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Giant deep-sea protist produces bilaterian-like traces
| Title: | Giant deep-sea protist produces bilaterian-like traces. |
 67 views 17 downloads |
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| Name(s): |
Matz, Mikhail V., creator Frank, Tamara M., creator Marshall, N. Justin, creator Widder, Edith A., creator Johnsen, Sonke, creator Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute |
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| Type of Resource: | text | |
| Genre: | Article | |
| Issuance: | single unit | |
| Date Issued: | 2008-12-09 | |
| Publisher: | Elsevier B.V. | |
| Extent: | 8 p. | |
| Physical Description: | ||
| Language(s): | English | |
| Identifier: | 1745598 (digitool), FADT1745598 (IID), fau:5463 (fedora), 10.1016/j.cub.2008 (doi) | |
| Note(s): |
One of the strongest paleontological arguments in favor of the origin of bilaterally symmetrical animals (Bilateria) prior to their obvious and explosive appearance in the fossil record in the early Cambrian, 542 million years ago, is the occurrence of trace fossils shaped like elongated sinuous grooves or furrows in the Precambrian. Being restricted to the seafloor surface, these traces are relatively rare and of limited diversity, and they do not show any evidence of the use of hard appendages. They are commonly attributed to the activity of the early nonskeletonized bilaterians or, alternatively, large cnidarians such as sea anemones or sea pens. Here we describe macroscopic groove-like traces produced by a living giant protist and show that these traces bear a remarkable resemblance to the Precambrian trace fossils, including those as old as 1.8 billion years. This is the first evidence that organisms other than multicellular animals can produce such traces, and it prompts re-evaluation of the significance of Precambrian trace fossils as evidence of the early diversification of Bilateria. Our observations also render indirect support to the highly controversial interpretation of the enigmatic Ediacaran biota of the late Precambrian as giant protists. This manuscript is a version of an article published by Elsevier www.cell.com/current‐biology/home and may be cited as Matz, Mikhail V., Tamara M. Frank, N. Justin Marshall, Edith A. Widder, and Sonke Johnsen.(2008). Giant Deep-Sea Protist Produces Bilaterian-like Traces, Current Biology 18(23)1849-1854 doi:10.1016/j.cub.2008.10.028 and is available at www.sciencedirect.com Florida Atlantic University. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute contribution #1773. |
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| Subject(s): |
Marine animals --Fossils Paleontology --Precambrian Protists |
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| Persistent Link to This Record: | http://purl.flvc.org/FCLA/DT/1745598 | |
| Links: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2008 | |
| Restrictions on Access: | ©2008 Elsevier B.V. | |
| Host Institution: | FAU | |
| Other Version: | This manuscript is a version of an article published by Elsevier www.cell.com/current‐biology/home and may be cited as Matz, Mikhail V., Tamara M. Frank, N. Justin Marshall, Edith A. Widder, and Sonke Johnsen.(2008). Giant Deep‐Sea Protist Produces Bilaterian‐like Traces, Current Biology 18(23)1849-1854 doi:10.1016/j.cub.2008.10.028 and is available at www.sciencedirect.com. |
