Complexity and diversity of eyes in early Cambrian ecosystems.
Here we report exceptionally preserved non-biomineralized compound eyes of a non-trilobite arthropod Cindarella eucalla from the lower Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte, China. The specimen represents the oldest microanatomical evidence confirming the occurrence of highly developed vision in the early Cambrian, over 2,000 ommatidia in each eye. Moreover, a quantitative analysis of the distribution of eyes related to life habit, feeding types, and phyla respectively, from the Chengjiang biota indicates that specimens with eyes mostly belong to the arthropods, and they usually were actively mobile epifaunal and nektonic forms as hunters or scavengers. Arthropods took the lead in evolution of 'good vision' and domination in Cambrian communities, which supports the hypothesis that the origin and evolution of 'good vision' was a key trait that promoted preferential diversification and formed the foundation of modern benthic ecosystems in the early Cambrian ocean.
1] State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China [2] Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA.
Fangchen
F
Zhao
David J
DJ
Bottjer
Shixue
S
Hu
Zongjun
Z
Yin
Maoyan
M
Zhu
D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D002681:China; D054910:Compound Eye, Arthropod / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013045:Species Specificity; D013997:Time Factors