Cambrian Echinoderms: Current Research and Future Perspectives

As one of the earliest diverging lineages among deuterostomes, echinoderms possess a mineralized skeleton that has yielded an exceptionally rich fossil record, making them an ideal group for investigating the origin, macroevolutionary patterns, and processes of deuterostomes. Echinoderms exhibited remarkable morphological disparity and diversity as early as the Cambrian, providing critical materials for studying the origin and early radiation of the group, the evolutionary pathway of pentaradial symmetry, as well as the differentiation of early animal niches and the reconstruction of ancient communities. However, the preservation of early echinoderms is constrained by taphonomic biases, which has limited the resolution of core scientific questions. In China, Cambrian strata are continuously and completely developed, preserving a variety of exceptionally preserved fossil Lagerstätten, which provide irreplaceable and critical material for research on the early origin and evolution of echinoderms. In recent years, with the discovery of more and better-preserved fossils and the application of new methodologies, echinoderm research has progressed steadily, yielding remarkable results. This review aims to systematically synthesize the research progress in this field, focusing on Cambrian echinoderm research, with an emphasis on their origin and evolution, taxonomy, morphological diversity, paleoecology, and paleobiogeography, as well as the positive contributions of Chinese fossils. Furthermore, future scientific questions worthy of attention are proposed.