Priapulid worms from the Cambrian of China shed light on reproduction in early animals |
| |
| Authors: | Xiao-yu Yang Jean Vannier Jie Yang Deng Wang Xi-guang Zhang |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Key Laboratory for Paleobiology and MEC International Joint Laboratory for Paleoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China;2. Univ Lyon, Univ Lyon 1, ENSL, CNRS, LGL-TPE, F-69622 Villeurbanne, France;3. Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Early Life and Environments, State Key Laboratory of Continental Dynamics, Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China |
| |
| Abstract: | In the recent years, exceptional fossil sites have revealed astonishing details on the anatomy, lifestyles and behaviour of Cambrian animals but surprisingly, very little is known about one of their most vital features, reproduction. We describe here in situ eggs (clusters of 3 to 30 oocytes) in the tube-dwelling priapulid worm Paraselkirkia sinica from the Cambrian Stage 3 Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte (ca. 514 Ma, South China). These oocytes were accommodated within paired tubular ovaries located in the posterior half of the primary body cavity as in modern meiobenthic priapulid worms, thus indicating that the general organization of female tubular gonads in priapulid worms has remained virtually unchanged for half a billion years. Our findings provide for the first time, key information on the reproductive organs and strategies of early ecdysozoans, a huge animal clade that dominated Cambrian marine ecosystems and accounts for a large part of today's biodiversity (e.g. arthropods). Moreover, we also emphasize the critical role of ecology on the reproductive strategies and lifestyles of both modern and Cambrian worms. |
| |
| Keywords: | Priapulida Reproductive system Palaeoecology Evolution Burgess Shale-type preservation China |
| 本文献已被 万方数据 ScienceDirect 等数据库收录！ |
| 点击此处可从《地学前缘(英文版)》浏览原始摘要信息 |
| 点击此处可从《地学前缘(英文版)》下载免费的PDF全文 |
|
