The Chengjiang Biota: Record of the Early Cambrian Diversification of Life and Clues to Exceptional Preservation of Fossils

GSA Today

Volumn 11, Issue 2, 2001, Pages 4-9

  Babcock, Loren E ^a   Zhang, Wentang ^b   Leslie, Stephen A ^c  

^a OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b NANJING INSTITUTE OF GEOLOGY AND PALAEONTOLOGY   (China)

^c UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 0001776217     PISSN: 10525173     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1130/1052-5173(2001)011<0004:TCBROT>2.0.CO;2     Document Type: Article

References (56)

1. Allison, P.A., 1988, Konservat-Lagerstätten: Cause and classification: Paleobiology, v. 14, p. 331-344.
2. Allison, P.A., and Briggs, D.E.G., 1991, Taphonomy of nonmineralized tissues, in Allison, P.A., and Briggs, D.E.G., eds., Taphonomy: Releasing the data locked in the fossil record: New York, Plenum Press, p. 26-70.
3. Babcock, L.E., 1993, Trilobite malformations and the fossil record of behavioral asymmetry: Journal of Paleontology, v. 67, p. 217-229.
4. Babcock, L.E., 1998, Experimental investigation of the processes of fossilization: Journal of Geoscience Education, v. 46, p. 252-260.
5. Babcock, L.E., and Chang [Zhang], W.T., 1997, Comparative taphonomy of two nonmineralized arthropods, Naraoia (Nektaspida; Early Cambrian, Chengjiang Biota, China) and Limulus (Xiphosurida; Holocene, Atlantic Ocean): National Museum of Natural Science Bulletin, v. 10, p. 233-250.
6. Babcock, L.E., Merriam, D.H., and West, R.R., 2000, Paleolimulus, an early limuline (Xiphosurida), from Pennsylvanian-Permian Lagerstätten of Kansas and taphonomic comparison with modern Limulus: Lethaia, vol. 33, p. 129-141.
7. Baird, G.C., Shabica, C.W., Anderson, J.L., and Richardson, E.S., Jr., 1985, Biota of a Pennsylvanian muddy coast: Habitats within the Mazonian delta complex, northern Illinois: Journal of Paleontology, v. 59, p. 253-281.
8. Bartels, C., Briggs, D.E.G., and Brassel, G., 1998, The fossils of the Hunsrück Slate: Marine life in the Devonian: Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 309 p.
9. Bengtson, S., 1994, The advent of animal skeletons, in Bengtson, S., ed., Early life on Earth: New York, Columbia University Press, p. 412-425.
10. Bottjer, D.J., Hagadorn, J.W., and Dornbos, S.Q., 2000, The Cambrian substrate revolution: GSA Today, v. 10, no. 9, p. 1-7.
11. Bowring, S.A., and Erwin, D.H., 1998, A new look at evolutionary rates in deep time: Uniting paleontology and high-precision geochronology: GSA Today, v. 8, no. 9, p. 1-8.
12. Briggs, D.E.G., Erwin, D.H., and Collier, F.J., 1994, The fossils of the Burgess Shale: Washington, Smithsonian Institution Press, 238 p.
13. Butterfield, N.J., 1995, Secular distribution of Burgess Shale-type preservation: Lethaia, v. 28, p. 1-13.
14. Canfield, D.E., and Teske, A., 1996, Late Proterozoic rise in atmospheric oxygen concentration inferred from phylogenetic and sulphur-isotope studies: Nature, v. 382, p. 127-132.
15. Chen, J.Y., Ramsköld, L., and Zhou, G.Q., 1994, Evidence for monophyly and arthropod affinity of giant Cambrian predators: Science, v. 264, p. 1304-1308.
16. Chen, J.Y., and Zhou, M.Y., 1997, Biology of the Chengjiang fauna: National Museum of Natural History Bulletin, v. 10, p. 11-105.
17. Chen, J.Y., Zhou, G.Q., Zhu, M.Y., and Yeh, K.Y., 1997, The Chengjiang Biota: A unique window of the Cambrian explosion: National Museum of Natural Science: Taichung, Taiwan, 222 p.
18. Conway Morris, S., 1985, Cambrian Lagerstätten: Their distribution and significance: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, v. B 311, p. 48-65.
19. Conway Morris, S., 1986, The community structure of the Middle Cambrian phyllopod bed (Burgess Shale): Palaeontology, v. 29, p. 423-467.
20. Corsetti, F.A., and Hagadorn, J.W., 2000. Precambrian-Cambrian transition: Death Valley, United States: Geology, v. 8, p. 299-302.
21. Droser, M.L., and Bottjer, D.J., 1988, Trends in depth and extent of bioturbation in Cambrian carbonate marine environments, western United States: Geology, v. 16, p. 233-236.
22. Fedonkin, M.A., 1994, Early multicellular fossils, in Bengtson, S., ed., Early life on Earth: New York, Columbia University Press, p. 370-388.
23. Feldman, H.R., Archer, A.W., Kvale, E.P., Cunningham, C.R., Maples, C.G., and West, R.R., 1993, A tidal model of Carboniferous Konservat-Lagerstätten formation: Palaios, v. 8, p. 485-498.
24. Fletcher, T.P., and Collins, D.H., 1998, The Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale and its relationship to the Stephen Formation in the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 35, p. 413-436.
25. Gehling, J.G., 1999, Microbial mats in terminal Proterozoic siliciclastics: Ediacaran death masks: Palaios, v. 14, p. 40-57.
26. Gehling, J.G., and Rigby, J.K., 1996, Long expected sponges from the Neoproterozoic Ediacaran fauna of South Australia: Journal of Paleontology, v. 70, p. 185-195.
27. Grant, S.W.F., 1990, Shell structure and distribution of Cloudina, a potential index fossil for the terminal Proterozoic: American Journal of Science, v. 290-A, p. 261-294.
28. Grotzinger, J.P., Bowring, S.A., Saylor, B.Z., and Kaufman, A.J., 1995, Biostratigraphic and geochronologic constraints on early animal evolution: Science, v. 270, p. 598-604.
29. Grotzinger, J.P., Watters, W.A., and Knoll, A.H., 2000, Calcified metazoans in thrombolite-strombolite reefs of the terminal Proterozoic Nama Group, Namibia. Paleobiology, v. 26, p. 334-359.
30. Hoffman, P.F., 1992, Did the breakout of Laurentia turn Gondwanaland inside out?: Science, v. 252, p. 1409-1412.
31. Hou, X.G., and Bergström, J., 1997, Arthropods of the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang fauna, Southwest China: Fossils and Strata, no. 45, 116 p.
32. Hou, X.G., Bergström, J., Wang, H.F., Feng, X.H., Chen, A.L., 1999, The Chengjiang fauna: Exceptionally well-preserved animals from 530 million years ago: Kunming, Yunnan Science and Technology Press, 170 p.
33. Karlstrom, K.E., Williams, M.L., McLelland, J., Geissman, J.W., and Åhäll, K.-I., 1999, Redefining Rodinia: Geologic evidence for the Australia-western U.S. connection in the Proterozoic: GSA Today, v. 9, no. 10, p. 1-7.
34. Knoll, A.H., and Walter, M., 1992, Latest Proterozoic stratigraphy and Earth history: Nature, v. 356, p. 673-678.
35. Landing, E., Bowring, S.A., Davidek, K.L., Westrop, S.R., Geyer, G., and Heldmaier, W., 1998, Duration of the Early Cambrian: U-Pb ages of volcanic ashes from Avalon and Gondwana: Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, v. 35, p. 329-338.
36. Landing, E., Bowring, S.A., Davidek, K.L., Rushton, A.W.A., Fortey, R.A., and Wimbledon, W.A.P., 2000, Cambrian-Ordovician boundary age and duration of the lowest Ordovician Tremadoc Series based on U-Pb zircon dates from Avalonian Wales: Geological Magazine, vol. 137, p. 485-494.
