The timetable of evolution

Knoll, Andrew H.; Nowak, Martin A.

doi:10.1126/sciadv.1603076

Cited by 226 publications

(180 citation statements)

References 193 publications

(191 reference statements)

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“…In this scenario, multiple eukaryotic lineages possessed the [44,56,63], Ascomycota [64], Basidiomycota [64], Embryophytes [65][66][67], and Laminarialeans [68]. References for and biomarkers earliest fossils: Metazoans [57,69,70], Florideophytes ([71] -though see [42]), Ascomycota [72], Basidiomycota [73], Embryophytes [74,75] and Laminarialeans [76].…”

Section: Introduction: the Neoproterozoic Origins Of Complex Multicelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal origins and the Tonian Earth system

Mills

Francis

Canfield

2018

Emerging Topics in Life Sciences

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The Neoproterozoic Era (1000-541 million years ago, Ma) was characterized by dramatic environmental and evolutionary change, including at least two episodes of extensive, low-latitude glaciation, potential changes in the redox structure of the global ocean, and the origin and diversification of animal life. How these different events related to one another remains an active area of research, particularly how these environmental changes influenced, and were influenced by, the earliest evolution of animals. Animal multicellularity is estimated to have evolved in the Tonian Period (1000-720 Ma) and represents one of at least six independent acquisitions of complex multicellularity, characterized by cellular differentiation, three-dimensional body plans, and active nutrient transport. Compared with the other instances of complex multicellularity, animals represent the only clade to have evolved from wall-less, phagotrophic flagellates, which likely placed unique cytological and trophic constraints on the evolution of animal multicellularity. Here, we compare recent molecular clock estimates with compilations of the chromium isotope, micropaleontological, and organic biomarker records, suggesting that, as of now, the origin of animals was not obviously correlated to any environmental-ecological change in the Tonian Period. This lack of correlation is consistent with the idea that the evolution of animal multicellularity was primarily dictated by internal, developmental constraints and occurred independently of the known environmental-ecological changes that characterized the Neoproterozoic Era.

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Section: Introduction: the Neoproterozoic Origins Of Complex Multicelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Animal origins and the Tonian Earth system

Mills

Francis

Canfield

2018

Emerging Topics in Life Sciences

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“…The divisions of the time of highest rank are the eons (Hadean, Archaic, Proterozoic, and Phanerozoic), of lower rank are the periods, and even of lower rank, the epochs. All these divisions make up the stratigraphic table or scale of the geological time that divides the 4500 million years of history of the planet (Knoll and Nowak, 2017).…”

Section: Eons Eras and Geological Periodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Mesozoic era comprises three periods: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous, during which appear dinosaurs, the oldest mammal forms, and flowering plants. The Cenozoic era includes two periods: Paleogene and Neogene, during which appear primates, hominins, and finally Homo sapiens (Knoll and Nowak, 2017)…”

Section: Eons Eras and Geological Periodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Approximately 2400 million years ago, during the Proterozoic eon, there was an increase in oxygen levels in the oceans and in the atmosphere, in an event known as Great Oxygenation Event. This change favored the appearance of the first eukaryotes; oxygen levels were increasing, and about 750 million years ago during the eon Phanero, there was a new event known as Neoproterozoic Oxygenation Event that led to the appearance of the first organisms multicellular (Knoll and Nowak, 2017). On the other hand, it has been suggested that infections have been present at the same timescales through evolution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Viral Emerging Pathogen Evolution

Rodríguez

Lagares

Arteaga

et al. 2020

Emerging and Reemerging Viral Pathogens

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“…One approach is physiological, where the chemical controls on organismal respiration and growth are explored (Mills et al., , ), directly defining the oxygen tolerance of different organisms. In another approach, comparative biology can explore both closely and distantly related organisms to uncover ancestral traits whose emergence might possibly be accounted for by environmental drivers (Knoll & Carroll, ; Knoll & Hewitt, ; Knoll & Nowak, ; Towe, ). Another approach is phylogenetic, where the timing and nature of major evolutionary events is determined from the molecular sequence data of organisms calibrated against the fossil record to produce molecular clocks (Dohrmann & Wörheide, ; Erwin et al., ; Parfrey, Lahr, Knoll, & Katz, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleoenvironmental proxies and what the Xiamaling Formation tells us about the mid‐Proterozoic ocean

et al. 2019

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The Mesoproterozoic Era (1,600–1,000 million years ago, Ma) geochemical record is sparse, but, nevertheless, critical in untangling relationships between the evolution of eukaryotic ecosystems and the evolution of Earth‐surface chemistry. The ca. 1,400 Ma Xiamaling Formation has experienced only very low‐grade thermal maturity and has emerged as a promising geochemical archive informing on the interplay between climate, ecosystem organization, and the chemistry of the atmosphere and oceans. Indeed, the geochemical record of portions of the Xiamaling Formation has been used to place minimum constraints on concentrations of atmospheric oxygen as well as possible influences of climate and climate change on water chemistry and sedimentation dynamics. A recent study has argued, however, that some portions of the Xiamaling Formation deposited in a highly restricted environment with only limited value as a geochemical archive. In this contribution, we fully explore these arguments as well as the underlying assumptions surrounding the use of many proxies used for paleo‐environmental reconstructions. In doing so, we pay particular attention to deep‐water oxygen‐minimum zone environments and show that these generate unique geochemical signals that have been underappreciated. These signals, however, are compatible with the geochemical record of those parts of the Xiamaling Formation interpreted as most restricted. Overall, we conclude that the Xiamaling Formation was most likely open to the global ocean throughout its depositional history. More broadly, we show that proper paleo‐environmental reconstructions require an understanding of the biogeochemical signals generated in all relevant modern analogue depositional environments. We also evaluate new data on the δ98Mo of Xiamaling Formation shales, revealing possible unknown pathways of molybdenum sequestration into sediments and concluding, finally, that seawater at that time likely had a δ98Mo value of about 1.1‰.

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The timetable of evolution

Abstract: An increasingly well-resolved timetable of evolution provides new challenges and opportunities for evolutionary theory.

Cited by 226 publications

References 193 publications

Animal origins and the Tonian Earth system

Animal origins and the Tonian Earth system

Viral Emerging Pathogen Evolution

Paleoenvironmental proxies and what the Xiamaling Formation tells us about the mid‐Proterozoic ocean

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