Objective The Wuotuo village in Zongdi town, Ziyun county, southern Guizhou province, developed an Early Permian coral reef that is exposed with a thickness of approximately 45 m and lateral exposure of nearly 100 m. The reef displays a positive relief. It is of great importance to the study of the construction of shallow marine organisms and the paleoenvironment. Methods The coral reef in this area was systematically studied from the perspectives of paleontology and sedimentary petrology. Results The fusulinids collected from the reef indicated an Early Asselian age. The primary reef-building organism was identified as the fasciculate colonial coral Fomichevella, whereas biotic compositions of the coral reef included foraminifers, brachiopods, gastropods, and calcareous algae. The coral reef in Wotuo village and its underlying and overlying strata contained a broad variety of microfacies types, including bioclastic wackestone-packstone, coral bafflestone, bioclastic packstone, bioclastic grainstone, phylloid algae-cement framestone, fasciculate coral framestone, bioclastic wackestone, and foraminifer-fusulinid grainstone. Conclusions During the Early Permian, glacial-interglacial cycles were the primary factors influencing the variations in palaeoocean temperature and global sea levels. The vertical microfacies succession in this study provides a record of relative sea-level change. The decline of Late Paleozoic glaciation, which resulted in global warming and a relative rise in sea level, played a pivotal role in the development and flourishing of the coral reefs in southern Guizhou province.
| 科 Family | 属数 Number of genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) | 属 Genus | 种数 Number of species | 占总种数比例 Percentage of total species (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 鹅膏菌科Amanitaceae | 2 | 11 | 5.26 | 鹅膏菌属 Amanita | 10 | 4.78 |
| 小菇科 Mycenaceae | 2 | 12 | 5.74 | 丝盖伞属 Inocybe | 5 | 2.39 |
| 多孔菌科 Polyporaceae | 8 | 14 | 6.70 | 蜡蘑属 Laccaria | 5 | 2.39 |
| 红菇科 Russulaceae | 3 | 23 | 11.00 | 小皮伞属 Marasmius | 6 | 2.87 |
| 小菇属 Mycena | 11 | 5.26 | ||||
| 光柄菇属 Pluteus | 5 | 2.39 | ||||
| 红菇属 Russula | 17 | 8.13 | ||||
| 栓菌属 Trametes | 5 | 2.39 |