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。     

江西修水第四系网纹红土的地层学研究

根据大量野外观察和室内分析结果，较详细论述了江西修水地区第四系网纹红土的地貌地层、岩石地层、磁性地层和年代地层等方面的特征，并在此基础上，就有关网纹红土的形成时代、成因以及与黄土的对比等问题进行了讨论，提出１）网纹红土可分为强网纹化红土和弱网纹化红土两个岩性段，每个岩性段又由若干个密集网纹层与稀疏网纹层构成；网纹红土与下伏红色砾石层属同期产物；２）网纹红土中的密集网纹层的地质意义相当于北方黄土中的古土壤；３）网纹红土形成于早更新世末（约０．９ＭａＢ．Ｐ．）至晚更新世初（约０．１ＭａＢ．Ｐ．）；４）网纹红土发育于湿热气候条件下，地下水埋深浅，地表低洼、排水不畅的环境。     

华南寒武纪早期刺胞动物演化框架

刺胞动物是华南寒武纪早期海洋生态系统的重要组成部分,针对这类化石的研究有助于深入了解寒武纪多幕式爆发事件。本文主要根据寒武纪早期扬子板块陕南宽川铺生物群、湖北岩家河生物群以及澄江生物群产出的刺胞动物,探讨刺胞动物在寒武纪早期的演化框架,取得了以下初步认识。截至目前,所发现的寒武纪早期刺胞动物绝大多数都属于水母超纲,珊瑚纲的化石记录在寒武系幸运阶、第二阶保存较为罕见。其中寒武系幸运阶刺胞动物的化石记录全部属于底栖类型,体型小,且具有多种类型的身体辐射对称形式,绝大多数类型可以确定属于直接发育。第二阶刺胞动物仍以底栖固着类型为主,体形增大,仅见两、四辐射对称形式;而寒武系第三阶刺胞动物仍有底栖固着类型,但游泳的水母开始出现,体型增大明显,代表水母冠群的出现,以及世代交替的复杂生命周期的正式建立。从幸运阶到第三阶刺胞动物体型明显增大,可能与海水氧气含量增加有关。在寒武纪大爆发的背景下,刺胞动物的分异度和丰度在寒武系幸运阶就已经达到顶峰,然后在第二阶、第三阶开始衰减,这种变化可能与两侧对称动物辐射演化有关。华南刺胞动物的化石记录表明,寒武纪大爆发并非纯粹的一幕式爆发,其中充斥着一系列生物群的替代甚至灭绝事件。     

中国晚前寒武纪的宏体化石概观

本文综述了目前中国晚前寒武纪地层中所发现的宏体化石,从18亿年起直到6亿年左右。蓟县剖面高于庄组(14亿年)中发现Grypanta等大化石,再次证明生物演化大阶段的世界性。包括后生动物实体化石在内的淮南生物群可能是前冰期的,也就是先伊迪卡拉期的。震旦纪晚期的西陵峡生物群,现有伊迪卡拉期的典型分子,又有丰富的蠕虫管和高级的红藻、绿藻类。蠕虫管的大量出现预告了带硬部动物时代的到来。     

云南寒武纪早期澄江生物群中原始海绵科似斜纹海绵属新种

本文报道澄江生物群似斜纹海绵属Paradiagoniella的两个新种：橄榄形似斜纹海绵P.oliviformis sp. nov. 和锥形似斜纹海绵P. conicasp. nov. 。两个新种具有似斜纹海绵属的基本特征：体壁薄;由排列不规则、分级的十字骨针为基底构成骨骼;除十字骨针外,还穿插排列有五射针、六射针、弯弓形和针形双尖单轴针等。然而与模式种不同,两个新种十字骨针分级不明显;同时,两个新种在外形、骨针组成、最大十字骨针射长比等方面,与本属的其他种都存在明显差异。新材料的发现增加了寒武纪早期原始海绵物种多样性,为研究海绵动物早期起源演化提供了新信息。     

新元古代末期高家山生物群的生态多样性

新元古代末期是生命演化的关键转折期,也是以微生物占主导的生态系统向显生宙以后生动物占主导的生态系统的转变期,埃迪卡拉纪大型软躯体生物以固着、底栖、食悬浮为特色,普遍缺乏运动能力。作为这一时期特殊代表的高家山生物群,是目前新元古代唯一一个以黄铁矿化三维保存的管状和锥管状化石为主导,兼有骨骼生物、原生动物、钙化蓝细菌类及遗迹化石的多门类生物组合,是研究埃迪卡拉纪末期生命演化和生态系统演变十分重要的载体。本文通过对高家山生物群古生态学的初步研究,揭示出在前寒武纪—寒武纪之交,生态系统已显示一定的多样性。为适应平底面上(level-bottom)微生物席的发育,高家山生物群的许多生物采取了适应性的生存策略,通过黏附或插入微生物席中,营底栖固着食悬浮(如Cloudina、Conotubus)或化学共生(可能的Shaanxilithes)或平躺(如Gaojiashania和Sinotubulites)食碎屑生活。底内遗迹化石表明存在可能的表栖和半内栖、可自由运动、食碎屑的造迹生物。Conotubus中常见的“回春”或“复苏”现象,Gaojiashania和Sinotubulites的身体扭转或生活姿态调整则是对频繁风暴事件的被动适应。