دورية أكاديمية

Is the middle Cambrian Brooksella a hexactinellid sponge, trace fossil or pseudofossil?

التفاصيل البيبلوغرافية
العنوان: Is the middle Cambrian Brooksella a hexactinellid sponge, trace fossil or pseudofossil?
المؤلفون: Morrison R. Nolan, Sally E. Walker, Tara Selly, James Schiffbauer
المصدر: PeerJ, Vol 11, p e14796 (2023)
بيانات النشر: PeerJ Inc., 2023.
سنة النشر: 2023
المجموعة: LCC:Medicine
LCC:Biology (General)
مصطلحات موضوعية: Middle Cambrian, Hexactinellids, Sponges, Trace fossils, Pseudofossils, Concretions, Medicine, Biology (General), QH301-705.5
الوصف: First described as a medusoid jellyfish, the “star-shaped” Brooksella from the Conasauga shale Lagerstätten, Southeastern USA, was variously reconsidered as algae, feeding traces, gas bubbles, and most recently hexactinellid sponges. In this work, we present new morphological, chemical, and structural data to evaluate its hexactinellid affinities, as well as whether it could be a trace fossil or pseudofossil. External and cross-sectional surfaces, thin sections, X-ray computed tomography (CT) and micro-CT imaging, revealed no evidence that Brooksella is a hexactinellid sponge or a trace fossil. Although internally Brooksella contains abundant voids and variously orientated tubes consistent with multiple burrowing or bioeroding organisms, these structures have no relation to Brooksella’s external lobe-like morphology. Furthermore, Brooksella has no pattern of growth comparable to the linear growth of early Paleozoic hexactinellids; rather, its growth is similar to syndepositional concretions. Lastly, Brooksella, except for its lobes and occasional central depression, is no different in microstructure to the silica concretions of the Conasauga Formation, strongly indicating it is a morphologically unusual endmember of the silica concretions of the formation. These findings highlight the need for thorough and accurate descriptions in Cambrian paleontology; wherein care must be taken to examine the full range of biotic and abiotic hypotheses for these compelling and unique fossils.
نوع الوثيقة: article
وصف الملف: electronic resource
اللغة: English
تدمد: 2167-8359
Relation: https://peerj.com/articles/14796.pdf; https://peerj.com/articles/14796/; https://doaj.org/toc/2167-8359
DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14796
URL الوصول: https://doaj.org/article/c883e74cd96d4616a7b041080482131f
رقم الأكسشن: edsdoj.883e74cd96d4616a7b041080482131f
قاعدة البيانات: Directory of Open Access Journals
الوصف
تدمد:21678359
DOI:10.7717/peerj.14796