Evolution of Holdfast Diversity and Attachment Strategies of Ediacaran Benthic Macroalgae

Holdfast morphologies and attachment strategies of benthic macroalgae are somewhat flexible and controlled by both the substrate condition and species. Six forms (tapered base, globose holdfast, composite globose holdfast, discoidal holdfast, rhizoids and horizontal rhizomes) of attachment structures of Ediacaran benthic macroalgae are recognized from the early Ediacaran Lantian biota and late Ediacaran Miaohe biota in South China based on functional morphology. Each form is considered either adapted to firm substrates that dominate the Precambrian seafloor, or soft substrates that are more common in the Phanerozoic. The results show a diversification in both holdfast morphology and attachment strategies of macroalgae during the Ediacaran Period. In the early Ediacaran Lantian biota, none of the benthic macroalgae is adapted to soft substrates, while in the late Ediacaran Miaohe biota, a considerable number (41%) of species are adapted to relatively soft substrates. This shift might be an adaptive response to the diversification of macroalgae and a changing substrate condition during the Ediacaran Period: the decline of microbial mats and increase of water content in the sediments in the Ediacaran.

Adaptation and mental health

In the 1990s, Jeremy Holmes and Otto Kernberg alleged that, despite significant strengths, the theory of mentalization has risked becoming a disempowering, deficit-focused model of mental ill health. One resource available to Fonagy and colleagues in responding to this concern was attachment research, which had developed a model of attachment strategies as evolutionarily-primed responses to adverse conditions. We will survey the reflections of Fonagy and colleagues regarding three attachment theorists: Mary Main, Pat Crittenden, and Jay Belsky. The synthesis proposed by Fonagy and colleagues will then be described, as well as their related reflections on vigilance, trust, learning, and the structure of mental health symptoms.

USING THE ATTACHMENT LENS AND THE DYADIC EXPANSION OF CONSCIOUSNESS APPROACH TO INCREASE SCHOOL ADJUSTMENT

When in danger, either we refer to menaces or just novel situations, the brain needs firstly to connect to another human brain in order to coregulate; only after, can that brain continue process/ learn, regulate behaviors and thus adjust to the environment. The purpose of this study was to explore the connection between the quality of the pupil-teacher relationship, assessed from the attachment perspective and different school adjustment aspects. A sample of 40 educators were invited to evaluate their attachment strategies and then assess at least 3children from their current classes(primary school); results for a total of 121pupils were collected. First of all, educators assessed the pupil’s attachment needs using the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale; then, they were asked to assess social competencies using the Social Competence Scaleand the Engagementversus Disaffection with Learning Scale, as facets of school adjustment. Results show that the strength of the pupil-teacher relationship is influenced by the particularities of the attachment strategies of both parties, and, in turn, this relationship, with its 3 dimensions (closeness, conflict and dependence)impacts adjustment. Results are discussed in the light of the Dyadic Expansion of Consciousnesshypothesis–in a safe relationship, both the teacherand the pupil significantly expand the learning possibilities.