Data from: Macroscopic fossils from Chuanlinggou Formation of North China: Evidence for an earlier origin of multicellular algae in late Paleoproterozoic
Data files
Nov 20, 2023 version files 146.35 KB
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Chuaria_data.xlsx
40.43 KB
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Ramamn_data_of_Organic_fragments.xlsx
50.26 KB
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Ramamn_data_of_Sideritized_materials.xlsx
48.44 KB
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README.md
988 B
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Reference.txt
6.23 KB
Abstract
The multicellular algae are the core topic for understanding the early life evolution on Earth. The timing of origin and cellular differentiation of multicellular algae, however, remains poorly constrained. The Paleo- to early Mesoproterozoic is a critical period, during which multicellular algae began to occur and started to evolve in marine environments. This paper reports well-preserved multicellular fossils from shales of the Chuanlinggou Formation in North China, with emphasis on their holdfast structure and putative cellular structures. These macroalgae fossils are reasonably diversified in this formation, and include Chuaria circularis, Tawuia sinensis, Tawuia robusta, Glossophyton ovalis, Glossophyton sp., Tuanshanzia sp., Changchengia sp., which are mainly preserved as carbonaceous compressions, with some in sideritized forms. FESEM observation reveals multicellular structures in Chuaria, confirming its biological attribute of multicellular eukaryote and providing direct evidence that multicellular algae had already originated by the terminal Paleoproterozoic, earlier than previous speculation. The Tuanshanzia sp. and Changchengia sp. developed with bare rhizome holdfast, suggesting their benthic sessile lifestyle in the late Paleoproterozoic oceanic habitat.
README: Data from: Macroscopic fossils from Chuanlinggou Formation of North China: Evidence for an earlier origin of multicellular algae in late Paleoproterozoic
https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.ffbg79d17
Description of the data and file structure
Our Raman data of macrofossils and organic fragments is mainly through a Renishaw inVia Raman spectrometer at Resources Exploration Laboratory, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), with 514nm laser excitation. The measured Raman spectral ranges were set between 100cm-1 and 3000cm-1. The software ‘Origin 2021’ was used for spectral baseline correction, data smoothing, and fitting.
Based on our collection and published literature, the data of 1715 Chuaria from Paleoproterozoic to Cambrian were analyzed. In this study, the Chuaria long axis was measured from selected specimens in our collection and in published literature as an index for Chuaria body-size.