The ~600-million-year-old Lantian biota hosts some of the earliest forms of macroscopic eukaryotes characterized by multicellularity and complex morphologies. The evolution of eukaryotes around 2500 million years ago when atmospheric oxygen rose to unprecedented levels (although still orders of magnitude below modern levels) terminated the monopoly of Earth’s biosphere by eubacteria and archaebacteria. The rise of multicellularity among eukaryotes represents a major transition in evolution, allowing the evolution of macroscopic organisms with cell, tissue, and organ differentiation and eventually leading to the appearance of animals.   

The Lantian biota witnessed this major transition. The Lantian biota is preserved in black shales of the Ediacaran Lantian Formation in Xiuning County of southern Anhui Province, China. The Proterozoic-Cambrian succession in this area includes the Xiuning, Leigongwu, Lantian, Piyuancun, and Hetang formations. Of these, the Leigongwu Formation consists of glaciogenic diamictites deposited during a major ice age dubbed the snowball Earth. Shortly after the ice thawed about 635 million years ago, multicellular eukaryotes flourished in warm, still, and photic marine environments and these organisms were preserved in the Lantian Formation.   

Most fossils in the Lantian biota are likely benthic algae but a few are similar to and may represent putative animals such as cnidarians and worms. The Lantian fossils tell a vivid story about the burgeoning multicellular eukaryotes and the rising yet fluctuating oxygen levels in the wake of the snowball Earth. Continuing study of the Lantian biota and its environmental context will teach us about the Earth’s past and inform us about its future.  

During the past five years, the early life team of Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences carried out a systematic research of the Lantian Biota, and made a list of grate progress widely approved. In order to give a comprehensive introduction, Prof. YUAN Xunlai, Dr. WAN Bin, Dr. GUAN Chengguo and their colleagues systematically summarized previous research and newly progress, and published the monograph Lantian Biota, illustrating with many fossil pictures and reconstructions. This book mainly display the marine ecosystem ~600 million year ago and its environmental background, and contains six chapter, including the research history, geological setting, paleobiology, paleoenvironment, paleoecology, and insight into the original and early evolution of multicellular eukaryotes. This book is benefit for graduate students and experts engaging the study and research on the palaeontology and related fields.    

Book information: Xunlai Yuan, Bin Wan, chengguo Guan, Zhe Che, Chuanming Zhou, Shuhai Xiao, Wei Wang, Ke Pang, Qing Tang and Hong Hua. 2016. Lantian Biota. Shanghai, Shanghai scientific and technical publishers. 1-138. ISBN 987-7-5478-2854-0