Three-dimensional reconstruction, taphonomic and petrological data suggest that the oldest record of bioturbation is a body fossil coquina

Christos Psarras; Philip C J Donoghue; Russell J. Garwood; Dmitriy V. Grazhdankin; Luke A Parry; Vladimir Rogov; Alex G S C Liu

doi:10.1002/spp2.1531

Three-dimensional reconstruction, taphonomic and petrological data suggest that the oldest record of bioturbation is a body fossil coquina

Christos Psarras^*, Philip C J Donoghue, Russell J. Garwood, Dmitriy V. Grazhdankin, Luke A Parry, Vladimir Rogov, Alex G S C Liu

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article (Academic Journal) › peer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Fossil material assigned to Nenoxites from the late Ediacaran Khatyspyt Formation of Arctic Siberia (550–544 Ma) has been presented as evidence for bioturbation prior to the basal Cambrian boundary. However, that ichnological interpretation has been challenged, and descriptions of similar material from other global localities support a body fossil origin. Here we combine x-ray computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy and petrographic methods to evaluate the body or trace fossil nature of Nenoxites from the Khatyspyt Formation. The fossilized structures consist of densely packed chains of three-dimensionally preserved silicic, bowl-shaped elements surrounded by distinct sedimentary halos, in a dolomitized matrix. Individual bowl-shaped elements can exhibit diffuse mineralogical boundaries and bridging connections between elements, both considered here to result from silicification and dolomitization during diagenesis. This new morphological and petrological evidence, in conjunction with recent studies of the late Ediacaran tubular taxa Ordinilunulatus and Shaanxilithes from China, suggest that the Khatyspyt specimens most probably reflect a coquina deposit of Shaanxilithes-like body fossils. Our data support the possibility of Shaanxilithes-like organisms representing total group eumetazoans.

Original language	English
Article number	e1531
Number of pages	20
Journal	Papers in Palaeontology
Volume	9
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/spp2.1531
Publication status	Published - 12 Nov 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
We thank B. Buse, T. Davies and S. Kearns for technical support, M. Tucker for discussion, and S. Jensen, R. Wood and A. Penny for providing specimens for comparative analysis. We appreciate the assistance of Z. Chen for translating sections of Chinese‐language publications. Stratigraphic, sedimentological and palaeoecological studies of the Khatyspyt Formation were supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant 20‐67‐46028 to DVG). We thank the two anonymous reviewers and James D. Schiffbauer for greatly improving the text. Analyses were conducted by CP in partial fulfilment of the MSc Palaeobiology at the University of Bristol, and supported by NERC (NE/L011409/1 to AGL and NE/P013678/1 to AGL and PCJD, part of the Biosphere Evolution, Transitions and Resilience (BETR) programme, co‐funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)). PCJD was also funded by a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship (RF‐2022‐167). LAP was supported by an early career fellowship from St Edmund Hall, Oxford and a NERC Independent Research Fellowship (grant no. NE/W007878/1). DVG and VIR were supported by Government Contract FWZZ‐2022‐0002 (Fundamental Scientific Research Programme of the Russian Federation). Cloudina

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© 2023 The Authors. Papers in Palaeontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Palaeontological Association.

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Neoproterozoic - Phanerozoic transition
Donoghue, P. C. J. (Principal Investigator)
9/01/17 → 31/07/22
Project: Research

X-ray Tomography (XTM)
Donoghue, P. (Manager) & Martin-Silverstone, E. (Manager)
School of Earth Sciences
Facility/equipment: Facility

Cite this

@article{bcbc8e19440b4461a3747d7dcc48cca7,

title = "Three-dimensional reconstruction, taphonomic and petrological data suggest that the oldest record of bioturbation is a body fossil coquina",

abstract = "Fossil material assigned to Nenoxites from the late Ediacaran Khatyspyt Formation of Arctic Siberia (550–544 Ma) has been presented as evidence for bioturbation prior to the basal Cambrian boundary. However, that ichnological interpretation has been challenged, and descriptions of similar material from other global localities support a body fossil origin. Here we combine x-ray computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy and petrographic methods to evaluate the body or trace fossil nature of Nenoxites from the Khatyspyt Formation. The fossilized structures consist of densely packed chains of three-dimensionally preserved silicic, bowl-shaped elements surrounded by distinct sedimentary halos, in a dolomitized matrix. Individual bowl-shaped elements can exhibit diffuse mineralogical boundaries and bridging connections between elements, both considered here to result from silicification and dolomitization during diagenesis. This new morphological and petrological evidence, in conjunction with recent studies of the late Ediacaran tubular taxa Ordinilunulatus and Shaanxilithes from China, suggest that the Khatyspyt specimens most probably reflect a coquina deposit of Shaanxilithes-like body fossils. Our data support the possibility of Shaanxilithes-like organisms representing total group eumetazoans.",

author = "Christos Psarras and Donoghue, \{Philip C J\} and Garwood, \{Russell J.\} and Grazhdankin, \{Dmitriy V.\} and Parry, \{Luke A\} and Vladimir Rogov and Liu, \{Alex G S C\}",

