Ediacaran Corumbella has a cataphract calcareous skeleton with controlled biomineralization

Author(s)

Oses, Gabriel Ladeira ; Wood, Rachel ; Romero, Guilherme Raffaeli ; Evangelista Martins Prado, Gustavo Marcondes ; Bidola, Pidassa ; Herzen, Julia ; Pfeiffer, Franz ; Stampar, Sergio Nascimento ; Alves Forancelli Pacheco, Mirian Liza

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ISCIENCE; v. 25, n. 12, p. 19-pg., 2022-12-08.

Abstract

Corumbella is a terminal Ediacaran tubular, benthic fossil of debated morphology, composition, and biological affinity. Here, we show that Corumbella had a biomineralized skeleton, with a bilayered construction of imbricated calcareous plates and rings (sclerites) yielding a cataphract organization, that enhanced flexibility. Each sclerite likely possessed a laminar microfabric with consistent crystallographic orientation, within an organic matrix. Original aragonitic mineralogy is supported by relict aragonite and elevated Sr (mean = ca. 11,800 ppm in central parts of sclerites). In sum, the presence of a polarisation axis, sclerites with a laminar microfabric, and a cataphract skeletal organization reminiscent of early Cambrian taxa, are all consistent with, but not necessarily indicative of, a bilaterian affinity. A cataphract skeleton with an inferred complex microstructure confirms the presence of controlled biomineralization in metazoans by the terminal Ediacaran, and offers insights into the evolution of development and ecology at the root of the 'Cambrian radiation'. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 22/10829-1 - The 6th International Palaeontological Congress (IPC6)
• Grantee: Mírian Liza Alves Forancelli Pacheco
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Meeting - Abroad
• FAPESP's process: 09/02312-4 - Morphological reconstitution and systematic analysis of Corumbella werneri Hahn et al. 1982 (Tamengo Formation, Ediacaran, Corumbá Group), Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil: paleoecological and taphonomical implications.
• Grantee: Mírian Liza Alves Forancelli Pacheco
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 19/03552-0 - Reproductive, behavioral and genomic patterns in Ceriantharia (Cnidaria): a step towards understanding marine evolution
• Grantee: Sérgio Nascimento Stampar
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 21/05083-8 - Nanoscale multitechnical synchrotron characterization applied to the problem of biogenicity of minerals
• Grantee: Douglas Galante
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 21/07007-7 - Palaeometry applied to the investigation of biomineralization, environments and fossil preservation
• Grantee: Gabriel Ladeira Oses
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 16/06114-6 - The Neoproterozoic Earth System and the rise of biological complexity
• Grantee: Ricardo Ivan Ferreira da Trindade
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 17/21584-1 - Geobiological and palaeoenvironmental aspects of Corumbella werneri Hahn et al. (1982) and related biota (Ediacaran, Corumbá group)
• Grantee: Gabriel Ladeira Oses
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate