Low-oxygen waters limited habitable space for early animals

Tostevin, Rosalie; Wood, Rachel; Shields, Graham; Poulton, Simon W.; Guilbaud, Romain; Bowyer, Fred; Penny, Amelia; He, Taohua; Curtis, Andrew; Hoffmann, Karl-Heinz; Clarkson, Matthew O

doi:10.1038/ncomms12818

Cited by 157 publications

(116 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Some researchers dispute the central role of O 2 in the development of animals and emphasize instead a delay due to the necessary development of the genetic machinery . Still, it is possible that during this period from 1.8 to 0.8 billion years ago, termed the “Boring Billion” because of the relatively static biogeochemical, climatic, and tectonic conditions, generally low O 2 conditions suppressed the rate of evolution compared to younger time intervals in the latest Proterozoic and the Paleozoic . In that younger window, increases in Metazoan complexity and evolution are linked with more straightforward agreement to rising O 2 levels and the ability to use O 2 to generate energy more efficiently …”

Section: Oxygenic Life: a Key Factor In Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reactive Oxygen Species: Radical Factors in the Evolution of Animal Life

et al. 2018

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Introduction of O to Earth's early biosphere stimulated remarkable evolutionary adaptations, and a wide range of electron acceptors allowed diverse, energy-yielding metabolic pathways. Enzymatic reduction of O yielded a several-fold increase in energy production, enabling evolution of multi-cellular animal life. However, utilization of O also presented major challenges as O and many of its derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly toxic, possibly impeding multicellular evolution after the Great Oxidation Event. Remarkably, ROS, and especially hydrogen peroxide, seem to play a major part in early diversification and further development of cellular respiration and other oxygenic pathways, thus becoming an intricate part of evolution of complex life. Hence, although harnessing of chemical and thermo-dynamic properties of O for aerobic metabolism is generally considered to be an evolutionary milestone, the ability to use ROS for cell signaling and regulation may have been the first true breakthrough in development of complex life.

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Section: Oxygenic Life: a Key Factor In Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reactive Oxygen Species: Radical Factors in the Evolution of Animal Life

et al. 2018

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“…Positive Ce SN anomalies are produced where cerium oxidation proceeds as above, but sinking particulate Mn and Fe-oxyhydroxides are reduced at a redoxcline, which also reduces and releases the adsorbed cerium (Tostevin et al, 2016b). This shuttles Ce 3+ into a pool at the redoxcline where cerium is present in higher concentrations that the other redox insensitive REEs; carbonates that precipitate from this pool therefore carry a positive Ce SN anomaly (Tostevin et al, 2016b). Therefore, the identification of cerium anomalies is a powerful technique for probing shallow water .…”

Section: Cerium Anomaliesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Testing models of pre-GOE environmental oxidation: A Paleoproterozoic marine signal in platform dolomites of the Tongwane Formation (South Africa)

Warke

Schröder

Strauß

2018

Precambrian Research

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A B S T R A C TCarbonate facies of the upper Tongwane Formation preserve a largely overlooked record of pre-GOE Paleoproterozoic seawater. This inventory has survived despite a complex paragenetic history involving both diagenetic and contact metamorphic processes. BIF mineral assemblages are dominated by a medium-grade grunerite overprint and the formation of prograde and retrograde riebeckite. The massive dolomite member, a platform top carbonate which caps the succession, is characterized by marine REY SN patterns lacking significant negative Ce SN anomalies (< 10%) and δ 13 C carb values of between +1.83 and +2.95 ‰ VPDB that are slightly elevated above Paleoproterozoic 'normal marine' values. Systematically decreasing δ 13C carb values measured in monotonously recrystallized, talc bearing, slope carbonates reflect interaction with devolatilization fluids during contact metamorphism caused by the intrusion of the Bushveld Igneous Complex; slope carbonates offer no insight into marine paleoredox conditions. Thus, despite contact metamorphism, Paleoproterozoic marine signals are retained in platform-top dolomites, however they do not support claims for widespread oxygen accumulation in shallow depositional environments of the Transvaal Basin on the eve of the GOE.

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“…Animals are fundamentally aerobic organisms -albeit with hugely varying oxygen demands -and their early fossil record is accordingly limited to oxygenated settings (Tostevin et al, 2016). Most current models linking early animal evolution to redox chemistry assume a horizontally stratified ocean (Wood et al, 2015;Jin et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oxygen minimum zones in the early Cambrian ocean

Guilbaud¹,

Slater²,

Poulton³

et al. 2018

Geochem. Persp. Let.

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The relationship between the evolution of early animal communities and oceanic oxygen levels remains unclear. In particular, uncertainty persists in reconstructions of redox conditions during the pivotal early Cambrian (541-510 million years ago, Ma), where conflicting datasets from deeper marine settings suggest either ocean anoxia or fully oxygenated conditions. By coupling geochemical palaeoredox proxies with a record of organic-walled fossils from exceptionally well-defined successions of the early Cambrian Baltic Basin, we provide evidence for the early establishment of modern-type oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). Both innerand outer-shelf environments were pervasively oxygenated, whereas mid-depth settings were characterised by spatially oscillating anoxia. As such, conflicting redox signatures recovered from individual sites most likely derive from sampling bias, whereby anoxic conditions represent mid-shelf environments with higher productivity. This picture of a spatially restricted anoxic wedge contrasts with prevailing models of globally stratified oceans, offering a more nuanced and realistic account of the Proterozoic-Phanerozoic ocean transition.

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Low-oxygen waters limited habitable space for early animals

Cited by 157 publications

References 66 publications

Reactive Oxygen Species: Radical Factors in the Evolution of Animal Life

Reactive Oxygen Species: Radical Factors in the Evolution of Animal Life

Testing models of pre-GOE environmental oxidation: A Paleoproterozoic marine signal in platform dolomites of the Tongwane Formation (South Africa)

Oxygen minimum zones in the early Cambrian ocean

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