title: A multicellular organism with embedded cell clusters from the Ediacaran Weng'an biota (Doushantuo Formation, South China).
abstract: Three-dimensional analyses of the early Ediacaran microfossils from the Weng'an biota (Doushantuo Formation) have focused predominantly on multicellular forms that have been interpreted as embryos, and yet they have defied phylogenetic interpretation principally because of absence of evidence from other stages in their life cycle. It is therefore unfortunate that the affinities of the various other Doushantuo microfossils have been neglected. A new conical fossil that is preserved at a cellular level is described here. The fossil contains distinct cell clusters that are characterized and analysed in three dimensions. These clusters are often exposed at the specimen surface, and the fossil preserves many hemispherical craters that are interpreted as positions where clusters have left the organism. The cell clusters may be either reproductive propagules or infesting organisms. Similar clusters are found in a variety of Doushantuo organisms including putative animal embryos and algae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Palaeobiology and Nordic Center for Earth Evolution, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm 10405, Sweden.|School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, England.
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.affiliation: School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, England.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.affiliation: Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen 5232, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marone
authors.affiliation: Department of Palaeobiology and Nordic Center for Earth Evolution, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm 10405, Sweden.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bengtson
authors.affiliation: School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, England.
authors.forename: Philip C J
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Donoghue
mesh_terms: D005075:Biological Evolution; D002681:China; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005580:Fossils / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning