Embryo fossil
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Many fossils of the Doushantuo formation have been interpreted as Fossil embryos.
Preservation
Taphonomic studies indicate that embryos are preserved for longest in reducing, anoxic conditions - a length of time similar to that required for bacteria to mineralise the cells and permit their preservation.[1]
However, phosphatisation was very rapid in the Doushantuo, so it's possible that earlier preservation allowed embryos in different regimes to be preserved.
Alternative explanations
Some embryos have been interpreted as colonies of sulfur-reducing bacteria.
Affinities
Most fossil embryos are considered to belong to cnidarians and ecdysozoans, if they even fall into the metazoan crown group. No deuterostome or lophotrochozoan embryos have yet been reported, despite their similar preservation potential; this may be a result of different egg laying behaviour, as ecdysozoans lay eggs in the sediment rather than releasing them into the open - enhancing the chance of them becoming mineralised.[1]
References
- ^ a b Gostling, Neil J.; Thomas, Ceri-wyn; Jenny Greenwood, M.; Dong, Xiping; Bengtson, Stefan; Elizabeth Raff, C.; Rudolf Raff, A.; Bernard Degnan, M.; Stampanoni, Marco; Donoghue, Philip C.J (2008). "Deciphering the Fossil Record of Early Bilaterian Embryonic Development in Light of Experimental Taphonomy". Evolution & Development. 10 (3): 339–349. doi:10.1111/j.1525-142X.2008.00242.x.
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