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Die Acritarcha: ihre Klassifikation, Morphologie, Ultrastruktur und paläoökologische/paläogeographische Verbreitung

The Acritarcha: their Classification, morphology, ultrastructure and palaeoecological/palaeogeographical distribution

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Abstract

The acritarchs are considered to form the oldest marine organisms with an eukaryotic cell Organization. They are of great biostratigraphic, palaeoecological and palaeobiogeographic importance for the Precambrian and Early Palaeozoic. The present study provides a survey of their possible biological affinities. The main morphological characteristics of the acritarchs and their palaeogeographic and palaeoecological distribution are described and evaluated. Regarding the gene-sis of eukaryotes, the serial endosymbiosis theory (SET), the archaezoa theory, the fusion hypothesis and the hydrogen hypothesis are briefly described, compared and discussed.

Significant differences of the evolutionary acceleration of the proterozoic acritarchs (negative acceleration of vesicle diameters and simultaneous positive acceleration of diversity) are described and interpreted in the light of the SET as an evidence for major reorganizations of the cell compartments.

Kurzfassung

Die Acritarchen bilden die ältesten marinen Organismen mit mutmaßlich eukaryotischer Zellorganisation. Sie besitzen für die Zeiträume des Präkambriums und des tieferen Paläozoikums hohen biostratigraphischen Wert und eine große paläoökologische und paläobiogeographische Aussagekraft. In der vorliegenden Studie wird eine kurze Übersicht über mögliche biologische Beziehungen der Acritarchen gegeben und ihre wichtigsten morphologischen Merkmale sowie ihre paläoökologische und paläobiogeographische Verbreitung dargestellt und diskutiert. Für die Entstehung der Eukaryoten werden neben der Seriellen Endosymbionten Theorie (SET) die Archaezoa-Theorie, die Fusions-Hypothese und die Wasserstoff-Hypothese komprimiert vorgestellt und vergleichend diskutiert.

Markante Akzelerationsunterschiede proterozoischer Acritarchen (negative Akzeleration der Vesikeldurchmesser unter gleichzeitiger positiver Akzeleration der Diversität) werden beschrieben und anhand der Prinzipien der SET als Hinweise auf bedeutende Reorganisationen der Zellkompartimentierung interpretiert.

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  1. Institut und Museum für Geologie und Paläontologie, Eberhard-Karls-Universität, Sigwartstraße 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    Michael Montenari

  2. Paléontologie — Sciences de la Terre, UPRESA 8014 du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Paléontologie et Paléogéographie du Paléozoi’que, Universite des Sciences et Technologies de Lille, Cité Scientifique SN 5, 59655, Villeneuve d’Ascq Cedex, France

    Michael Montenari

  3. Geologisches Institut, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität, Albertstraße 23B, 79104, Freiburg i. Br., Germany

    Ursula Leppig

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Montenari, M., Leppig, U. Die Acritarcha: ihre Klassifikation, Morphologie, Ultrastruktur und paläoökologische/paläogeographische Verbreitung. Paläontol Z 77, 173–193 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03004567

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