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Schmidt M, Hou X, Mai H, Zhou G, Melzer RR, Zhang X, Liu Y. Unveiling the ventral morphology of a rare early Cambrian great appendage arthropod from the Chengjiang biota of China. BMC Biol 2024; 22:96. [PMID: 38679748 PMCID: PMC11057168 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-024-01889-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The early Cambrian arthropod clade Megacheira, also referred to as great appendage arthropods, comprised a group of diminutive and elongated predators during the early Palaeozoic era, around 518 million years ago. In addition to those identified in the mid-Cambrian Burgess Shale biota, numerous species are documented in the renowned 518-million-year-old Chengjiang biota of South China. Notably, one species, Tanglangia longicaudata, has remained inadequately understood due to limited available material and technological constraints. In this study, we, for the first time, examined eight fossil specimens (six individuals) utilizing state-of-the-art μCT and computer-based 3D rendering techniques to unveil the hitherto hidden ventral and appendicular morphology of this species. RESULTS We have identified a set of slender endopodites gradually narrowing distally, along with a leaf-shaped exopodite adorned with fringed setae along its margins, and a small putative exite attached to the basipodite. Our techniques have further revealed the presence of four pairs of biramous appendages in the head, aligning with the recently reported six-segmented head in other early euarthropods. Additionally, we have discerned two peduncle elements for the great appendage. These findings underscore that, despite the morphological diversity observed in early euarthropods, there exists similarity in appendicular morphology across various groups. In addition, we critically examine the existing literature on this taxon, disentangling previous mislabelings, mentions, descriptions, and, most importantly, illustrations. CONCLUSIONS The μCT-based investigation of fossil material of Tanglangia longicaudata, a distinctive early Cambrian euarthropod from the renowned Chengjiang biota, enhances our comprehensive understanding of the evolutionary morphology of the Megacheira. Its overall morphological features, including large cup-shaped eyes, raptorial great appendages, and a remarkably elongated telson, suggest its potential ecological role as a crepuscular predator and adept swimmer in turbid waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Schmidt
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China
- Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Bavarian Natural History Collections, Münchhausenstrasse 21, 81247, Munich, Germany
| | - Xianguang Hou
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China
| | - Huijuan Mai
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China
| | - Guixian Zhou
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China
| | - Roland R Melzer
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China
- Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Bavarian Natural History Collections, Münchhausenstrasse 21, 81247, Munich, Germany
- Faculty of Biology, Biocenter, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, Planegg-Martinsried, 82152, Germany
- GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Luisenstrasse 37, Munich, 80333, Germany
| | - Xilin Zhang
- Chengjiang Fossil Museum of the Management Committee of the Chengjiang World Heritage Fossil Site, Yuxi, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Liu
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China.
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China.
- Chengjiang Fossil Museum of the Management Committee of the Chengjiang World Heritage Fossil Site, Yuxi, People's Republic of China.
- Southwest United Graduate School, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China.
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Schmidt M, Liu Y, Hou X, Haug JT, Haug C, Mai H, Melzer RR. Intraspecific variation in the Cambrian: new observations on the morphology of the Chengjiang euarthropod Sinoburius lunaris. BMC Ecol Evol 2021; 21:127. [PMID: 34154529 PMCID: PMC8215796 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-021-01854-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Chengjiang biota from southwest China (518-million-years old, early Cambrian) has yielded nearly 300 species, of which more than 80 species represent early chelicerates, crustaceans and relatives. The application of µCT-techniques combined with 3D software (e.g., Drishti), has been shown to be a powerful tool in revealing and analyzing 3D features of the Chengjiang euarthropods. In order to address several open questions that remained from previous studies on the morphology of the xandarellid euarthropod Sinoburius lunaris, we reinvestigated the µCT data with Amira to obtain a different approach of visualization and to generate new volume-rendered models. Furthermore, we used Blender to design 3D models showing aspects of intraspecific variation. Results New findings are: (1) antennulae consist of additional proximal articles that have not been detected before; (2) compared to other appendages, the second post-antennular appendage has a unique shape, and its endopod is comprised of only five articles (instead of seven); (3) the pygidium bears four pairs of appendages which are observed in all specimens. On the other hand, differences between specimens also have been detected. These include the presence/absence of diplotergites resulting in different numbers of post-antennular appendages and tergites and different distances between the tip of the hypostome and the anterior margin of the head shield. Conclusions Those new observations reveal intraspecific variation among Chengjiang euarthropods not observed before and encourage considerations about possible sexual dimorphic pairs or ontogenetic stages. Sinoburius lunaris is a variable species with respect to its morphological characters, cautioning that taxon-specific variabilities need to be considered when exploring new species. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12862-021-01854-1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Schmidt
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany. .,MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China. .,Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Bavarian Natural History Collections, Münchhausenstr. 21, 81247, Munich, Germany.
