Abstract:

Tubiphytes is a taxonomically enigmatic organism with a broad geographic distribution and an extensive stratigraphic range,documented widely in reef facies from the Late Paleozoic to the Mesozoic,making its study of significant paleoecological importance. Abundant Tubiphytes fossils have been found in the Late Pennsylvanian strata of Guizhou Province,South China. Specifically,Tubiphytes-dominated bioherms are well-developed in the Gzhelian strata of the Houchang area,southern Guizhou,providing an excellent research object for investigating the palaeoecology of this enigmatic taxon. Palaeontological analyses indicate that Tubiphytes obscurus obscurus Maslov is the dominant species in the study area,and its microstructure and paleobiological characteristics indicates that this taxon functioned as an aggregate binder and encruster,involving symbiotic associations among foraminifera and microbial communities. Quantitative analyses show that in the Tubiphytes reefs of the study area,solitary Tubiphytes exhibit a symbiotic relationship with Archaeolithoporella and the colonial coral Ivanovia cf. manchurica,while massive Tubiphytes compete with organisms such as the colonial coral Ivanovia cf. manchurica and phylloid algae. Furthermore,Tubiphytes forms micro-encrusting communities with Archaeolithoporella, and—combined with successive generations of marine cement—contributes critically to the development of the reef’s microframework,thereby assuming a primary role in reef construction. These Tubiphytes-dominated micro-encrusting communities repeatedly formed reefs in environments lacking metazoans and constitute a key component of the expansive reef systems that flourished along the Paleo-Tethyan margin.

Key words: Tubiphytes, palaeoecology, reef, Carboniferous, Guizhou Province

摘要：

Tubiphytes是一类分布范围广、延续时间长的争议性生物类群,被广泛记录于晚古生代至中生代的礁相地层中,具有重要的古生态学价值。贵州省晚宾夕法尼亚世地层中Tubiphytes产出丰富,黔南猴场地区格舍尔期地层中发育有Tubiphytes主导建造的生物礁,为开展Tubiphytes的古生态研究提供了良好的研究对象。古生物学分析表明,晚石炭世Tubiphytes obscurus obscurus Maslov为研究区生物的主要属种,是粘结有孔虫和微生物的集合体。定量分析表明,在研究区的Tubiphytes礁中,单体状的Tubiphytes与Archaeolithoporella和群体珊瑚Ivanovia cf. manchurica存在共生关系,团块状的Tubiphytes与群体珊瑚Ivanovia cf. manchurica及叶状藻类等生物存在竞争关系。Tubiphytes与Archaeolithoporella组成微结壳群落,而微结壳群落及其多期次胶结物共同构成了生物礁的微格架单元,主导了研究区Tubiphytes礁体的建造,而这种以Tubiphytes为主导的微结壳群落建造的礁体在缺乏后生动物的环境中反复出现,是晚石炭世古特提斯洋生物礁系统的重要组成部分。

关键词: Tubiphytes, 古生态学, 生物礁, 石炭纪, 贵州

CLC Number: 

• P52

• Q911.5