The oldest animal appears in the fossil record of the Ediacara biota. In a new recent study, paleontologists from the Australian National University of discovered the oldest food remains in the Edicara organism 558 million years ago, revealing what and how these ancient animals eat.
In this study, paleontologists used biomarker molecules to examine the intestinal contents of three Ediacaran species - 558 million years ago, the earliest mollusk, mollusk, (an ancient creature similar to slugs), and one of the key Ediacaran animals, Dickinsonia, (Dickinsonia). The results show that the membranous squid and kimbra possess the intestines, which feed on green algae and bacteria, while the Dickinson jellyfish have different feeding methods and possible external digestion.
558 million years ago Kimberla fossils
Membrane slut, Kimberla worm and Dickinson jellyfish are all part of the Ediacara biota. They are large in nature and can be seen with the naked eye. The membrane worm body is larger than 2 cm, the Kimberla worm body is up to 15 cm, and the Dickens jellyfish can even grow to 1.4 meters long.
fossils of the Edicaraji Temple River Biota (scale 1cm)
These ancient creatures were the most advanced living organisms at that time, unlike any organism today, but little is known about the details of how these animals live.
558 million years ago Kimberla fossil
Now with the help of advanced chemical analysis technology, paleontologists are able to extract and analyze sterol molecules contained in fossil tissues. This molecule is a fat found in plants. The discovery of these molecules in animal fossils is enough to show that it is the remains of the animal's last meal. With these molecules, even if the animal's intestine has decayed, researchers can identify the contents of its intestinal tract, thereby deciphering the animal's eating habits.
Through analysis, paleontologists from the Australian National University detected the phytosterol molecules preserved in the membranous squid and kimbrand. The analysis found that they left traces of eating by scraping off the algae or bacteria covering the sea floor, indicating that the kimbrand and kimbrand already have their intestines, and they digest food in a way similar to modern animals.
558 million years ago Dickens jellyfish fossils
Researchers used the same technique to study Dickens jellyfish to figure out how it eats, and the study believes it may not have a mouth or intestine. Instead, it may absorb food through its wide body as it moves under the sea.
The capture of energy-rich foods can explain why the Ediacara biota is so large, and almost all fossils that appeared before the Ediacara biota are single-cell and microscopic.
The above research results were recently published in the journal Contemporary Biology.
Paper information: Bobrovskiy Ilya, Nagovitsyn Alexey, Hope Janet M., Luzhnaya Ekaterina, Brocks Jochen J.. 2022. Guts, gut contents, and feeding strategies of Ediacaran animals. Current Biology, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.10.051
Source: sci.newts, newatlas.com, cnBeta.com