| | - Yu Liu
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China. .,Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xianguang Hou
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China.,Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China
| | - Joachim T Haug
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, 80333, Munich, Germany
| | - Carolin Haug
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, 80333, Munich, Germany
| | - Huijan Mai
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China.,Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China
| | - Roland R Melzer
- Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, 2 North Cuihu Road, Kunming, 650091, People's Republic of China.,Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Bavarian Natural History Collections, Münchhausenstr. 21, 81247, Munich, Germany.,GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Richard-Wagner-Str. 10, 80333, Munich, Germany
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Schmidt M, Liu Y, Zhai D, Hou X, Melzer RR. Moving legs: A workflow on how to generate a flexible endopod of the 518 million-year-old Chengjiang arthropod Ercaicunia multinodosa using 3D-kinematics (Cambrian, China). Microsc Res Tech 2020; 84:695-704. [PMID: 33155750 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.23628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the functional morphology and mobility of appendages of fossil animals is important for exploring ecological traits such as feeding and locomotion. Previous work on fossils from the 518 million-year-old Chengjiang biota of China was based mainly on two-dimensional information captured from the surface of the specimens. Only recently, μCT techniques started to reveal almost the entire, though flattened and compressed, three-dimensionally preserved morphologies of the arthropods from Chengjiang. This allows more accurate work on reconstructing the possible movement of certain structures such as the appendages. Here, we present a workflow on how to reconstruct the mobility of a limb of the early Chengjiang arthropod Ercaicunia multinodosa from the famous Chinese fossil site. Based on μCT scans of the fossil, we rendered surface models of the 13th-15th right endopods using the 3D visualization and 3D-rendering software Amira. The 3D objects then were postprocessed (Collapse Hierarchy, Unify Normals) in SAP 3D Visual Enterprise Author before being imported into the 3D animation program Autodesk Maya 2020. Using the add-on tool X_ROMM in Maya, we illustrate step-by-step on how to make the articles of the limbs swing-in toward each other. Eventually, we propose several possible limb movements of E. multinodosa, which helps to understand how this early arthropod could have moved its endopods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michel Schmidt
- Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Bavarian Natural History Collections, Munich, Germany.,MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.,Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Yu Liu
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.,Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Institute of Palaeontology, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Dayou Zhai
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.,Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Institute of Palaeontology, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Xianguang Hou
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.,Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Institute of Palaeontology, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Roland R Melzer
- Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Bavarian Natural History Collections, Munich, Germany.,MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.,Department Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.,GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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4
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Liu Y, Ortega-Hernández J, Chen H, Mai H, Zhai D, Hou X. Computed tomography sheds new light on the affinities of the enigmatic euarthropod Jianshania furcatus from the early Cambrian Chengjiang biota. BMC Evol Biol 2020; 20:62. [PMID: 32487135 PMCID: PMC7268425 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-020-01625-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Chengjiang biota is one of the most species-rich Cambrian Konservat-Lagerstätten, and preserves a community dominated by non-biomineralized euarthropods. However, several Chengjiang euarthropods have an unfamiliar morphology, are extremely rare, or incompletely preserved. Results We employed micro-computed tomography to restudy the enigmatic euarthropod Jianshania furcatus. We reveal new morphological details, and demonstrate that the specimens assigned to this species represent two different taxa. The holotype of J. furcatus features a head shield with paired anterolateral notches, stalked lateral eyes, and an articulated tailspine with a bifurcate termination. The other specimen is formally redescribed as Xiaocaris luoi gen. et sp. nov., and is characterized by stalked eyes connected to an anterior sclerite, a subtrapezoidal head shield covering three small segments with reduced tergites, a trunk with 15 overlapping tergites with a well-developed dorsal keel, and paired tail flukes. Conclusions The presence of antennae, biramous appendages with endopods composed of 15 articles, and multiple appendage pairs associated with the trunk tergites identify X. luoi nov. as a representative of Fuxianhuiida, an early branching group of stem-group euarthropods endemic to the early Cambrian of Southwest China. X. luoi nov. represents the fifth fuxianhuiid species described from the Chengjiang biota, and its functional morphology illuminates the ecological diversity of this important clade for understanding the early evolutionary history of euarthropods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Liu
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Institute of Palaeontology, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China. .,MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China.