37. Leslie, S.A., Babcock, L.E., and Zhang, W.T., 1996, Community composition and taphonomic overprint of the Chengjiang Biota (Early Cambrian, China): Sixth North American Paleontological Convention Abstracts of Papers, Paleontological Society Special Publication 8, p. 237.
38. Liddell, W.D., Wright, S.H., and Brett, C.E., 1947, Sequence stratigraphy and paleoecology of the Middle Cambrian Spence Shale in northern Utah and southern Idaho: Brigham Young University Geology Studies, v. 42, p. 59-78.
39. McMenamin, M.A.S., 1986, The garden of Ediacara: Palaios, v. 1, p. 178-182.
40. Maples, C.G., and Schultze, H.-P., 1988, Preliminary comparison of the Pennsylvanian assemblage of Hamilton, Kansas, with marine and nonmarine contemporaneous assemblages: Kansas Geological Survey Guidebook Series, no. 6, p. 253-273.
41. Montañez, I.P., Osleger, D.A., Banner, J.L., Mack, L.E., and Musgrove, M., 2000, Evolution of the Sr and C isotope composition of Cambrian oceans: GSA Today, v. 10, no. 5, p. 1-7.
42. Narbonne, G.M., 1998. The Ediacara biota: A terminal Neoproterozoic experiment in the evolution of life: GSA Today, v. 8, no. 2, p. 1-6.
43. Nicholas, C.J., 1996, The Sr isotopic evolution of the oceans during the "Cambrian explosion": Geological Society [London] Journal, v. 153, p. 243-254.
44. Palmer, A.R., 1998, Terminal Early Cambrian extinction of the Olenellina: documentation from the Pioche Formation, Nevada: Journal of Paleontology, v. 72, p. 650-672.
45. Pratt, B.R., 1998, Probable predation on Upper Cambrian trilobites and its relevance for the extinction of soft-bodied Burgess Shale-type animals: Lethaia, v. 31, p. 73-88.
46. Robison, R.A., 1991, Middle Cambrian biotic diversity: Examples from four Utah Lagerstätten, in Simonetta, A.M., and Conway Morris, S., eds., The early evolution of Metazoa and the significance of problematic taxa: Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, p. 77-98.
47. Seilacher, A., 1989, Vendozoa: Organismic construction in the Proterozoic biosphere: Lethaia, v. 22, p. 229-239.
48. Seilacher, A., and Pfluger, F., 1994, From biomats to benthic agriculture: A biohistoric revolution, in Krumbein, W.S., et al., eds., Biostabilization of sediments: Oldenberg, Germany, Bibliotheks und Informationsystem der Universität Oldenberg, p. 97-105.
49. Seilacher, A., Reif, W.-E., and Westphal, F., 1985, Sedimentological, ecological, and temporal patterns of fossil-Lagerstätten: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, v. B 311, p. 5-24.
50. Shu, D.G., Luo, H.L., Conway Morris, S., Zhang, X.L., Hu, S.X., Chen, L., Han, J., Zhu, M., Li, Y., and Chen, L.Z., 1999, Lower Cambrian vertebrates from South China: Nature, v. 402, p. 42-46.
51. Taylor, W.L., and Brett, C.E., 1996, Taphonomy and paleoecology of echinoderm Lagerstätten from the Silurian (Wenlockian) Rochester Shale: Palaios, v. 11, p. 118-140.
52. Unrug, R., 1997, Rodinia to Gondwana: The geodynamic map of Gondwana supercontinent assembly: GSA Today, v. 7, no. 1, p. 1-6.
53. Whittington, H.B., 1985, The Burgess Shale: New Haven, Connecticut, Yale University Press, 151 p.
54. Zangerl, R., and Richardson, E.S., Jr., 1963, The paleoecological history of two Pennsylvanian black shales: Fieldiana: Geology Memoirs, v. 4, p. 1-352.
55. Zhang, W.T., 1987, Early Cambrian Chengjiang fauna and its trilobites: Acta Palaeontologica Sinica, v. 26, p. 223-23.
56. Zhang, W.T., and Hou, X.G., 1985, Preliminary notes on the occurrence of the unusual trilobite Naraoia in Asia: Acta Palaeontologica Sinica, v. 24, p. 591-595.