,ChineseAcademyofSciences,Prof.XIAOShuhaifromVirginiaTechandotherscientistsrecoveredthreedimensionallyphosphatizedworm-likefossilsfromearlyCambrianrocks,approximately535millionyearsold,innorthernSichuanandsouthernShaanxiProvinces.Thesenewfossilsareinterpretedasearlykinorhynchanimals,representingtheonlyknownkinorhynchfossilsintheentiregeologicalhistory.OneofthenewlydiscoveredfossiltaxaisnamedEokinorhynchusrarus,alludingtoitsrelationshipwithmodernkinorhynchsanditsrarenessinthefossilrecord.Eokinorhynchusrarusisaround2mminlengthandhas20macroannulieachbearingasinglecircletof20~40rectangularplates.Ithasfivepairsofbilaterallyarrangedlargespinosescleritesandasinglelargespinosescleriteontheventralside,eachscleritestraddlingtwoorthreemacroannuli.Therearemanysmallinternallyhollowspinesrandomlydistributedonthetrunk.Dr.ZHANGandcolleaguesfoundthatEokinorhynchusrarushasanumberofsimilaritieswithlivingkinorhynchs,suggestingacloseevolutionaryrelationship.Forexample,thetrunkofEokinorhynchusrarusandlivingkinorhynchshaveanumberofhollowspinesandaredividedintosegments,eachconsistingofarticulatedplates.However,unlikemodernkinorhynchs,Eokinorhynchusrarusisarmouredwithspinesthatarelargerandmoredistinctthanspinesonmodernkinorhynchs.Italsohasmuchmorebodysegmentsthanmodernkinorhynchs.Inlightofthesesimilaritiesanddifferences,Dr.ZHANGsuggestthatEokinorhynchusrarusmaybecloselyrelatedtotheancestorofmodernkinorhynchsandrepresentsthefirstandonlyknownfossilsofKinorhyncha.ThenewdiscoveryindicatesthatKinorhynchaemergedintheearlyCambrianandispartofthe"CambrianExplosion".ThisresearchwasrecentlypublishedinScientificReports,aNaturefamilyjournal.Relatedinformation:HuaqiaoZhang,ShuhaiXiao,YunhuanLiu,XunlaiYuan,BinWan,A.D.Muscente,TiequanShao,HaoGong&GuohuaCao,2015.Armoredkinorhynch-likescalidophorananimalsfromtheearlyCambrian.ScientificReports.Doi:10.1038/srep16521.ReconstructionofEokinorhynchusrarusgen.etsp.nov.
2015-11-27
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New progress on the study of Early Devonian graptolites in South China
SometypicalEarlyDevoniangraptolitesintheQinzhouFm.ThevastmajorityofEarlyDevoniangraptolitesarewidelydistributedwithinthe30°Nand30°Sparallelsofpaleolatitude,withonlyafewknownathigherlatitudes.OnlythreeearlyDevoniangraptolitelocations,i.e.,westYunnan,southeastGuangxi(inlowpaleolatitude),andsouthXizang(Tibet)(inmiddle-highpaleolatitude),havebeenreportedinChina.Recently,anEarlyDevoniangraptolitefaunafromtheQinzhou–YulinregioninsoutheastGuangxi,ChinaisdescribedbyAcademicianCHENXufromNanjingInstituteofGeologyandPalaeontology,ChineseAcademyofSciencesandhiscolleagues.Thisgraptolitefaunaofmoderatediversityincludes3generaand14species,with2newspecies,Uncinatograptusjadaesp.nov.andNeomonograptusaequabilislatussubsp.nov.Basedonthesetaxa,fourbiozonesintheQinzhouFormation,theUncinatograptusuniformisBiozone,thetentativeUncinatograptuspraehercynicusBiozone,thetentativeNeomonograptusfalcariusBiozone,andtheUncinatograptusyukonensisBiozone,areerectedinascendingorder.TheLowerDevoniangraptolitebiozonationinGuangxiagreeswellwiththeglobalstandard.TheresearcharticlewaspublishedinCanadianJournalofEarthSciences.Relatedinformationofthispaper:XuChen,YunanNi,AlfredC.Lenz,LinnaZhang,ZhongyangChen,andLanTang.2015.EarlyDevoniangraptolitesfromtheQinzhou–Yulinregion,southeastGuangxi,China.CanadianJournalofEarthSciences,52(11):1000-1013.doi:10.1139/cjes-2015-0025. Comparisonof6EarlyDevoniansectionsintheQinzhou–Yulinregion,Guangxi,China
2015-11-23
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Unusual Deep Water sponge assemblage was found in the Late Ordovician of South China
