Earth scienceshttp://hdl.handle.net/10141/6006972024-03-28T20:54:57Z2024-03-28T20:54:57ZReconstructing the feeding ecology of Cambrian sponge reefs: the case for active suspension feeding in ArchaeocyathaGibson, Brandt MChipman, MaxAttanasio, PaoloQureshi, ZaidDarroch, Simon AFRahman, Imran ALaflamme, Marchttp://hdl.handle.net/10141/6230732024-03-18T11:17:26Z2023-11-22T00:00:00ZReconstructing the feeding ecology of Cambrian sponge reefs: the case for active suspension feeding in Archaeocyatha
Gibson, Brandt M; Chipman, Max; Attanasio, Paolo; Qureshi, Zaid; Darroch, Simon AF; Rahman, Imran A; Laflamme, Marc
Sponge-grade Archaeocyatha were early Cambrian biomineralizing metazoans that constructed reefs globally. Despite decades of research, many facets of archaeocyath palaeobiology remain unclear, making it difficult to reconstruct the palaeoecology of Cambrian reef ecosystems. Of specific interest is how these organisms fed; previous experimental studies have suggested that archaeocyaths functioned as passive suspension feeders relying on ambient currents to transport nutrient-rich water into their central cavities. Here, we test this hypothesis using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of digital models of select archaeocyath species. Our results demonstrate that, given a range of plausible current velocities, there was very little fluid circulation through the skeleton, suggesting obligate passive suspension feeding was unlikely. Comparing our simulation data with exhalent velocities collected from extant sponges, we infer an active suspension feeding lifestyle for archaeocyaths. The combination of active suspension feeding and biomineralization in Archaeocyatha may have facilitated the creation of modern metazoan reef ecosystems. The attached file is the published version of the article.
2023-11-22T00:00:00ZOrigin and Early Evolution of EchinodermsRahman, ImranZamora, Samuelhttp://hdl.handle.net/10141/6230702024-03-19T02:51:23Z2024-05-30T00:00:00ZOrigin and Early Evolution of Echinoderms
Rahman, Imran; Zamora, Samuel
Echinoderms are a major group (phylum) of invertebrate animals with a rich fossil record stretching back to the Cambrian period, approximately 518 million years ago. While all modern species are characterized by pentaradial (i.e., fivefold) symmetry, Cambrian echinoderms also include taxa with different types of symmetry (e.g., bilateral symmetry). These distinct forms were present from very early in the phylum's history, demonstrating that the initial diversification of echinoderm body plans was extremely rapid. The phylogenetic relationships of Cambrian echinoderms have long been debated, hindering efforts to reconstruct the evolution of the phylum, but recent analyses have consistently recovered bilaterally symmetrical forms as the earliest-diverging echinoderms. This reveals the sequence of character acquisition in echinoderm evolution, indicating that radial symmetry is a derived character of the group, which evolved after the acquisition of a mineralized skeleton. Cambrian echinoderms were adapted to diverse modes of life, with ecology an important factor shaping their early evolution. However, the reasons why echinoderms evolved their unique pentaradial body plan remain unclear.
▪ The Cambrian fossil record provides valuable insights into the origin and early evolution of echinoderms over half a billion years ago. ▪ Cambrian echinoderms were morphologically diverse, with several extinct groups exhibiting character combinations that distinguish them from living species.
▪ Phylogenetic analyses of bilateral, asymmetrical, triradial, and pentaradial fossils have allowed us to decipher the assembly of the modern echinoderm body plan.
▪ Echinoderms became ecologically diverse early in their history, with varied modes of feeding, locomotion, and attachment.
Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Volume 52 is May 2024. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
2024-05-30T00:00:00ZCambrian stem-group ambulacrarians and the nature of the ancestral deuterostomeLi, YujingDunn, Frances SMurdock, Duncan JEGuo, JinRahman, ImranCong, Peiyunhttp://hdl.handle.net/10141/6230552023-06-21T09:15:14Z0010-01-01T00:00:00ZCambrian stem-group ambulacrarians and the nature of the ancestral deuterostome
Li, Yujing; Dunn, Frances S; Murdock, Duncan JE; Guo, Jin; Rahman, Imran; Cong, Peiyun
Deuterostomes are characterized by some of the most widely divergent body plans in the animal kingdom. These striking morphological differences have hindered efforts to predict ancestral characters, with the origin and earliest evolution of the group remaining ambiguous. Several iconic Cambrian fossils have been suggested to be early deuterostomes and hence could help elucidate ancestral character states. However, their phylogenetic relationships are controversial. Here, we describe new, exceptionally preserved specimens of the discoidal metazoan Rotadiscus grandis from the early Cambrian Chengjiang biota of China. These reveal a previously unknown double spiral structure, which we interpret as a chordate-like covering to a coelomopore, located adjacent to a horseshoe-shaped tentacle complex. The tentacles differ in key aspects from those seen in lophophorates and are instead more similar to the tentacular systems of extant pterobranchs and echinoderms. Thus, Rotadiscus exhibits a chimeric combination of ambulacrarian and chordate characters. Phylogenetic analyses recover Rotadiscus and closely related fossil taxa as stem ambulacrarians, filling a significant morphological gap in the deuterostome tree of life. These results allow us to reconstruct the ancestral body plans of major clades of deuterostomes, revealing that key traits of extant forms, such as a post-analregion, gillbars, and a U-shaped gut, evolved through convergence.
