中国南部二叠、三叠纪“混生生物群”及二叠、三叠系界线

本文系统描述了中国南部二叠、三叠纪“混生生物群”。根据笔者的统计,目前巳经发现有“二叠纪型”分子36属53种与三叠纪菊石、双壳类、牙形剌共生。 笔者认为中国南部可以以牙形剌Anchignathodus parvus 的出现作为三叠系的底界,双壳类Pteria ussurica variabilis,菊石 Hypophiceras的出现可以作为三叠系开始的辅助标志。文中还将这一界线与世界上其它地区的二叠、三叠系界线进行了对比。     

Cambrian explosion: Birth of tree of animals

Excluding the sponges the Kingdom Animalia is usually divided into three subkingdoms: Diploblasta, Protostomia and Deuterostomia. The Cambrian Explosion consists of three major episodes, two of which were in the early Early Cambrian (one represented by the small skeletal fossils “SSFs” at the base of the Cambrian and the other represented by the succeeding Chengjiang faunas “CFs”), and the other episode as their prelude took place in the “Eocambrian” (i.e. the latest Precambrian), represented by the Ediacaran faunas. This unique Big Bang of life has been recognized as giving birth to the entire morphological Tree Of Animals (or metazoans), in short the TOA. Its “seed” in the deep Precambrian, represented by some sort of protist from which the complete TOA must have grown, remains unknown paleontologically. However, the fossil evidence suggests that the three major episodes of the Cambrian Explosion are responsible for the earliest radiations of the three subkingdoms of animals respectively. While the observed Ediacaran fauna might constitute only a small part of the whole Ediacaran biota, our evidence supports that it was dominated by diploblasts (the “trunk” of the TOA) with only a few possible stem-group triploblasts. The Early Cambrian in turn in two phases explosively yielded almost all the major triploblastic crown-branches (Bilateria: the huge “crown” of the TOA), which include the other two subkingdoms: first the extremely diverse protostomes in the Meishucunian Age and then followed by a nearly entire lineage of early deuterostomes from the Chengjiang, including even its most derived member – the earliest true vertebrates. Among the four most significant milestones of morphological origins and radiations in animal history, the first one (i.e. appearance of metazoans) took place in the Ediacaran Period or earlier times, and the other three can be seen in the windows available from the Chengjiang and the Meishucunian fossil assemblages. The newly discovered extinct Phylum Vetulicolia, which has primitively segmented body with simple gill slits in its anterior division, most probably represents one of the roots of the deuterostome subkingdom. Showing a mosaic of basic features possessed in both the bilateral vetulicolians and some primitive echinoderms, the soft-bodied vetulocystids are best regarded as one of the roots of the extant pentamerous echinoderms. Standing on the “top” of the deuterostome super-branch in the early Cambrian TOA are the “the first fish” Myllokunmingia and Haikouichthys, which bear paired eyes and salient proto-vertebrae. These animals represent the real root of the remainder of the vertebrates or craniates. On the contrary, yunnanozoans, including Yunnanozoon and Haikouella, possess neither eyes nor unequivocal vertebrae, and may have nothing to do with the craniates, let alone the vertebrates. Those enigmatic creatures share a similar body-plan with vetulicolians and should be treated as a side-branch within the lower deuterostomes.     

贵州关岭生物群双壳类化石的古生态特征

笔者描述了采集于贵州关岭生物群中4种双壳类化石,即顾氏海燕蛤HalobiakuiChen,平脊海燕蛤HalobiaplanicostaYinetHsü,斜锉蛤未定种Plagiostomasp.和麻生海扇未定种Asoellasp.。标本保存良好,时代为晚三叠世卡尼期早—中期。依据双壳类化石的古生态特征及沉积环境分析,指出在卡尼期早—中期,由于大量淡水的注入,关岭地区海水发生间歇性缺氧(或贫氧)事件,从而导致浮游或假浮游类型为主的双壳类化石的灭亡。     

寒武纪早期澄江生物群小细丝海绵属新材料

文章描述了云南寒武纪早期澄江生物群小细丝海绵属一新种——螺旋小细丝海绵（Leptomitella spiralis sp. nov.）。新种 具有横向骨针束围绕海绵体呈螺旋状排列的典型特征，明显区别于属内其他种；此外，在外部形态和骨针类型上与属内其他种 也存在较大差异。新种的发现增加了Leptomitella种间形态结构的多样性，也为海绵动物的早期演化及寒武纪海绵动物辐射演 化研究提供新的化石资料。     

陕南西乡寒武纪梅树村期微古生物群产出层位的地球化学特征及古环境和古气候条件研究

陕南西乡微体化石对于研究寒武纪大爆发具有非常重要的意义,前人研究大都局限于微体古生物的研究,而化石的成岩背景以及古环境研究尚属空白。因此本文通过测试主微量稀土元素及氧同位素来分析研究区的古沉积环境,在一定程度上填补了这一区域的空白。研究手段虽然在地化领域比较常见,但具有重要的参考价值。本文通过对富含小壳化石的“宽川铺段”及其上、下地层的微量元素Sr/Ba、Ni/Co、Sr/Cu、Rb/Sr、Mn/Fe等比值及主量元素、稀土元素含量、氧同位素特征的综合研究发现,研究区灯影组顶部环境为缺氧状态到宽川铺段弱氧化状态再到郭家坝组底部缺氧状态的海相沉积环境;水动力条件较弱,水体先上升后下降;上白云岩段、宽川铺段是较为温暖的气候,且比郭家坝组底部气候干旱。这对于研究该区寒武纪梅树村期的古环境和古气候变化具有重要的理论意义。     