RepresentativetaxaoftheLateOrdoviciandeep-waterspongesfromSouthChinaTheend-OrdovicianmassextinctionistheearliestandthesecondlargestamongtheBig-fiveinPhanerozoic.ItoccurredneartheendoftheOrdovicianperiod(between445.6Maand443.7Ma),andhadadevastatinginfluenceonthemarineecosystem.Afternearly40yearsinvestigationinaglobalscale,thereisaconsensusthattheend-Ordovicianmassextinctionwasstepwiseandepisodic,andtwophaseshavebeenrecognized,withaboutonemillionyearsinbetween.Manyfossilshavebeenfoundfromtherockschronostratigraphicallycorrespondingtotheintervalfromthefirstepisodeoftheend-OrdovicianmassextinctiontothelatestOrdovician,suchasbrachiopods,trilobites,corals,graptolitesandsoon.Spongesarerareinthisinterval,andonlylithistidsandstromatoporoidshavebeensporadicallydocumented.Althoughmanynewdiscoveriesshowthatthenon-lithistidspicularsponges(especiallytheBurgessShale-typefaunas)areknownfromabroadrangeoftimes,andnotrestrictedtotheCambrian,therearestilllargegapsinthefossilrecordsofnon-lithistidspicularspongesduringtheLateOrdovician.Sofar,nospongeshavebeenreportedfromtheLateOrdovicianinChina. Recently,Dr.LILixiafromNanjingInstituteofGeologyandPalaeontology,ChineseAcademyofSciencesandhercolleaguesfromNanjingUniversityandGermanyreportauniquespongeassemblagespanningtheintervaloftheend-OrdovicianmassextinctionfromtheKaochiapienFormation(UpperOrdovician-LowerSilurian)inSouthChina.TheresearcharticlewaspublishedinScientificReports. ThisspongeassemblageareoflatestOrdovician(lateHirnantian)toearliestSilurian(earlyRhuddanian)age,justextendingacrosstheOrdovician-Silurianboundary.Itcontainsavarietyofwell-preservedsiliceoussponges,includingbothBurgessShale-typeandmoderntypetaxa.Itisclearthatthisassemblagedevelopedindeepwater,lowenergyecosystemwithlesscompetitorsandmorevacantniches.Itsexplosionmayberelatedtotheeuxinicandanoxicconditionaswellasthenoticeabletransgressionduringtheend-Ordovicianmassextinction.Theexcellentpreservationofthisassemblageisprobablyduetotherapidburialbymudturbidites. ThisunusualspongeassemblagegivesanexcellentinsightintothedeepseapalaeoecologyandthemacroevolutionofPhanerozoicsponges,andopensanewwindowtoinvestigatethemarineecosystembeforeandaftertheend-Ordovicianmassextinction.ItalsoofferspotentialtosearchforexceptionalfossilbiotaacrosstheOrdovician-SilurianboundaryintervalinChina. ThisresearchwassupportedbytheNationalNaturalScienceFoundationofChina(NSFC)andtheStateKeyLaboratoryofPalaeobiologyandStratigraphy(LPS). Relatedinformationofthispaper:LixiaLi,HongzhenFeng,DorteJanussenandJoachimReitner.2015.UnusualDeepWaterspongeassemblageinSouthChina–Witnessoftheend-Ordovicianmassextinction.ScientificReports5:16060;DOI:10.1038/srep16060.AconceptualmodelofthemigrationandtaphonomicprocessofspongesduringthelateHirnantian.
2015-11-19
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Exceptional-preserved clam shrimp eggs found from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota
Apaperentitled“Exceptionalpreservationofclamshrimp(Branchiopoda,Eucrustacea)eggsfromtheEarlyCretaceousJeholBiotaandimplicationsforpaleoecologyandtaphonomy”byDr.PANYanhongetal.hasbeenrecentlypublishedinJournalofPaleontology.Fossileggsofclamshrimps(Spinicaudata)arerareandlittleattentionhasbeenpaidtothestudyoftheirshapeandmicrostructures.Inthispaper,Dr.PANreportthediscoveryofexceptional-preservedthree-dimensionaleggsfromnumerousspecimensofEosestheriaellipticaChen,1976fromthelacustrineEarlyCretaceousYixianFormationinwesternLiaoning,China.Thesethree-dimensionallypreservedfossileggsdisplayasphericalshapewithsmoothsurface,partofthetertiaryenvelop,andpossiblythefirstembryoniccuticlethatwerepreviouslyunknownorambiguous.EDSanalysesofthefossilizedenveloprevealedacalciumphosphatecomposition.Thematerialnotonlyfurthersourunderstandingofthebiologyofancientclamshrimps,butalsoaddstoourknowledgeofthefossilizationprocessesthatareresponsiblefortheexceptionalpreservationoftheJeholBiota.Relatedinformationofthispaper:YanhongPan,YaqiongWang,JingengSha,andHuanyulIao,2015.Exceptionalpreservationofclamshrimp(Branchiopoda,Eucrustacea)eggsfromtheEarlyCretaceousJeholBiotaandimplicationsforpaleoecologyandtaphonomy.JournalofPaleontology,v.89,p.369-376.Doi:10.1017/jpa.2015.24． Three-dimensioanllypreservedeggsofEosestheriaellipticaChen,1976 ResultsofenergyX-rayspectrometer(EDS)forselectedpointsanalysisofelementalcompositionsandelementalmapsoftheuncoatedslice
2015-11-13