Morphogenesis of Fractofusus andersoni and the nature of early animal development
Abstract Rangeomorphs are among the oldest anatomically complex macroscopic fossil organisms and, originating prior to 574 Ma, they represent the earliest total-group eumetazoans. Rangeomorph morphogenesis is therefore significant for understanding the early diversification of eumetazoan bodyplans....
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Nature Portfolio
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58605-9 |
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| author | Frances. S. Dunn Philip C. J. Donoghue Alexander G. Liu |
| author_facet | Frances. S. Dunn Philip C. J. Donoghue Alexander G. Liu |
| author_sort | Frances. S. Dunn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Rangeomorphs are among the oldest anatomically complex macroscopic fossil organisms and, originating prior to 574 Ma, they represent the earliest total-group eumetazoans. Rangeomorph morphogenesis is therefore significant for understanding the early diversification of eumetazoan bodyplans. However, previous analyses of rangeomorph development have focused on uniterminal forms (possessing only one frond), leaving biterminal and multiterminal rangeomorph bodyplans poorly understood. We describe a population of the biterminal rangeomorph Fractofusus andersoni from the Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve UNESCO World Heritage Site of Newfoundland, Canada, and construct a model of growth in F. andersoni that rationalises variation between Fractofusus, Charnia, Bradgatia and other rangeomorphs, providing a framework for explaining evolutionary transitions between the bodyplans of these members of the eumetazoan stem-group. Our results imply that complex developmental regulatory machinery was already being utilised during the late Ediacaran in the earliest-diverging eumetazoan taxa represented in the fossil record. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-be86b541e40b4648918ba5d3127ec2ee |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-be86b541e40b4648918ba5d3127ec2ee2025-08-20T02:11:42ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-04-0116111010.1038/s41467-025-58605-9Morphogenesis of Fractofusus andersoni and the nature of early animal developmentFrances. S. Dunn0Philip C. J. Donoghue1Alexander G. Liu2Oxford University Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, University of OxfordBristol Palaeobiology Group, School of Earth Sciences, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, University of BristolDepartment of Earth Sciences, Downing Street, University of CambridgeAbstract Rangeomorphs are among the oldest anatomically complex macroscopic fossil organisms and, originating prior to 574 Ma, they represent the earliest total-group eumetazoans. Rangeomorph morphogenesis is therefore significant for understanding the early diversification of eumetazoan bodyplans. However, previous analyses of rangeomorph development have focused on uniterminal forms (possessing only one frond), leaving biterminal and multiterminal rangeomorph bodyplans poorly understood. We describe a population of the biterminal rangeomorph Fractofusus andersoni from the Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve UNESCO World Heritage Site of Newfoundland, Canada, and construct a model of growth in F. andersoni that rationalises variation between Fractofusus, Charnia, Bradgatia and other rangeomorphs, providing a framework for explaining evolutionary transitions between the bodyplans of these members of the eumetazoan stem-group. Our results imply that complex developmental regulatory machinery was already being utilised during the late Ediacaran in the earliest-diverging eumetazoan taxa represented in the fossil record.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58605-9 |
| spellingShingle | Frances. S. Dunn Philip C. J. Donoghue Alexander G. Liu Morphogenesis of Fractofusus andersoni and the nature of early animal development Nature Communications |
| title | Morphogenesis of Fractofusus andersoni and the nature of early animal development |
| title_full | Morphogenesis of Fractofusus andersoni and the nature of early animal development |
| title_fullStr | Morphogenesis of Fractofusus andersoni and the nature of early animal development |
| title_full_unstemmed | Morphogenesis of Fractofusus andersoni and the nature of early animal development |
| title_short | Morphogenesis of Fractofusus andersoni and the nature of early animal development |
| title_sort | morphogenesis of fractofusus andersoni and the nature of early animal development |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-58605-9 |
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