High-resolution micro-CT analysis of the oldest animal embryo and larva fossils: Implications for the early evolution of Metazoa

• Project/Area Number: 25610148
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Geology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: KOMIYA Tsuyoshi 東京大学, 総合文化研究科, 准教授 (30361786)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2015)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,900,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥900,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000); Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
• Keywords: 放射光X線Micro-CT / カンブリア紀 / カンブリア爆発 / 後生動物化石 / 微小硬骨格動物化石 / 化学古生物学 / エディアカラ紀 / 動物胚 / 三次元構造解析 / 初期後生動物進化 / SPring-8 / 三次元内部構造解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It is difficult to investigate the origins of fossils whose structures are very simple or have no modern equivalents based on their morphology. We try to establish chemopaleontology and micro-CT analyses of small globular fossils to identify the oldest, Ediacaran and early Cambrian, egg and embryo fossils, and investigate evolution of tissues.
We obtained trace element mapping of extant cnidarian eggs and embryos to find unique signatures of the distribution and abundances of the trace elements over the eggs and embryos, and compare them with the Ediacaran globular microfossils and identify their phylum. We conducted synchrotron and conventional X-ray Micro-CT analyses of the oldest cnidarian polyp fossils to observe the internal structures. We found clear some original tissue structures in the three dimensional images.