黔东北伊迪卡拉纪陡山沱组的宏体藻类

宏体生物广泛地生活于扬子地区伊迪卡拉纪陡山沱期的海洋中,它们为后生动物的快速发展和演化奠定了一个崭新的环境和一个新生态链的基础.产自于黔东北伊迪卡拉系陡山沱组的瓮会生物群生活环境应在贫氧的、透光性良好的浅海低能环境,以宏体藻类为主,共描述15属18种(其中包括3个新属、5个新种、2个修定属和4个修定种)和1个未命名藻以及不明藻类固着器,另包含有宏体后生动物,可能的后生动物以及遗迹化石.瓮会生物群不但含有鄂西庙河生物群和皖南蓝田植物群的分子,也有南澳大利亚Ediacara生物群和俄罗斯WhiteSea生物群的分子,而且具有自已的特征而有别于其他伊迪卡拉期的生物群.其宏体藻类形态变化较大,组织器官和功能已出现明显的分化,并与高等植物之间存在一定的演化关系.宏体藻类多为直立固着于海底,提高了光合作用的效率,增加了水体中的含氧量.同时,宏体藻类作为生态系统中的初级生产者成为一种新的食物,改变了后生动物的食谱.因此,陡山沱期的宏体植物不仅改善了环境,为依赖一定氧而生活、生长和繁殖的后生动物给予了必要的支持,而且作为生态系统中的必要基础,为宏体后生动物的快速发展和演化提供了一个新的食物源.另外,宏体生物群的繁盛不仅提高了有机质的生产率,而且促进了富有机碳的沉积和保存.     

北京中生代地层及生物群研究

在前人研究的基础上,我们对北京地区中生代地层和生物群进行了研究。依植物化石资料与岩性对比,肯定了三叠系的存在。上统含拟丹尼蕨等晚三叠世标准化石,时代明确;中统未见化石;下统含二叠—三叠纪过渡性化石,时代归属有争议。侏罗系在北京地区分布广、厚度大、矿产丰富、沉积类型复杂。文中从动、植物化石组合,岩相与火山活动等多方面做了新的探讨。白垩系出露面积很小,属断陷盆地沉积,但化石极丰富,含标准的热河生物群及与之有演替关系的房山生物群分子;另对盆地的地质演化历程也有简单叙述。     

现代藻类磷酸盐埋藏学实验——对磷酸盐化球状化石研究的启示

产于贵州瓮安埃迪卡拉系陡山沱组磷块岩中的“瓮安生物群”是认识早期生命起源与演化的重要窗口。因为其特殊的磷酸盐化作用,其中的球状化石内部保存了大量精细的细胞甚至亚细胞结构,但保存这些化石的磷酸盐化作用机理尚不清楚。因此,本文采用绿藻门下团藻和空球藻为实验对象,通过改变pH、温度、氧气含量等实验条件,探索藻类在不同埋藏环境下的保存状况,为早期磷酸盐化化石的埋藏机制提供证据。实验结果显示藻类在不同实验条件下的保存潜力差距较大,相同环境下两种藻类所体现的保存潜力也不一致,但都具备足够的保存潜力;空球藻细胞在埋藏过程中出现褶皱变形,但在不同条件下的形态学差异并不明显;团藻的繁殖体形态与瓮安生物群中的一类多细胞球状化石的细胞分裂形式十分相似;早期状态一致的同种藻类不管在相同还是不同的实验条件下其个体直径大小均表现出较强的差异性。本次实验模拟自然状态下的埋藏环境,因此实验现象可能在现实埋藏过程中重现,通过实验得出以下结论：磷酸盐化的埋藏环境中藻类具备足够的保存潜力;磷酸盐化会导致生物获得自身以外的形态学信息;在不同的埋藏学环境下保存的磷酸盐化球状化石的直径大小会有差异;胚胎状化石与磷酸盐化的现生藻类...     

The aquatic and semiaquatic biota in Miocene amber from the Campo LA Granja mine (Chiapas,Mexico): Paleoenvironmental implications

Amber from the Campo La Granja mine in Chiapas, Mexico, is distinct from other sources of amber in Chiapas. Campo La Granja amber has distinct layers created by successive flows of resin with thin layers of sand on most surfaces. Aquatic and semi-aquatic arthropods are commonly found. Together these pieces of evidence suggest an estuarine environment similar to modern mangrove communities. The aquatic crustaceans are the most intriguing aspect of the biota. A large number of ostracods have been found in the amber—many with their carapaces open, suggesting that they were alive and submerged in water at the time of entombment. The only known examples of brachyuran crabs preserved in amber are found in the Campo La Granja amber. Amphipods, copepods, isopods, and tanaids are also members of the crustacean fauna preserved in amber.