Vendobionta (historical hypothesis)
E786457
Vendobionta is a historical hypothesis proposing a distinct, now-extinct group of soft-bodied, frond-like organisms that dominated the Ediacaran biota and were thought to be unrelated to modern animal lineages.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Vendobionta | 0 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
historical biological hypothesis
ⓘ
hypothetical clade ⓘ |
| alternativeInterpretationsInclude |
giant protists (historical minority view)
ⓘ
lichens or microbial colonies (historical minority view) ⓘ stem-group animals ⓘ |
| basedOnEvidenceType |
impression fossils
ⓘ
soft-tissue preservation in sediment molds ⓘ |
| concerns | Ediacaran biota NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| contrastedWith |
Metazoa
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
modern animal phyla ⓘ |
| describes |
frond-like organisms
ⓘ
quilted organisms ⓘ soft-bodied organisms ⓘ |
| ecologicalRole |
benthic organisms
ⓘ
mat encrusters on microbial mats ⓘ sessile organisms ⓘ |
| extinctionStatus | extinct ⓘ |
| geologicalContext |
Ediacaran fossil localities
ⓘ
marine environments ⓘ shallow-water settings ⓘ |
| historicalSignificance |
influential in debates on early animal evolution
ⓘ
shaped discussion of Ediacaran organism affinities ⓘ |
| includesHypothetically |
Charnia-like forms
ⓘ
Dickinsonia-like forms ⓘ Rangeomorpha ⓘ |
| keyArgument |
lack of clear evidence for feeding structures typical of animals
ⓘ
unique quilted body plan distinct from known animal body plans ⓘ |
| morphologicalFeature |
fractal-like branching in some forms
ⓘ
lack of clear head or tail ⓘ lack of obvious mouth, gut, or anus ⓘ modular construction ⓘ repetitive units ("quilts" or "pneu" units) ⓘ |
| phylogeneticInterpretation |
interpreted as a separate kingdom-level group by some authors
ⓘ
originally proposed as unrelated to modern animal lineages ⓘ sometimes considered a failed evolutionary experiment ⓘ |
| proposedBy | Adolf Seilacher NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| proposedIn | 1980s ⓘ |
| relatedConcept |
Avalon assemblage
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Ediacaran biota NERFINISHED ⓘ Vendozoa NERFINISHED ⓘ quilted Ediacaran organisms ⓘ |
| scientificReception |
controversial
ⓘ
increasingly superseded by alternative interpretations ⓘ not widely accepted as a formal clade ⓘ |
| taxonomicStatus | hypothetical and disputed ⓘ |
| temporalRange |
Ediacaran Period
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
late Precambrian ⓘ |
| thoughtToDominate |
Ediacaran macrobiota
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Ediacaran seafloor communities ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.