| | - Javier Ortega-Hernández
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Hong Chen
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Institute of Palaeontology, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China.,MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Huijuan Mai
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Institute of Palaeontology, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China.,MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Dayou Zhai
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Institute of Palaeontology, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China.,MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China
| | - Xianguang Hou
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Institute of Palaeontology, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China.,MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650500, China
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5
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Wöss C, Unterberger SH, Degenhart G, Akolkar A, Traxl R, Kuhn V, Schirmer M, Pallua AK, Tappert R, Pallua JD. Comparison of structure and composition of a fossil Champsosaurus vertebra with modern Crocodylidae vertebrae: A multi-instrumental approach. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2020; 104:103668. [PMID: 32174426 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.103668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2019] [Revised: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Information on the adaptation of bone structures during evolution is rare since histological data are limited. Micro- and nano-computed tomography of a fossilized vertebra from Champsosaurus sp., which has an estimated age of 70-73 million years, revealed lower porosity and higher bone density compared to modern Crocodylidae vertebrae. Mid-infrared reflectance and energy dispersive X-ray mapping excluded a petrification process, and demonstrated a typical carbonate apatite distribution, confirming histology in light- and electron microscopy of the preserved vertebra. As a consequence of this evolutionary process, the two vertebrae of modern Crocodylidae show reduced overall stiffness in the finite element analysis simulation compared to the fossilized Champsosaurus sp. vertebra, with predominant stiffness along the longitudinal z-axes.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Wöss
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Müllerstraße 44, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - S H Unterberger
- Unit for Material Technology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 13, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - G Degenhart
- Department of Radiology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - A Akolkar
- Illwerke vkw Professorship for Energy Efficiency, Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences, Hochschulstraße 1, 6850, Dornbirn, Austria; Josef Ressel Center for Applied Computational Science in Energy, Finance, and Logistics, Hochschulstraße 1, 6850, Dornbirn, Austria
| | - R Traxl
- Unit for Material Technology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstraße 13, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - V Kuhn
- Department of Traumatology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - M Schirmer
- Department of Internal Medicine, Clinic II, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstrasse 35, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - A K Pallua
- Former Institute for Computed Tomography-Neuro CT, Medical University of Innsbruck, Anichstraße 35, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - R Tappert
- Hyperspectral Intelligence Inc., Box 851, Gibsons, British Columbia, V0N 1V0, Canada
| | - J D Pallua
- Institute of Legal Medicine, Medical University of Innsbruck, Müllerstraße 44, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria; Institute of Pathology, Neuropathology and Molecular Pathology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Müllerstraße 44, 6020, Innsbruck, Austria.
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Chen X, Ortega-Hernández J, Wolfe JM, Zhai D, Hou X, Chen A, Mai H, Liu Y. The appendicular morphology of Sinoburius lunaris and the evolution of the artiopodan clade Xandarellida (Euarthropoda, early Cambrian) from South China. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:165. [PMID: 31387545 PMCID: PMC6685191 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1491-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Artiopodan euarthropods represent common and abundant faunal components in sites with exceptional preservation during the Cambrian. The Chengjiang biota in South China contains numerous taxa that are exclusively known from this deposit, and thus offer a unique perspective on euarthropod diversity during the early Cambrian. One such endemic taxon is the non-trilobite artiopodan Sinoburius lunaris, which has been known for approximately three decades, but few details of its anatomy are well understood due to its rarity within the Chengjiang, as well as technical limitations for the study of these fossils. Furthermore, the available material does not provide clear information on the ventral organization of this animal, obscuring our understanding of phylogenetically significant details such as the appendages. RESULTS We employed X-ray computed tomography to study the non-biomineralized morphology of Sinoburius lunaris. Due to the replacement of the delicate anatomy with pyrite typical of Chengjiang fossils, computed tomography reveals substantial details of the ventral anatomy of Sinoburius lunaris, and allow us to observe in detail the three-dimensionally preserved appendicular organization of this taxon for the first time. The dorsal exoskeleton consists of a crescent-shaped head shield with well-developed genal spines, a thorax with seven freely articulating tergites, and a fused pygidium with lateral and median spines. The head bears a pair of ventral stalked eyes that are accommodated by dorsal exoskeletal bulges, and an oval elongate ventral hypostome. The appendicular organization of the head is unique among Artiopoda. The deutocerebral antennae are