0010-01-01T00:00:00ZCurrent Methods, Common Practices, and Perspectives in Tracking and Monitoring Bioinoculants in SoilManfredini, AndreaMalusà, EligioCosta, CorradoPallottino, FedericoMocali, StefanoPinzari, FlaviaCanfora, Loredanahttp://hdl.handle.net/10141/6230512023-06-21T09:15:13Z0031-01-01T00:00:00ZCurrent Methods, Common Practices, and Perspectives in Tracking and Monitoring Bioinoculants in Soil
Manfredini, Andrea; Malusà, Eligio; Costa, Corrado; Pallottino, Federico; Mocali, Stefano; Pinzari, Flavia; Canfora, Loredana
<jats:p>Microorganisms promised to lead the bio-based revolution for a more sustainable agriculture. Beneficial microorganisms could be a valid alternative to the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. However, the increasing use of microbial inoculants is also raising several questions about their efficacy and their effects on the autochthonous soil microorganisms. There are two major issues on the application of bioinoculants to soil: (i) their detection in soil, and the analysis of their persistence and fate; (ii) the monitoring of the impact of the introduced bioinoculant on native soil microbial communities. This review explores the strategies and methods that can be applied to the detection of microbial inoculants and to soil monitoring. The discussion includes a comprehensive critical assessment of the available tools, based on morpho-phenological, molecular, and microscopic analyses. The prospects for future development of protocols for regulatory or commercial purposes are also discussed, underlining the need for a multi-method (polyphasic) approach to ensure the necessary level of discrimination required to track and monitor bioinoculants in soil.</jats:p>
0031-01-01T00:00:00ZMicrobial-Based Products to Control Soil-Borne Pathogens: Methods to Improve Efficacy and to Assess Impacts on MicrobiomePtaszek, MagdalenaCanfora, LoredanaPugliese, MassimoPinzari, FlaviaGilardi, GiovannaTrzciński, PawełMalusà, Eligiohttp://hdl.handle.net/10141/6230502023-06-21T09:15:13Z2023-01-01T00:00:00ZMicrobial-Based Products to Control Soil-Borne Pathogens: Methods to Improve Efficacy and to Assess Impacts on Microbiome
Ptaszek, Magdalena; Canfora, Loredana; Pugliese, Massimo; Pinzari, Flavia; Gilardi, Giovanna; Trzciński, Paweł; Malusà, Eligio
Microbial-based products (either as biopesticide or biofertilizers) have a long history of application, though their use is still limited, mainly due to a perceived low and inconsistent efficacy under field conditions. However, their efficacy has always been compared to chemical products, which have a completely different mechanism of action and production process, following the chemical paradigm of agricultural production. This paradigm has also been applied to regulatory processes, particularly for biopesticides, making the marketing of microbial-based formulations difficult. Increased knowledge about bioinocula behavior after application to the soil and their impact on soil microbiome should foster better exploitation of microbial-based products in a complex environment such as the soil. Moreover, the multifunctional capacity of microbial strains with regard to plant growth promotion and protection should also be considered in this respect. Therefore, the methods utilized for these studies are key to improving the knowledge and understanding of microbial-based product activity and improving their efficacy, which, from farmers’ point of view, is the parameter to assess the usefulness of a treatment. In this review, we are thus addressing aspects related to the production and formulation process, highlighting the methods that can be used to evaluate the functioning and impact of microbial-based products on soil microbiome, as tools supporting their use and marketing.
2023-01-01T00:00:00ZThe rangeomorph Pectinifrons abyssalis: Hydrodynamic function at the dawn of animal lifeDarroch, Simon AFGutarra Diaz, Susana V.Masaki, HaleOlaru, AndreiGibson, Brandt MDunn, Frances SMitchell, Emily GRacicot, Rachel ABurzynski, GregoryRahman, Imranhttp://hdl.handle.net/10141/6230402023-06-21T09:15:13Z0017-01-01T00:00:00ZThe rangeomorph Pectinifrons abyssalis: Hydrodynamic function at the dawn of animal life
Darroch, Simon AF; Gutarra Diaz, Susana V.; Masaki, Hale; Olaru, Andrei; Gibson, Brandt M; Dunn, Frances S; Mitchell, Emily G; Racicot, Rachel A; Burzynski, Gregory; Rahman, Imran
Rangeomorphs are among the oldest putative eumetazoans known from the fossil record. Establishing how they fed is thus key to understanding the structure and function of the earliest animal ecosystems. Here, we use computational fluid dynamicstotesthypothesizedfeedingmodesforthefence-likerangeomorphPectinifrons abyssalis, comparing this to the morphologically similar extant carnivorous sponge Chondrocladia lyra. Our results reveal complex patterns of flow around P. abyssalis unlike those previously reconstructed for any other Ediacaran taxon. Comparisons with C. lyra reveal substantial differences between the two organisms, suggesting they converged on a similar fence-like morphology for different functions. We argue that the flow patterns recovered for P. abyssalis do not support either a suspension feeding or osmotrophic feeding habit. Instead, our results indicate that rangeomorph fronds may represent organs adapted for gas exchange. If correct, this interpretation could require a dramatic reinterpretation of the oldest macroscopic animals.
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