Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, ministère de la Culture, UVSQ, MNHN, Institut photonique d'analyse non-destructive européen des matériaux anciens, Saint-Aubin, France.
Nat Ecol Evol. 2024 Apr;8(4):651-662. doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02331-w. Epub 2024 Feb 9.
Early Palaeozoic sites with soft-tissue preservation are predominantly found in Cambrian rocks and tend to capture past tropical and temperate ecosystems. In this study, we describe the diversity and preservation of the Cabrières Biota, a newly discovered Early Ordovician Lagerstätte from Montagne Noire, southern France. The Cabrières Biota showcases a diverse polar assemblage of both biomineralized and soft-bodied organisms predominantly preserved in iron oxides. Echinoderms are extremely scarce, while sponges and algae are abundantly represented. Non-biomineralized arthropod fragments are also preserved, along with faunal elements reminiscent of Cambrian Burgess Shale-type ecosystems, such as armoured lobopodians. The taxonomic diversity observed in the Cabrières Biota mixes Early Ordovician Lagerstätten taxa with Cambrian forms. By potentially being the closest Lagerstätte to the South Pole, the Cabrières Biota probably served as a biotic refuge amid the high-water temperatures of the Early Ordovician, and shows comparable ecological structuring to modern polar communities.
主要发现于寒武纪岩石中的保存有软组织的早古生代遗址往往能捕捉到过去的热带和温带生态系统。在这项研究中，我们描述了一个新发现的早奥陶世原地生物群——法国南部蒙塔涅诺黑的卡布里雷斯生物群的多样性和保存情况。卡布里雷斯生物群展示了一个多样化的极地生物组合，其中包括主要保存在氧化铁中的生物矿化和软体生物。棘皮动物极为稀少，而海绵和藻类则大量存在。非生物矿化的节肢动物碎片也被保存下来，还有一些类似于寒武纪布尔吉斯页岩型生态系统的动物群元素，如具甲叶足类。卡布里雷斯生物群中观察到的分类多样性混合了早奥陶世原地生物群的分类群与寒武纪形式。卡布里雷斯生物群可能是最接近南极的原地生物群，它在早奥陶世高温时期可能充当了生物避难所，并显示出与现代极地群落相当的生态结构。