reduced, consisting of only five podomeres, and bear an antennal scale on the second podomere that most likely represents an exite rather than a true ramus. The head includes four post-antennal biramous limb pairs. The first two biramous appendages are differentiated from the rest. The first appendage pair consists of a greatly reduced endopod coupled with a greatly elongated exopod with a potentially sensorial function. The second appendage pair carries a more conventionally sized endopod, but also has an enlarged exopod. The remaining biramous appendages are homonomous in their construction, but decrease in size towards the posterior end of the body. They consist of a basipodite with ridge-like crescentic endites, an endopod with seven podomeres and a terminal claw, and a lamellae-bearing exopod with a slender shaft. Contrary to previous reports, we confirm the presence of segmental mismatch in Sinoburius lunaris, expressed as diplotergites in the thorax. Maximum parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses support the monophyly of Xandarellida within Artiopoda, and illuminate the internal relationships within this enigmatic clade. Our results allow us to propose a transformation series explaining the origin of archetypical xandarellid characters, such as the evolution of eye slits in Xandarella spectaculum and Phytophilaspis pergamena as derivates from the anterolateral notches in the head shield observed in Cindarella eucalla and Luohuilinella species. In this context, Sinoburius lunaris is found to feature several derived characters within the group, such as the secondary loss of eye slits and a high degree of appendicular tagmosis. Contrary to previous findings, our analyses strongly support close affinities between Sinoburius lunaris, Xandarella spectaculum and Phytophilaspis pergamena, although the precise relationships between these taxa are sensitive to different methodologies. CONCLUSIONS The revised morphology of Sinoburius lunaris, made possible through the use of computed tomography to resolve details of its three-dimensionally preserved appendicular anatomy, contributes towards an improved understanding of the morphology of this taxon and the evolution of Xandarellida more broadly. Our results indicate that Sinoburius lunaris possesses an unprecedented degree of appendicular tagmosis otherwise unknown within Artiopoda, with the implication that this iconic group of Palaeozoic euarthropods likely had a more complex ecology and functional morphology than previously considered. The application of computer tomographic techniques to the study of Chengjiang euarthropods holds exceptional promise for understanding the morphological diversity of these organisms, and also better reconstructing their phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaohan Chen
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, North Cuihu Road 2, Kunming, 650091, China
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China
| | - Javier Ortega-Hernández
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
| | - Joanna M Wolfe
- Museum of Comparative Zoology and Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 26 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Dayou Zhai
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, North Cuihu Road 2, Kunming, 650091, China
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China
| | - Xianguang Hou
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, North Cuihu Road 2, Kunming, 650091, China
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China
| | - Ailin Chen
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China
- Research Center of Paleobiology, Yuxi Normal University, Yuxi, 653100, Yunnan, China
| | - Huijuan Mai
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, North Cuihu Road 2, Kunming, 650091, China
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Palaeobiology, Yunnan University, North Cuihu Road 2, Kunming, 650091, China.
- MEC International Joint Laboratory for Palaeobiology and Palaeoenvironment, Yunnan University, Kunming, 650091, China.
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7
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Cengiz IF, Oliveira JM, Reis RL. Micro-computed tomography characterization of tissue engineering scaffolds: effects of pixel size and rotation step. JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE. MATERIALS IN MEDICINE 2017; 28:129. [PMID: 28721665 DOI: 10.1007/s10856-017-5942-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2017] [Accepted: 06/27/2017] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative assessment of micro-structure of materials is of key importance in many fields including tissue engineering, biology, and dentistry. Micro-computed tomography (µ-CT) is an intensively used non-destructive technique. However, the acquisition parameters such as pixel size and rotation step may have significant effects on the obtained results. In this study, a set of tissue engineering scaffolds including examples of natural and synthetic polymers, and ceramics were analyzed. We comprehensively compared the quantitative results of µ-CT characterization using 15 acquisition scenarios that differ in the combination of the pixel size and rotation step. The results showed that the acquisition parameters could statistically significantly affect the quantified mean porosity, mean pore size, and mean wall thickness of the scaffolds. The effects are also practically important since the differences can be as high as 24% regarding the mean porosity in average, and 19.5 h and 166 GB regarding the characterization time and data storage per sample with a relatively small volume. This study showed in a quantitative manner the effects of such a wide range of acquisition scenarios on the final data, as well as the characterization time and data storage per sample. Herein, a clear picture of the effects of the pixel size and rotation step on the results is provided which can notably be useful to refine the practice of µ-CT characterization of scaffolds and economize the related resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ibrahim Fatih Cengiz
- 3B's Research Group-Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, Guimarães, 4805-017, Portugal.