note = "Funding Information: We thank B. Buse, T. Davies and S. Kearns for technical support, M. Tucker for discussion, and S. Jensen, R. Wood and A. Penny for providing specimens for comparative analysis. We appreciate the assistance of Z. Chen for translating sections of Chinese‐language publications. Stratigraphic, sedimentological and palaeoecological studies of the Khatyspyt Formation were supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant 20‐67‐46028 to DVG). We thank the two anonymous reviewers and James D. Schiffbauer for greatly improving the text. Analyses were conducted by CP in partial fulfilment of the MSc Palaeobiology at the University of Bristol, and supported by NERC (NE/L011409/1 to AGL and NE/P013678/1 to AGL and PCJD, part of the Biosphere Evolution, Transitions and Resilience (BETR) programme, co‐funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)). PCJD was also funded by a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship (RF‐2022‐167). LAP was supported by an early career fellowship from St Edmund Hall, Oxford and a NERC Independent Research Fellowship (grant no. NE/W007878/1). DVG and VIR were supported by Government Contract FWZZ‐2022‐0002 (Fundamental Scientific Research Programme of the Russian Federation). Cloudina Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 The Authors. Papers in Palaeontology published by John Wiley \& Sons Ltd on behalf of The Palaeontological Association.",

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AU - Psarras, Christos

AU - Donoghue, Philip C J

AU - Garwood, Russell J.

AU - Grazhdankin, Dmitriy V.

AU - Parry, Luke A

AU - Rogov, Vladimir

AU - Liu, Alex G S C

N1 - Funding Information: We thank B. Buse, T. Davies and S. Kearns for technical support, M. Tucker for discussion, and S. Jensen, R. Wood and A. Penny for providing specimens for comparative analysis. We appreciate the assistance of Z. Chen for translating sections of Chinese‐language publications. Stratigraphic, sedimentological and palaeoecological studies of the Khatyspyt Formation were supported by the Russian Science Foundation (grant 20‐67‐46028 to DVG). We thank the two anonymous reviewers and James D. Schiffbauer for greatly improving the text. Analyses were conducted by CP in partial fulfilment of the MSc Palaeobiology at the University of Bristol, and supported by NERC (NE/L011409/1 to AGL and NE/P013678/1 to AGL and PCJD, part of the Biosphere Evolution, Transitions and Resilience (BETR) programme, co‐funded by the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)). PCJD was also funded by a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship (RF‐2022‐167). LAP was supported by an early career fellowship from St Edmund Hall, Oxford and a NERC Independent Research Fellowship (grant no. NE/W007878/1). DVG and VIR were supported by Government Contract FWZZ‐2022‐0002 (Fundamental Scientific Research Programme of the Russian Federation). Cloudina Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Authors. Papers in Palaeontology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Palaeontological Association.

PY - 2023/11/12

Y1 - 2023/11/12

N2 - Fossil material assigned to Nenoxites from the late Ediacaran Khatyspyt Formation of Arctic Siberia (550–544 Ma) has been presented as evidence for bioturbation prior to the basal Cambrian boundary. However, that ichnological interpretation has been challenged, and descriptions of similar material from other global localities support a body fossil origin. Here we combine x-ray computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy and petrographic methods to evaluate the body or trace fossil nature of Nenoxites from the Khatyspyt Formation. The fossilized structures consist of densely packed chains of three-dimensionally preserved silicic, bowl-shaped elements surrounded by distinct sedimentary halos, in a dolomitized matrix. Individual bowl-shaped elements can exhibit diffuse mineralogical boundaries and bridging connections between elements, both considered here to result from silicification and dolomitization during diagenesis. This new morphological and petrological evidence, in conjunction with recent studies of the late Ediacaran tubular taxa Ordinilunulatus and Shaanxilithes from China, suggest that the Khatyspyt specimens most probably reflect a coquina deposit of Shaanxilithes-like body fossils. Our data support the possibility of Shaanxilithes-like organisms representing total group eumetazoans.

AB - Fossil material assigned to Nenoxites from the late Ediacaran Khatyspyt Formation of Arctic Siberia (550–544 Ma) has been presented as evidence for bioturbation prior to the basal Cambrian boundary. However, that ichnological interpretation has been challenged, and descriptions of similar material from other global localities support a body fossil origin. Here we combine x-ray computed tomography, scanning electron microscopy and petrographic methods to evaluate the body or trace fossil nature of Nenoxites from the Khatyspyt Formation. The fossilized structures consist of densely packed chains of three-dimensionally preserved silicic, bowl-shaped elements surrounded by distinct sedimentary halos, in a dolomitized matrix. Individual bowl-shaped elements can exhibit diffuse mineralogical boundaries and bridging connections between elements, both considered here to result from silicification and dolomitization during diagenesis. This new morphological and petrological evidence, in conjunction with recent studies of the late Ediacaran tubular taxa Ordinilunulatus and Shaanxilithes from China, suggest that the Khatyspyt specimens most probably reflect a coquina deposit of Shaanxilithes-like body fossils. Our data support the possibility of Shaanxilithes-like organisms representing total group eumetazoans.

U2 - 10.1002/spp2.1531

DO - 10.1002/spp2.1531

M3 - Article (Academic Journal)

SN - 2056-2802

VL - 9

JO - Papers in Palaeontology

JF - Papers in Palaeontology

IS - 6

M1 - e1531

ER -

Three-dimensional reconstruction, taphonomic and petrological data suggest that the oldest record of bioturbation is a body fossil coquina

Abstract

Bibliographical note

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Projects

Neoproterozoic - Phanerozoic transition

Equipment

X-ray Tomography (XTM)

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