Unveiling and ignored taphonomic window in the early Cambrian Chengjiang Biota
The exceptionally preserved soft-bodied fossils from the Chengjiang Biota of Southwest China have proved critical for our understanding of the biodiversity and ecology of the Cambrian Explosion of animals. Almost all previously reported soft-bodied Chengjiang fossils are from the Event Mudstone Beds...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Language: | English |
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Geological Society of America
2024
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| _version_ | 1826314859164205056 |
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| author | Lei, X Cong, P Zhang, S Wei, F Anderson, RP |
| author_facet | Lei, X Cong, P Zhang, S Wei, F Anderson, RP |
| author_sort | Lei, X |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | The exceptionally preserved soft-bodied fossils from the Chengjiang Biota of Southwest China have proved critical for our understanding of the biodiversity and ecology of the Cambrian Explosion of animals. Almost all previously reported soft-bodied Chengjiang fossils are from the Event Mudstone Beds (EB) of the Yu’anshan Formation. Here, we present the first comprehensive investigation of the soft-bodied fossils from the interbedded Background Mudstone Beds (BGB), based on collections made across the last decade, and characterize their preservation. Soft internal cellular organs/tissues such as digestive tracts and glands, cardiovascular systems, nervous systems, and musculature are predominantly preserved as carbonaceous compressions, in contrast to their iron oxide rich preservation in the EB. Our work highlights two distinct preservation modes within a single Burgess Shale-type Lagerstätte, possibly due to the complex interplay of decay, kerogenization and pyritization. |
| first_indexed | 2024-09-25T04:10:32Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:6c2a7868-2f17-4569-85d2-9ecbea5ba3ea |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-09T03:11:47Z |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| publisher | Geological Society of America |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:6c2a7868-2f17-4569-85d2-9ecbea5ba3ea2024-10-15T11:37:03ZUnveiling and ignored taphonomic window in the early Cambrian Chengjiang BiotaJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:6c2a7868-2f17-4569-85d2-9ecbea5ba3eaEnglishSymplectic ElementsGeological Society of America2024Lei, XCong, PZhang, SWei, FAnderson, RPThe exceptionally preserved soft-bodied fossils from the Chengjiang Biota of Southwest China have proved critical for our understanding of the biodiversity and ecology of the Cambrian Explosion of animals. Almost all previously reported soft-bodied Chengjiang fossils are from the Event Mudstone Beds (EB) of the Yu’anshan Formation. Here, we present the first comprehensive investigation of the soft-bodied fossils from the interbedded Background Mudstone Beds (BGB), based on collections made across the last decade, and characterize their preservation. Soft internal cellular organs/tissues such as digestive tracts and glands, cardiovascular systems, nervous systems, and musculature are predominantly preserved as carbonaceous compressions, in contrast to their iron oxide rich preservation in the EB. Our work highlights two distinct preservation modes within a single Burgess Shale-type Lagerstätte, possibly due to the complex interplay of decay, kerogenization and pyritization. |
| spellingShingle | Lei, X Cong, P Zhang, S Wei, F Anderson, RP Unveiling and ignored taphonomic window in the early Cambrian Chengjiang Biota |
| title | Unveiling and ignored taphonomic window in the early Cambrian Chengjiang Biota |
| title_full | Unveiling and ignored taphonomic window in the early Cambrian Chengjiang Biota |
| title_fullStr | Unveiling and ignored taphonomic window in the early Cambrian Chengjiang Biota |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unveiling and ignored taphonomic window in the early Cambrian Chengjiang Biota |
| title_short | Unveiling and ignored taphonomic window in the early Cambrian Chengjiang Biota |
| title_sort | unveiling and ignored taphonomic window in the early cambrian chengjiang biota |
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