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal.
| | - Joaquim Miguel Oliveira
- 3B's Research Group-Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, Guimarães, 4805-017, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
| | - Rui L Reis
- 3B's Research Group-Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, Barco, Guimarães, 4805-017, Portugal
- ICVS/3B's-PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal
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Ortega-Hernández J, Azizi A, Hearing TW, Harvey THP, Edgecombe GD, Hafid A, El Hariri K. A xandarellid artiopodan from Morocco - a middle Cambrian link between soft-bodied euarthropod communities in North Africa and South China. Sci Rep 2017; 7:42616. [PMID: 28211461 PMCID: PMC5314411 DOI: 10.1038/srep42616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2016] [Accepted: 01/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Xandarellida is a well-defined clade of Lower Palaeozoic non-biomineralized artiopodans that is exclusively known from the early Cambrian (Stage 3) Chengjiang biota of South China. Here we describe a new member of this group, Xandarella mauretanica sp. nov., from the middle Cambrian (Stage 5) Tatelt Formation of Morocco, making this the first non-trilobite Cambrian euarthropod known from North Africa. X. mauretanica sp. nov. represents the youngest occurrence of Xandarellida - extending its stratigraphic range by approximately 10 million years - and expands the palaeobiogeographic distribution of the group to the high southern palaeolatitudes of West Gondwana. The new species provides insights into the lightly sclerotized ventral anatomy of Xandarellida, and offers stratigraphically older evidence for a palaeobiogeographic connection between Burgess Shale-type euarthropod communities in North Africa and South China, relative to the (Tremadocian) Fezouata biota.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Abdelfattah Azizi
- Département Sciences de la Terre, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques-Guéliz, Université Cadi Ayyad, Avenue Abdelkrim el Khattabi BP 549, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco
| | - Thomas W. Hearing
- Department of Geology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
- British Geological Survey, Keyworth, NG12 5GG, UK
| | - Thomas H. P. Harvey
- Department of Geology, University of Leicester, University Road, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK
| | - Gregory D. Edgecombe
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Ahmid Hafid
- Département Sciences de la Terre, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques-Guéliz, Université Cadi Ayyad, Avenue Abdelkrim el Khattabi BP 549, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco
| | - Khadija El Hariri
- Département Sciences de la Terre, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques-Guéliz, Université Cadi Ayyad, Avenue Abdelkrim el Khattabi BP 549, 40000 Marrakech, Morocco
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Yang J, Ortega-Hernández J, Butterfield NJ, Liu Y, Boyan GS, Hou JB, Lan T, Zhang XG. Fuxianhuiid ventral nerve cord and early nervous system evolution in Panarthropoda. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:2988-93. [PMID: 26933218 PMCID: PMC4801254 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1522434113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Panarthropods are typified by disparate grades of neurological organization reflecting a complex evolutionary history. The fossil record offers a unique opportunity to reconstruct early character evolution of the nervous system via exceptional preservation in extinct representatives. Here we describe the neurological architecture of the ventral nerve cord (VNC) in the upper-stem group euarthropod Chengjiangocaris kunmingensis from the early Cambrian Xiaoshiba Lagerstätte (South China). The VNC of C. kunmingensis comprises a homonymous series of condensed ganglia that extend throughout the body, each associated with a pair of biramous limbs. Submillimetric preservation reveals numerous segmental and intersegmental nerve roots emerging from both sides of the VNC, which correspond topologically to the peripheral nerves of extant Priapulida and Onychophora. The fuxianhuiid VNC indicates that ancestral neurological features of Ecdysozoa persisted into derived members of stem-group Euarthropoda but were later lost in crown-group representatives. These findings illuminate the VNC ground pattern in Panarthropoda and suggest the independent secondary loss of cycloneuralian-like neurological characters in Tardigrada and Euarthropoda.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie Yang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Paleobiology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
| | | | - Nicholas J Butterfield
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, United Kingdom
| | - Yu Liu
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Paleobiology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China; Developmental Neurobiology Group, Biocenter, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 82152 Martinsried, Germany; GeoBio-Center Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich 80333, Germany
| | - George S Boyan
- Developmental Neurobiology Group, Biocenter, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 82152 Martinsried, Germany
| | - Jin-Bo Hou
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Paleobiology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
| | - Tian Lan
- College of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550003, China
| | - Xi-Guang Zhang
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Paleobiology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China;
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