The oldest evidence of bioturbation on Earth: COMMENT
Open accessAbstract
Here we question the conclusions of Rogov et al. (2012), who claim \nto describe “the oldest evidence of bioturbation on Earth” in the form of \nmeniscate backfi lled burrows and escape traces from late Ediacaran car- \nbonates of the Siberian Khatyspyt Formation. Because trace fossils can \nconstrain early Metazoan origins, and are used to defi ne the base of the \nCambrian Period (Brasier et al., 1994), such a signifi cant claim requires jus- \ntifi cation by careful interpretation of the material, and critical analysis, both \nof which appear wanting here. Although we agree that multiple biological \nand ecological revolutions took place during the late Ediacaran Period, we \nquestion whether those events can be tied to these problematic fossils.
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Higher BIs indicated recently for the Ediacaran consist of serially repeated elements identical to problematic body fossils, arguing against a trace-fossil origin.
“Higher BIs have been indicated recently for the Ediacaran [23], but the illustrated structures consist of serially repeated elements, identical to those in problematic body fossils such as Helanoichnus , Palaeopascichnus and Shaanxilithes [24], arguing against a trace-fossil origin [25].”
From Decoupling of body-plan diversification and ecological structuring during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition: evolutionary and geobiological feedbacks (2014) · cites this paper as [25]
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Cites
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Research works printed but not linked: 5
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Evidence for Cnidaria-like behavior in ca. 560 Ma Ediacaran Aspidella
Menon, L. R., McIlroy, D., & Brasier, M. D. (2013) · Geology · doi:10.1130/g34424.1 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Brasier, M. D., McIlroy, D., Liu, A. G., Antcliffe, J. B., & Menon, L. R.
- Affiliations
- Memorial University of Newfoundland (CA)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- University of Bristol (GB)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Venue
- Geology
- Publisher
- Geological Society of America
- Published
- 2013-05
- Volume
- 41
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- e289-e289
- ISSN
- 0091-7613 (ISSN-L)
- 1943-2682
- OpenAlex
- W2332073785
- Cited by
- 29
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 3.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Geology (publishedVersion)
- Explore Bristol Research (publishedVersion)
- Department of Earth Sciences EPrints Repository (acceptedVersion)
- Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Earth-Surface Processes › Geological formations and processes
- Keywords
- bioturbation, trace fossils, Ediacaran, burrows, Siberia, early animal evolution
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