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Link to original content: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27194696
Tiny vampires in ancient seas: evidence for predation via perforation in fossils from the 780-740 million-year-old Chuar Group, Grand Canyon, USA - PubMed Skip to main page content
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. 2016 May 25;283(1831):20160221.
doi: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0221.

Tiny vampires in ancient seas: evidence for predation via perforation in fossils from the 780-740 million-year-old Chuar Group, Grand Canyon, USA

Susannah M Porter  1
Affiliations

Tiny vampires in ancient seas: evidence for predation via perforation in fossils from the 780-740 million-year-old Chuar Group, Grand Canyon, USA

Susannah M Porter. Proc Biol Sci. .

Abstract

One explanation for the Early Neoproterozoic expansion of eukaryotes is the appearance of eukaryovorous predators-i.e. protists that preyed on other protists. Evidence for eukaryovory at this time, however, is indirect, based on inferences from character state reconstructions and molecular clocks, and on the presence of possible defensive structures in some protistan fossils. Here I describe 0.1-3.4 µm circular holes in seven species of organic-walled microfossils from the 780-740 million-year-old Chuar Group, Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA, that are similar to those formed today by predatory protists that perforate the walls of their prey to consume the contents inside. Although best known in the vampyrellid amoebae, this 'vampire-like' behaviour is widespread among eukaryotes, making it difficult to infer confidently the identity of the predator. Nonetheless, the identity of the prey is clear: some-and perhaps all-of the fossils are eukaryotes. These holes thus provide the oldest direct evidence for predation on eukaryotes. Larger circular and half-moon-shaped holes in vase-shaped microfossils from the upper part of the unit may also be the work of 'tiny vampires', suggesting a diversity of eukaryovorous predators lived in the ancient Chuar sea.

Keywords: Neoproterozoic; Precambrian palaeontology; Vampyrellida; acritarch; drill holes.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Sub-micrometre circular perforations in the walls of several organic-walled microfossils from the 780–740 Ma Chuar Group, Grand Canyon, Arizona. (a,b,d,f) ‘Trachysphaeridium’ laufeldii. (b) TEM image showing a perforation in cross-section; note the bevelled walls. Only the outer wall of the fossil is perforated; the inner, ornamented wall is not. Specimen is same as that shown in (a); hole is shown in the lower of the two close-up views. Note that the lighter areas in the image are the organic material of the fossil; the darker areas are the Pt coating. (c) A specimen of Leiosphaeridia sp. (e) New species 2, interpreted to be a scale-bearing protist. (g) A specimen of Valeria lophostriata. Scale bar is 10 µm for microfossils shown in (a,c–f); 30 µm for (g); and 1 µm for all close-up views of perforations. Additional perforations are indicated by small orange circles on microfossil specimens; note their irregular distribution. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Micrometre-sized circular perforations in fragments of (a) a smooth-walled fossil, probably Chuaria circularis and (b) Cerebrosphaera globosa. Note their bevelled appearance. Scale bar is 10 µm for (a), 20 µm for (b) and 2 µm for all close-up views. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Distribution of hole sizes (indicated markers) within specimens (represented by vertical lines), from nine samples from the Chuar Group. Samples are in stratigraphic order from left to right, oldest to youngest. The species of each specimen is indicated by colour and marker shape. Note that while there is a broad range of hole sizes within the Chuar Group assemblage, the range of sizes within species and within specimens is much narrower. See the electronic supplementary material, table S1 for more information. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Perforations in spores of the fungus Cochliobolus sativus made by vampyrellid amoebae [32,33]. (a) Overview of spores, several showing circular perforations. (b) Close-up view of spore, showing several circular perforations, each approximately 0.2 µm in diameter. Scale bar is 20 µm in (a), 2 µm in (b). Reprinted with permission from [32], Copyright © Canadian Science Publishing or its licensors.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Half-moon and circular holes in vase-shaped microfossils from the Chuar Group. (a) Bonniea pytinaia; (b,d) possible Bonniea pytinaia; (c) Cycliocyrillium torquata; (e) Bonniea dacruchares; (f) Cycliocyrillium simplex; (g) Trigonocyrillium horodyskii. White arrows in (c,e,f,g) point to circular holes; black arrows in (c,d) point to half-moon holes.
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