Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EQ, UK.
Nat Ecol Evol. 2017 Aug;1(8):1201-1204. doi: 10.1038/s41559-017-0222-7. Epub 2017 Jul 10.
Macroscale rangeomorph fossils, with characteristic branching fronds, appear (571 Myr ago) after the Gaskiers glaciation (580 Myr ago). However, biological mechanisms of size growth and potential connections to ocean geochemistry were untested. Using micro-computerized tomography and photographic measurements, alongside mathematical and computer models, we demonstrate that growth of rangeomorph branch internodes declined as their relative surface area decreased. This suggests that frond size and shape were directly responsive to nutrient uptake.
大尺度的准噶尔果化石，具有特征性的分枝羽片，出现在加斯基尔冰川作用（580 百万年前）之后（571 百万年前）。然而，大小生长的生物机制和与海洋地球化学的潜在联系尚未经过测试。我们使用微计算机断层扫描和摄影测量，以及数学和计算机模型，证明了准噶尔果分支节间的生长随着其相对表面积的减小而下降。这表明羽片的大小和形状直接响应于养分的吸收。
