Synchronous Aggregate Growth in an Abundant New Ediacaran Tubular Organism
Mary L. Droser1* and
James G. Gehling2
The most abundant taxon of the Neoproterozoic soft-bodied biota
near Ediacara, South Australia, occurs as clusters of similarly
sized individuals, which suggests synchronous aggregate growth
by spatfall. Tubes of
Funisia dorothea gen. et sp. nov. were
anchored within the shallow, sandy sea bed and lived in dense,
typically monospecific concentrations. Tubes were composed of
modular, serially repeating elements. Individuals grew by adding
serial elements to the tubular body and by branching of tubes.
Their construction and close-packed association imply likely
affinity within the Porifera or Cnidaria. These data suggest
that several of the most successful marine invertebrate ecological
strategies known today were in place in Earth's oldest known
metazoan ecosystems before the advent of skeletonization and
widespread predation.
2 South Australia Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia.
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Mary.droser{at}ucr.edu
