Characterization of the multicellular membrane-bearing algae from the
early Cambrian Kuanchuanpu biota
Abstract
The diversity of small shelly fossils (SSF) demonstrates that
multicellular organisms underwent large-scale radiation at the beginning
of the Cambrian, which is highlighted by the coexistence of various
metazoans and the occurrence of their embryo fossils. However, little is
known about early Cambrian eukaryotic multicellular algae, the primary
producers that replaced oxygenic cyanobacteria and played a crucial
ecological role in matter cycling and energy dynamics in marine
ecosystems. In this study, hundreds of microscopic three-dimensionally
preserved multicellular agglomerate fossils were obtained from the early
Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Formation (535 Ma) in southern Shaanxi, South
China, which consisted of several tightly-packed multicellular clusters
encapsulated within a thin organic membrane. Synchrotron tomography
analysis further revealed that the cells of the whole agglomerate,
although partitioned into different subunits by a gelatinous membrane,
were distinctly differentiated into an outer conical cell layer and an
inner spherical-cell layer, thus suggesting of a cortex-medulla-like
differentiation. These characteristics resemble those of multicellular
algae (e.g. Wengania, Gremiphyca, and Thallophyca)
from the Ediacaran Weng’an biota (South China) in morphology, size, and
internal cell structure. Furthermore, a potential asexual life cycle for
these membranous algae was proposed based on their morphological and
structural characteristics. Our findings support an evolutionary
continuity of the multicellular algae from the Ediacaran to the early
Cambrian Period.