Three-dimensional reconstructions of the putative metazoan Namapoikia show that it was a microbial construction.

ABSTRACT: Strata from the Ediacaran Period (635 million to 538 million years ago [Ma]) contain several examples of enigmatic, putative shell-building metazoan fossils. These fossils may provide insight into the evolution and environmental impact of biomineralization on Earth, especially if their biological affinities and modern analogs can be identified. Recently, apparent morphological similarities with extant coralline demosponges have been used to assign a poriferan affinity to Namapoikia rietoogensis, a modular encrusting construction that is found growing between (and on) microbial buildups in Namibia. Here, we present three-dimensional reconstructions of Namapoikia that we use to assess the organism's proposed affinity. Our morphological analyses, which comprise quantitative meas

SUBMITTER: Mehra A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7443946 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature