Editing Lobopodia (section)

== Paleoecology ==
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| image1 = Ovatiovermis cribratus life restoration.jpg
| caption1 = Reconstruction of a [[suspension feeding|suspension-feeding]] lobopodian ''[[Ovatiovermis]] cribratus'', showing how it used the anterior 6 pairs of lobopods to gather food particles, while using the posterior 3 pairs of lobopods to anchor itself.<ref name=":6" />
| image2 = Pambdelurion whittingtoni.JPG
| caption2 = Reconstruction of the gilled lobopodian ''[[Pambdelurion]] whittingtoni'' as a [[nektonic]] [[predator]].
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Lobopodians possibly occupied a wide range of [[ecological niche]]s.<ref name=":0" /> Although most of them had undifferentiated appendages and straight gut, which would suggest a simple sediment-feeding lifestyle,<ref name=":0" /> sophisticated digestive glands and large size of gilled lobopodians and siberiids would allow them to consume larger food items,<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":5" /> and their robust frontal appendages may even suggest a [[predatory]] lifestyle.<ref name="Liu2006" /><ref name=":5" /> On the other hand, luolishaniids such as ''[[Luolishania]]'' and ''[[Ovatiovermis]]'' have elaborate feather-like lobopods that presumably formed 'baskets' for [[Filter feeder|suspension or filter-feeding]].<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite journal|last1=Caron|first1=Jean-Bernard|last2=Aria|first2=Cédric|date=2017-01-31|title=Cambrian suspension-feeding lobopodians and the early radiation of panarthropods|journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology|volume=17|issue=1|pages=29|doi=10.1186/s12862-016-0858-y|issn=1471-2148|pmc=5282736|pmid=28137244 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2017BMCEE..17...29C}}</ref> Lobopods with curved terminal claws may have given some lobopodians the ability to climb on harder substrates like rocks, sponges, or animal carcasses.<ref name=":0" />

Not much is known about the [[physiology]] of lobopodians. There is evidence to suggest that lobopodians [[moult]] just like other [[ecdysozoa]]n taxa, but the outline and ornamentation of the harden sclerite did not vary during [[ontogeny]].<ref name=":33" /><ref name=":26" /> The gill-like structures on the body flaps of gilled lobopodians and ramified extensions on the lobopods of ''[[Jianshanopodia]]'' may provide [[respiratory]] function ([[gills]]).<ref name=":18" /><ref name="Liu2006" /> ''[[Pambdelurion]]'' may control the movement of their lobopods in a way similar to [[onychophorans]].<ref name=":29">{{Cite journal|last1=Young|first1=Fletcher J.|last2=Vinther|first2=Jakob|date=2017|title=Onychophoran-like myoanatomy of the Cambrian gilled lobopodian ''Pambdelurion whittingtoni''|url=https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/files/89330995/Manuscript_Palaeontology_Post_review_JV.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/https://research-information.bris.ac.uk/ws/files/89330995/Manuscript_Palaeontology_Post_review_JV.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-10 |url-status=live|journal=Palaeontology|language=en|volume=60|issue=1|pages=27–54|doi=10.1111/pala.12269|bibcode=2017Palgy..60...27Y |hdl=1983/92180ef0-2205-4c65-9a70-90d59cfea2f4 |s2cid=55477207 |issn=1475-4983}}</ref>