Research Products

• [Int'l Joint Research] Northwest University(China)
• [Journal Article] Divergent evolution of medusozoan symmetric patterns: Evidence from the microanatomy of Cambrian tetramerous cubozoans from South China (2016)
  • Author(s): Han, J., Kubota, S., Li, G., Ou, Q., Wang, X., Yao, X., Li, Y., Uesugi, K., Hoshino, M., Sasaki, O., Kano, H., Sato, T. & Komiya, T.
  • Journal Title: Gondwana Research Volume: 31 Pages: 150-163
  • NAID: 120005704229
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Internal microanatomy and zoological affinity of the early Cambrian Olivooides (2016)
  • Author(s): Han, J., Li, G., Kubota, Shin, Ou, Q., Toshino, S., Wang, X., Yang, X., Uesugi, K., Hoshino, M., Sasaki, O., Kano, H., Sato, T. & Komiya, T.
  • Journal Title: Acta Geological Sinica (English edition) Volume: 90 Pages: 801-840
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] A high-resolution chemostratigraphy of post-Marinoan Cap Carbonate using drill core samples in the Three Gorges area, South China (2016)
  • Author(s): Sato, H., Tahata, M., Sawaki, Y., Maruyama, S., Yoshida, N., Shu, D., Han, J., Li, Y. & Komiya, T.
  • Journal Title: Geoscience Frontiers Volume: -
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Dendroid multicellular thallophytes preserved in a Neoproterozoic black phosphorite in southern China (2016)
  • Author(s): Du, W., Wang, X.L., Komiya, T., Zhao, R. & Wang, Y.
  • Journal Title: Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology Volume: -
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Potential Ediacaran sponge gemmules from the Yangtze Gorges area in South China (2015)
  • Author(s): Du, W., Wang, X.L. & Komiya, T.
  • Journal Title: Gondwana Research Volume: 28 Pages: 1246-1254
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Journal Article] Uranium and molybdenum isotope evidence for an episode of widespread ocean oxygenation during the late Ediacaran Period (2015)
  • Author(s): Kendall, B., Komiya, T., Lyons, T.W., Bates, S.M., Gordon, G.W., Romaniello, S.J., Jiang, G., Creaser, R.A., Xiao, S., McFadden, K., Sawaki, Y., Tahata, M., Shu, D., Han, J., Li, Y., Chu, X. & Anbar, A.D.
  • Journal Title: Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta Volume: 156 Pages: 173-193
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] The marine environments encompassing the Neoproterozoic glaciations: Evidence from C, Sr and Fe isotope ratios in the Hecla Hoek Supergroup in Svalbard (2015)
  • Author(s): Tahata, M., Sawaki, Y., Ueno, Y., Nishizawa, M., Yoshida, N., Ebisuzaki, T., Komiya, T. & Maruyama, S.
  • Journal Title: Precambrian Research Volume: 263 Pages: 190-208
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Three-step modernization of the ocean: Modeling of carbon cycles and the revolution of ecological systems in the Ediacaran/Cambrian periods (2015)
  • Author(s): Tahata, M., Sawaki, Y., Ueno, Y., Nishizawa, M., Yoshida, N., Ebisuzaki, T., Komiya, T. & Maruyama, S.
  • Journal Title: Geoscience Frontiers Volume: 6 Pages: 12-136
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] Macroorganism paleoecosystems during the middle-late Ediacaran Period in the Yangtze Block, South China (2015)
  • Author(s): Wang, Y., Du, W., Komiya, T., Wang, X.L. & Wang, Y.
  • Journal Title: Paleontological Research Volume: 19 Pages: 237-250
  • NAID: 40020513901
  • Peer Reviewed / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] The Ediacaran analogues of sponge gemmule from the Yangtze Gorges area in South China (2015)
  • Author(s): Du, W., Wang, X.L. and Komiya, T.
  • Journal Title: Gondwana Research Volume: -
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Divergent evolution of medusozoan symmetric patterns: Evidence from the microanatomy of Cambrian tetramerous cubozoans from South China (2015)
  • Author(s): Han, Jian Kubota, Shin Li, Guoxiang Ou, Qiang Wang, Xing Yao, Xiaoyong Li, Yong Uesugi, Kentaro Hoshino, Masato Sasaki, Osamu Kano, Harumasa Sato, Tomohiko Komiya, Tsuyoshi
  • Journal Title: Gondwana Research Volume: -
  • NAID: 120005704229
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Macroorganism paleoecosystems during the middle-late Ediacaran Period in the Yangtze Block, South China (2015)
  • Author(s): Wang, Yue Du, Wei Komiya, Tsuyoshi Wang, Ye Wang, Xun Lian
  • Journal Title: Paleontological Research Volume: -
  • NAID: 40020513901
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Duan, Y., Han, J., Fu, D., Zhang, X., Yang, X., Komiya, T., Shu, D., 2014. Reproductive strategy of the bradoriid arthropod Kunmingella douvillei from the Lower Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte, South China (2014)
  • Author(s): Duan, Y., Han, J., Fu, D., Zhang, X., Yang, X., Komiya, T., Shu, D.
  • Journal Title: Gondwana Research Volume: 25 Pages: 983-990
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] FTIR microspectroscopy of Ediacaran phosphatized microfossils from the Doushantuo Formation, Weng'an, South China (2014)
  • Author(s): Igisu, M., Komiya, T., Kawashima, M., Nakashima, S., Ueno, Y., Han, J., Shu, D., Li, Y., Guo, J., Maruyama, S., Takai, K.
  • Journal Title: Gondwana Research Volume: 25 Pages: 1120-1138
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Early Cambrian Pentamerous Cubozoan Embryos from South China (2013)
  • Author(s): Han, J., Kubota, S., Li, G., Yao, X., Yang, X., Shu, D., Li, Y., Kinoshita, S., Sasaki, O., Komiya, T., Yang, G.
  • Journal Title: PloS One Volume: 8
  • NAID: 120005323006
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] SPring-8によるエディアカラ紀微化石の放射光分析 (2015)
  • Author(s): 大河原綾乃, 上杉健太朗, Du, Wei, 小宮剛
  • Organizer: 日本地質学会第122年学術大会(2015長野大会)
  • Place of Presentation: 信州大学（日本国長野県長野市）
  • Year and Date: 2015-09-11
• [Presentation] Nitrogen isotope chemostratigraphy from the Ediacaran to early Cambrian in South China (2015)
  • Author(s): Komiya, Tsuyoshi, Nishizawa, Manabu, Tsuchiya, Yuki
  • Organizer: Japan Geoscience Union Meeting 2015
  • Place of Presentation: Makuhari Messe, Inc. (Makuhari, Chiba, Japan)
  • Year and Date: 2015-05-26
• [Presentation] 南中国三峡地域の前期カンブリア紀の地層の窒素同位体変動 (2014)
  • Author(s): 土谷祐貴 田畑美幸 西澤学 澤木佑介 佐藤友彦 小宮剛
  • Organizer: 日本地質学会第121年学術大会(2014 鹿児島大会)
  • Place of Presentation: 鹿児島県鹿児島市鹿児島大学
  • Year and Date: 2014-09-15
• [Presentation] Nitrogen isotope chemostratigraphy of the Early Cambrian platform sequence at Three Gorges, South China (2014)
  • Author(s): Tsuchiya, Y., Tahata, M., Nishizawa, M., Sawaki, Y., Sato, T. and Komiya, T.
  • Organizer: 日本地球惑星科学連合2014年大会
  • Place of Presentation: 日本国神奈川県横浜市パシフィコヨコハマ
  • Year and Date: 2014-04-30
• [Presentation] Dendroid multicellular thallophytes preserved in a Neoproterozoic black phosphorite in southern China (2014)
  • Author(s): Du, W., Wang, X. and Komiya, T.
  • Organizer: 日本地球惑星科学連合2014年大会
  • Place of Presentation: 日本国神奈川県横浜市パシフィコヨコハマ
  • Year and Date: 2014-04-30
• [Book] Integrated evolution of cnidarians and oceanic geochemistry before and during the Cambrian explosion, In: Goffredo, S. & Dubinsky, Z. (Eds.), The Cnidaria, past, present and future: The world of Medusa and her sisters (2016)
  • Author(s): Han, J., Zhang, X. & Komiya, T.
  • Publisher: Springer
• [Remarks] 小宮研究室 地球生命環境進化史研究
  • URL: http://acasta.web.fc2.com
• [Remarks] 東京大学小宮研究室
  • URL: http://acasta.web.fc2.com/
• [Remarks] 東京大学小宮研究室
  • URL: http://ea.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/earth/Members/komiya.html