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Evidence for motility in 3.4 Gyr-old organic-walled microfossils ?

F. Delarue, S. Bernard, K. Sugitani, F. Robert, R. Tartèse, S.-V. Albers, R. Duhamel, S. Pont, S. Derenne
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.19.103424
F. Delarue
1Sorbonne Université, CNRS, EPHE, PSL, UMR 7619 METIS, 4 place Jussieu, F-75005 Paris, France
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  • For correspondence: frederic.delarue@upmc.fr
S. Bernard
2Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Université, UMR CNRS 7590, IRD, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, IMPMC, 75005 Paris, France
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K. Sugitani
3Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
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F. Robert
2Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Université, UMR CNRS 7590, IRD, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, IMPMC, 75005 Paris, France
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R. Tartèse
4Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, United Kingdom
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S.-V. Albers
5Molecular Biology of Archaea, Institute of Biology II, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
6Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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R. Duhamel
2Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Université, UMR CNRS 7590, IRD, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, IMPMC, 75005 Paris, France
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S. Pont
2Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Université, UMR CNRS 7590, IRD, Institut de Minéralogie, de Physique des Matériaux et de Cosmochimie, IMPMC, 75005 Paris, France
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S. Derenne
1Sorbonne Université, CNRS, EPHE, PSL, UMR 7619 METIS, 4 place Jussieu, F-75005 Paris, France
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Abstract

The oldest traces for planktonic lifestyle have been reported in ca. 3.4 billion years old silicified sediments from the Strelley Pool Formation in Western Australia. Observation of flange appendages suggests that Archean life motility was passive and driven by drifting of microorganisms in their surrounding environment. Until now, the oldest traces for active motility are ca. 2.1 billion years old. Whether or not active motility already existed during the Archean eon remains an open question. Here we report the discovery of new 3.4 billion years old tailed microfossils. These microfossils exhibit a lash-like appendage that likely provided them with movement capabilities. This suggests that these microfossils are the oldest remains of active motile life forms. With the ability to move in liquids and on organic and/or mineral surfaces, these microorganisms were capable of escaping from harsh environments and/or colonizing new ecological niches as early as 3.4 billion years ago. The existence of these deep-rooted Archean motile life forms offers a new picture of the Archean biodiversity, with unanticipated evolutionary innovative morphological complexities.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission.
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Posted May 21, 2020.
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Evidence for motility in 3.4 Gyr-old organic-walled microfossils ?
F. Delarue, S. Bernard, K. Sugitani, F. Robert, R. Tartèse, S.-V. Albers, R. Duhamel, S. Pont, S. Derenne
bioRxiv 2020.05.19.103424; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.19.103424
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Evidence for motility in 3.4 Gyr-old organic-walled microfossils ?
F. Delarue, S. Bernard, K. Sugitani, F. Robert, R. Tartèse, S.-V. Albers, R. Duhamel, S. Pont, S. Derenne
bioRxiv 2020.05.19.103424; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.19.103424

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