‘Conga lines’ of Ediacaran fronds: insights into the reproductive biology of early metazoans
Late Ediacaran strata from Newfoundland, Canada (~574–560 Ma) document near-census palaeocommunities of some of the earliest metazoans. Such preservation enables reproductive strategies to be inferred from the spatial distribution of populations of fossilized benthic organisms, previously revealing...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231601 https://doaj.org/article/d7ce3d2ca45a4708b0673e74a5729695 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:d7ce3d2ca45a4708b0673e74a5729695 2024-09-15T18:20:10+00:00 ‘Conga lines’ of Ediacaran fronds: insights into the reproductive biology of early metazoans Katie M. Delahooke Alexander G. Liu Nile P. Stephenson Emily G. Mitchell 2024-05-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231601 https://doaj.org/article/d7ce3d2ca45a4708b0673e74a5729695 EN eng The Royal Society https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.231601 https://doaj.org/toc/2054-5703 doi:10.1098/rsos.231601 2054-5703 https://doaj.org/article/d7ce3d2ca45a4708b0673e74a5729695 Royal Society Open Science, Vol 11, Iss 5 (2024) Ediacaran rangeomorphs reproduction plasticity stolons CFD Science Q article 2024 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231601 2024-08-05T17:49:17Z Late Ediacaran strata from Newfoundland, Canada (~574–560 Ma) document near-census palaeocommunities of some of the earliest metazoans. Such preservation enables reproductive strategies to be inferred from the spatial distribution of populations of fossilized benthic organisms, previously revealing the existence of both propagule and stoloniferous reproductive modes among Ediacaran frondose taxa. Here, we describe ‘conga lines’: linear arrangements of more than three closely spaced fossil specimens. We calculate probabilistic models of point maps of 13 fossil-bearing bedding surfaces and show that four surfaces contain conga lines that are not the result of chance alignments. We then test whether these features could result from passive pelagic propagules settling in the lee of an existing frond, using computational fluid dynamics and discrete phase modelling. Under Ediacaran palaeoenvironmental conditions, preferential leeside settlement at the spatial scale of the conga lines is unlikely. We therefore conclude that these features are novel and do not reflect previously described reproductive strategies employed by Ediacaran organisms, suggesting the use of mixed reproductive strategies in the earliest animals. Such strategies enabled Ediacaran frondose taxa to act as reproductive generalists and may be an important facet of early metazoan evolution. Article in Journal/Newspaper Newfoundland Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Royal Society Open Science 11 5 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Ediacaran rangeomorphs reproduction plasticity stolons CFD Science Q |
spellingShingle |
Ediacaran rangeomorphs reproduction plasticity stolons CFD Science Q Katie M. Delahooke Alexander G. Liu Nile P. Stephenson Emily G. Mitchell ‘Conga lines’ of Ediacaran fronds: insights into the reproductive biology of early metazoans |
topic_facet |
Ediacaran rangeomorphs reproduction plasticity stolons CFD Science Q |
description |
Late Ediacaran strata from Newfoundland, Canada (~574–560 Ma) document near-census palaeocommunities of some of the earliest metazoans. Such preservation enables reproductive strategies to be inferred from the spatial distribution of populations of fossilized benthic organisms, previously revealing the existence of both propagule and stoloniferous reproductive modes among Ediacaran frondose taxa. Here, we describe ‘conga lines’: linear arrangements of more than three closely spaced fossil specimens. We calculate probabilistic models of point maps of 13 fossil-bearing bedding surfaces and show that four surfaces contain conga lines that are not the result of chance alignments. We then test whether these features could result from passive pelagic propagules settling in the lee of an existing frond, using computational fluid dynamics and discrete phase modelling. Under Ediacaran palaeoenvironmental conditions, preferential leeside settlement at the spatial scale of the conga lines is unlikely. We therefore conclude that these features are novel and do not reflect previously described reproductive strategies employed by Ediacaran organisms, suggesting the use of mixed reproductive strategies in the earliest animals. Such strategies enabled Ediacaran frondose taxa to act as reproductive generalists and may be an important facet of early metazoan evolution. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Katie M. Delahooke Alexander G. Liu Nile P. Stephenson Emily G. Mitchell |
author_facet |
Katie M. Delahooke Alexander G. Liu Nile P. Stephenson Emily G. Mitchell |
author_sort |
Katie M. Delahooke |
title |
‘Conga lines’ of Ediacaran fronds: insights into the reproductive biology of early metazoans |
title_short |
‘Conga lines’ of Ediacaran fronds: insights into the reproductive biology of early metazoans |
title_full |
‘Conga lines’ of Ediacaran fronds: insights into the reproductive biology of early metazoans |
title_fullStr |
‘Conga lines’ of Ediacaran fronds: insights into the reproductive biology of early metazoans |
title_full_unstemmed |
‘Conga lines’ of Ediacaran fronds: insights into the reproductive biology of early metazoans |
title_sort |
‘conga lines’ of ediacaran fronds: insights into the reproductive biology of early metazoans |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231601 https://doaj.org/article/d7ce3d2ca45a4708b0673e74a5729695 |
genre |
Newfoundland |
genre_facet |
Newfoundland |
op_source |
Royal Society Open Science, Vol 11, Iss 5 (2024) |
op_relation |
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.231601 https://doaj.org/toc/2054-5703 doi:10.1098/rsos.231601 2054-5703 https://doaj.org/article/d7ce3d2ca45a4708b0673e74a5729695 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.231601 |
container_title |
Royal Society Open Science |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
5 |
_version_ |
1810458539229970432 |