Molecular fossils from organically preserved Ediacara biota reveal cyanobacterial origin for Beltanelliformis

Ilya Bobrovskiy, Janet M. Hope, Anna Krasnova, Andrey Ivantsov, Jochen J. Brocks*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    57 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    The Ediacara biota (~575-541 million years ago) mark the emergence of large, complex organisms in the palaeontological record, preluding the radiation of modern animal phyla. However, their phylogenetic relationships, even at the domain level, remain controversial. We report the discovery of molecular fossils from organically preserved specimens of Beltanelliformis, demonstrating that they represent large spherical colonies of cyanobacteria. The conservation of molecular remains in organically preserved Ediacaran organisms opens a new path for unravelling the natures of the Ediacara biota.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)437-440
    Number of pages4
    JournalNature Ecology and Evolution
    Volume2
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2018

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