Geometric morphometric analysis of Protoconites minor from the Cambrian (Terreneuvian) Yanjiahe Formation in Three Gorges, South China
Creators
- 1. Chang'an University
- 2. Northwest University
Description
The Ediacaran to Cambrian transition is a critical interval of time during which major evolutionary changes occurred. Recently, abundant Protoconites minor have been recovered from the silty shales of the lower Cambrian Yanjiahe Formation (Terreneuvian, Fortunian – Stage 2) in the Three Gorges area of South China. These fossils represent an important ecological diversification of macroscopic organisms at the onset of the Cambrian. Protoconites minor is a probable cnidarian-grade organism preserved by carbon compression. Herein, geometric morphometric analyses are applied to crack out specimens of P. minor to reveal any cryptic morphological details that may have implications for their morphological diversity, ontogenetic processes, and taxonomic identification. These statistical analyses reveal a strong relationship between size and shape, which indicates that the overall shape of P. minor was mainly controlled by allometric growth. The smaller specimens are generally wider at the anterior, and more commonly have straight-sides. Larger individuals tend to be narrower at the anterior, with bending more common. Our analyses demonstrate that there are transitional forms between larger, strongly bent specimens and smaller, straight specimens, suggesting that the assemblage likely consists of a single species.
Notes
The upload files here are the input files used for all the analyses used in this manuscript.
Funding provided by: National Natural Science Foundation of China
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809
Award Number: 41890844
Funding provided by: National Natural Science Foundation of China
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809
Award Number: 41890840
Funding provided by: National Natural Science Foundation of China
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809
Award Number: 41472015
Funding provided by: National Natural Science Foundation of China
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809
Award Number: 41672009
Funding provided by: National Natural Science Foundation of China
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809
Award Number: 41621003
Funding provided by: National Natural Science Foundation of China
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809
Award Number: 41772010
Funding provided by: National Natural Science Foundation of China
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809
Award Number: 41720104002
Funding provided by: National Natural Science Foundation of China
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809
Award Number: 41930319
Funding provided by: National Natural Science Foundation of China
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100001809
Award Number: 41702010
Funding provided by: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002367
Award Number: Strategic Priority Research Program XDB26000000
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