PhD: The Deep Evolution of Cambrian Ecdysozoans

The ‘Cambrian explosion’ some 542 Mya witnessed the apparently simultaneous appearance of most preservable animal phyla in the fossil record, with a rapidity that vexed Darwin. Many of the most intriguing Cambrian fossils discovered in the last two decades come from China, and these are increasingly shedding new light on our understanding of this pivotal period in Life’s history. Controversy has centred on the phylogenetic relationships and evolutionary implications of these fossils, and what they imply about the bodyplan diversity or disparity of these first flourishings of animal life. By far the most diverse and abundant of all animal clades (both in the Cambrian and today) are the Ecdysozoa (moulting animals) containing the arthropods, priapulids, lobopodians and nematodes. Unfortunately, we know little about the manner in which these groups first evolved. This project will systematically explore the record of these early ecdysozoans to seek fossils that may exemplify intermediate or transitional forms.