中国科学院机构知识库网格
Chinese Academy of Sciences Institutional Repositories Grid
Ancient seabed checkerboard: How setae shaped spatial distributions of Silurian brachiopods

文献类型:期刊论文

作者Huang, Bing; Rong, Jiayu
刊名PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
出版日期2025-07-29
卷号122期号:30页码:8
关键词brachiopod setae spatial distribution Silurian taphonomy
ISSN号0027-8424
DOI10.1073/pnas.2509354122
英文摘要

Understanding the drivers of spatial patterns in fossil communities is fundamental to paleoecology, yet direct evidence for biological mechanisms regulating interindividual spacing remains elusive. Brachiopod setae, hypothesized to function in feeding or defense, are exceedingly rare in the fossil record, especially among post-Cambrian taxa. Here, we present the report of exquisitely preserved setae from an exceptional in situ fossil assemblage of the early Silurian rhynchonelliform brachiopod Nucleospira calypta. Multiproxy analyses (scanning electron microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and microcomputed tomography) revealed intricate ultrastructural details and diverse taphonomic pathways, leading to a reinterpretation of apparent calcitic preservation as primarily iron oxides with subsequent coating. Critically, the undisturbed nature of this aggregation allowed rigorous spatial point pattern analysis (Nearest-Neighbor Analysis, Thiessen polygons). This revealed a statistically significant, nonrandom, checkerboard-like distribution among individuals within the studied fossil deposit, indicative of active spacing regulation. Strikingly, the measured average interindividual spacing quantitatively relates to the length of the preserved setae. This provides the direct paleontological evidence demonstrating that these subtle morphological structures could have actively mediated spatial organization within a dense benthic community. Our findings illustrate a biological mechanism capable of shaping community structure, operating beyond passive environmental constraints or initial larval settlement preferences, and highlight the potential for subtle anatomical features to exert significant ecological influence in deep time.

WOS关键词RED BEDS ; PRESERVATION ; COMPETITION ; CHINA
资助项目National Natural Science Foundation of China[NSFC 42272007]
WOS研究方向Science & Technology - Other Topics
语种英语
WOS记录号WOS:001543980700001
出版者NATL ACAD SCIENCES
资助机构National Natural Science Foundation of China
源URL[http://ir.nigpas.ac.cn/handle/332004/45478]  
专题中国科学院南京地质古生物研究所
通讯作者Huang, Bing
作者单位Chinese Acad Sci, State Key Lab Palaeobiol & Stratig, Nanjing Inst Geol & Palaeontol, Nanjing 210008, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式
GB/T 7714
Huang, Bing,Rong, Jiayu. Ancient seabed checkerboard: How setae shaped spatial distributions of Silurian brachiopods[J]. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,2025,122(30):8.
APA Huang, Bing,&Rong, Jiayu.(2025).Ancient seabed checkerboard: How setae shaped spatial distributions of Silurian brachiopods.PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,122(30),8.
MLA Huang, Bing,et al."Ancient seabed checkerboard: How setae shaped spatial distributions of Silurian brachiopods".PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 122.30(2025):8.

入库方式: OAI收割

来源:南京地质古生物研究所

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