Wu, Y;
Pates, S;
Pauly, D;
Zhang, X;
Fu, D;
(2024)
Rapid growth in a large Cambrian apex predator.
National Science Review
, 11
(3)
, Article nwad284. 10.1093/nsr/nwad284.
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Abstract
Despite the importance of ontogenetic data on early diverging euarthropods to our understanding of the ecology and evolution of past life, the data are distinctly lacking, as reconstructing life histories of fossil animals is often challenging. Here we report the growth trajectory of frontal appendages of the apex predator Amplectobelua symbrachiata, one of the most common radiodont arthropods from the early Cambrian Chengjiang biota (c. 520 Ma) of China. Analysis of 432 specimens (9.1–137.1 mm length; 1.3–25.6 mm height) reveals that appendages grew isometrically, with an estimated maximum size of the whole animal of c. 90 cm. Individuals grew rapidly compared to extant arthropods, as assessed using the electronic length-frequency analysis (ELEFAN) approach. Therefore, we show that the Cambrian apex predator A. symbrachiata was an extremely fast-growing arthropod, with an unusual life history strategy that formed as part of the escalatory ‘arms race’ that shaped the Cambrian explosion over 500 Ma.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Rapid growth in a large Cambrian apex predator |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1093/nsr/nwad284 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1093/nsr/nwad284 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Stem-group Euarthropoda, Radiodonta, post-embryonic development, growth dynamics, Cambrian Explosion |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Earth Sciences |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10208524 |
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