Importantbeginning

THEBEGINNINGTHEBEGINNINGOFANIMALLIFEOFANIMALLIFEONEARTHONEARTHMikhailA.
FedonkinPaleontologicalInstitute,RussianAcademyofSciences,MoscowJimGehlingSouthAustralianMuseum,AdelaidePatriciaVickers-RichSchoolofGeosciences,MonashUniversity,MelbourneTHEEARLYHISTORYOFTHEEARLYHISTORYOFMETAZOANSMETAZOANSWHATISAMETAZOANPatriciaVickers-RichCOMMONLYREFERREDTOASANIMALSMULTICELLULARsosinglecelledanimals(Protozoa)donotqualifyMOBILEatsomestageinthelifecycleofametazoan,theymoveWHATISAMETAZOANHETEROTROPHICmetazoansareconsumersatdifferentlevelsinthefoodchain-nonearecapableofgeneratingtheirownfooddirectlyfrominorganics-somehave,however,liasedwithotherspeciesinsymbioticassociationswithautotrophs(whichcangeneratefoodfrominorganics),suchascoralpolypswithdinoflagellatesDIPLOIDORGANISMSwithembryonicdevelopmentthatgoesthroughablastulastagediploid=havingtwosetsofchromosomes(leadingtomuchgreaterbiodiversitywitheachgeneration)blastula=earlyembryonicstage,ahollow,fluid-filledballofcellsonelayerthickWHATISAMETAZOANMANY,BUTNOTALL,ARETRIPLOBLASTICduringdevelopmentthreeembryoniclayers(endoderm,mesoderm,ectoderm)producealllaterstructuresWHATISAMETAZOANWHATISTHEBIODATABASEFORTHELATEPROTEROZOIC,WHENANIMALSFIRSTAPPEARED(1400-550millionyearsago)ABriefOverviewofImportantFossilLocalesthatHaveProducedanEarlyRecordofAnimalLifeFlindersRanges,SouthAustraliaBangemallBasin,WesternAustraliaGlacierNationalPark,Montana,USAWhiteSeaRegion,RussiaUralMountains,RussiaSiberiaUkraineNewfoundlandNamibiaToday'sKeynoteWillCoverTwoofTheseImportantAreasthatHaveYieldedFundamentalInformationontheOriginofAnimals,Metazoans.
J.
Gehling–FlindersRangeofSouthAustraliaM.
Fedonkin–WhiteSeaRegionofRussiaTHEVENDIANFAUNASOFTHEWHITESEAREGION,NORTHERNRUSSIALOCATIONFIELDCONDITIONSROCKSAGETHEVENDIANFAUNAMikhailA.
FedonkinTHEVENDIANFAUNAPOPULATIONDENSITYBODYSIZEVARIOUSEXTERNALMORPHOLOGYCOMPLEXINTERNALANATOMYSHALLOWMARINEHABITATSNOFRESHWATERANIMALSLOCOMOTIONSTYLESFEEDINGHABITSREPRODUCTIONCOLONIZATIONOFTHESEDIMENTSORIGINANDEXTINCTIONTHEVENDIANFAUNASOFTHEWHITESEAREGION,NORTHERNRUSSIAAGE:over555millionyears,U-PbradiometricdatingofzirconcrystalsfromvolcanicashbedsLOCATION:about1000kmnorthfromMoscow,S-SEcoastoftheWhiteSeaGETTINGTHERE(TRANSPORTATION):22hoursbytrainfromMoscow,thenseavessel,boat,helicopter,feetFOSSILSITES:within400kmfromOnegaRivertotheWinterCoastoftheWhiteSeaFIELDCONDITIONS:swampsandtaiga,shortandcoldsummer,mosquitoes,midges,bearsACCOMODATION:tentsROCKS:sandstone,siltstoneandclayFOSSILIFEROUSBEDS:clay/sandinterface,stormbedsFOSSILTYPES:bodyfossilsandtracefossils(trails,tracksandburrows)PRESERVATIONMODE:imprints,3dcastsandmolds,pyritecrust,organicmaterialPRESERVATIONDETAILS:externalmorphology,internalanatomySIZE:from2-3mmto1mPALEOECOLOGY:shallowmarinehabitats,relativelycoldbasin,abundantplanktonandbenthicalgaeNATUREOFANIMALS-soft-bodiedformsdominate-bottomdwellers:attachedandmobileCOMPOSITION-afew,wellestablishedgroupsofbothdiploblasticandtriploblasticinvertebratesTHEVENDIANFAUNASOFTHEWHITESEAREGION,NORTHERNRUSSIALOCOMOTIONSTYLE-peristalticcreepingFEEDINGHABITS-dominantlymicropredatorsREPRODUCTION-sexualandasexual,larvalformsassumed(becauseofglobaldistribution),seasonalCOLONIZATIONOFTHESEDIMENTS-lowbioturbationEVOLUTIONARYSIGNIFICANCE-ancestorsofPhanerozoicPhylapresentBIODIVERSITY-increaseswithtime(higherbiodiversityinyoungerrocks)EXTINCTION-manyweirdandoddlifeformsareabundantbutnotknownfromlaterperiods