Taphonomy and affinity of reticulated microfossils from the Kuanchuanpu Biota (Fortunian, Cambrian), Xixiang, Shaanxi, China
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Abstract:
Phosphatization is a critical pathway for the exceptional preservation of soft-bodied fossils, with microbes potentially playing a significant role in the process. Previous taphonomic experiments have demonstrated that microbes can rapidly proliferate within soft tissues such as animal embryos, fill the internal spaces of the organism, and replicate its original morphology through microbial pseudomorphisation. However, whether the phosphatization process of fossils is identical to the process simulated by these taphonomic experiments remains contentious. In this study, a new type of reticulate microfossils from the early Cambrian Kuanchuanpu Biota is described. The preservation of these fossils can be categorized into three types based on the extent of proliferation of microbial filaments, indicating the complete taphonomic procedure from the organism's death to microbial invasion and proliferation, and finally to the phosphatization. These specimens indicate that microbial pseudomorphisation plays a significant role in the phosphatization of soft tissues but is not a required pathway, especially when the organisms possess structures with high resistance to decay, such as mineralized skeletons or chitinous cuticles. These new microfossils are mostly preserved as fragments with consistent structures on both sides, featuring characteristic columnar arrangements of nearly circular and dumbbell-shaped perforations Due to the simplicity of the fossil structures and the paucity of biological traits, their phylogenetic positions remain unclear, making them a group of enigmatic fossils that warrant further investigation.
