Lower Cambrian Vendobionts from China and Early Diploblast Evolution

Science Magazine ^ | May 5, 2006 | Shu et al.

[furball4paws]

Ediacaran assemblages immediately predate the Cambrian explosion of metazoans and should have played a crucial role in this radiation. Their wider relationships, however, have remained refractory and difficult to integrate with early metazoan phylogeny. Here, we describe a frondlike fossil, Stromatoveris (S. psygmoglena sp. nov.), from the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte (Yunnan, China) that is strikingly similar to Ediacaran vendobionts. The exquisite preservation reveals closely spaced branches, probably ciliated, that appear to represent precursors of the diagnostic comb rows of ctenophores. Therefore, this finding has important implications for the early evolution of this phylum and related diploblasts, some of which independently evolved a frondose habit.

Shu, Morris, Han, Li, Zhang, Hua, Zhang, Guo, Yao and Yasui

[furball4paws]

Science requires subscription. The above is only the abstract. A super find of fossilized soft bodied Ediacarans.

[furball4paws]

Pingy thingy for the hard Science Types. A super find.

[Coyoteman]

Ediacarans ===> Placemarker <===

[Red Badger]

Soft bodied Ediacarans, It's what's for dinner.........

[JeeperFreeper]

I understood three words in that title.

[battlegearboat]

All my diploblasts are addicted to frondose too.

[furball4paws]

[js1138]

IBFRTH

[sageb1]

You're not alone. :)

[OSHA]

Ediacaran assemblages immediately predate the Cambrian explosion of metazoans and should have played a crucial role in this radiation.

I've been saying that for years!

[ancient_geezer]

Hmmm, .... "diploblasts". ...... Isn't that what diplomats are evolved from?

[furball4paws]

[furball4paws]

Bah, I thought I made it bigger.

[Junior]

A "the luddites will stay away from this thread because they cannot understand the big words" placemarker.

[Gefreiter]

"Ediacaran assemblages immediately predate the Cambrian explosion of metazoans and should have played a crucial role in this radiation."

OOoooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh...I've been wondering about that.

[billorites]

"strikingly similar to Ediacaran vendobionts"

My mother was one of the Cos Cob Vendobionts.

[T'wit]

Old news to anyone who watched The Invasion of Alien Ediacaran Vendobiont Space Sluts from Hell at the drive-ins (1958 or 1959, I forget).

Oh, they looked so cute with their sexy little fronds, but lay one pseudopod on their cilia and they exploded into metazoans. Scary!

[mlc9852]

Maybe they can look them up if they are all that interested. Or maybe we can just let you explain it to us Luddites.

You really need to get over yourself.

[NormsRevenge]

pics look like one of my 'sluggish' organs.. oh my god.. :O

Thanks for the post,, always fun to see what is getting dug up ..

[SlowBoat407]

Did this predate the Great Vendobiants migration? If not, many Ediacarians knew what it was to die in the belly of the diploblast that day.