Cited by 186Paleontology and Stratigraphy of FossilsProtist diversity and phylogenyPlant Diversity and Evolution

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 69 of the 69 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

A one-billion-year-old multicellular chlorophyte

Open access

Tang, Qing, Pang, Ke, Yuan, Xunlai, Xiao, Shuhai·2020·Nature Ecology & Evolution

DOI 10.1038/s41559-020-1122-9PMC PMC8668152

Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Chlorophytes (representing a clade within the Viridiplantae and a sister group of the Streptophyta) probably dominated marine export bioproductivity and played a key role in facilitating ecosystem complexity before the Mesozoic diversification of phototrophic eukaryotes such as diatoms, coccolithophorans and dinoflagellates. Molecular clock and biomarker data indicate that chlorophytes diverged in the Mesoproterozoic or early Neoproterozoic, followed by their subsequent phylogenetic diversification, multicellular evolution and ecological expansion in the late Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic. This model, however, has not been rigorously tested with palaeontological data because of the scarcity of Proterozoic chlorophyte fossils. Here we report abundant millimetre-sized, multicellular and morphologically differentiated macrofossils from rocks approximately 1,000 million years ago. These fossils are described as Proterocladus antiquus new species and are interpreted as benthic siphonocladalean chlorophytes, suggesting that chlorophytes acquired macroscopic size, multicellularity and cellular differentiation nearly a billion years ago, much earlier than previously thought.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/s41559-020-1122-9

Cites

69 of 69 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

The Evolution of Modern Eukaryotic Phytoplankton
Falkowski, P. G., Katz, M. E., Knoll, A. H., Quigg, A., Raven, J. A., Schofield, O., & Taylor, F. J. R. (2004) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1095964 · Cited by 1,613
Phylogeny and Molecular Evolution of the Green Algae
Leliaert, F., Smith, D. R., Moreau, H., Herron, M. D., Verbruggen, H., Delwiche, C. F., & Clerck, O. D. (2012) · Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences · doi:10.1080/07352689.2011.615705 · Cited by 948
The timescale of early land plant evolution
Morris, J. L., Puttick, M. N., Clark, J., Edwards, D., Kenrick, P., Pressel, S., Wellman, C. H., Yang, Z., Schneider, H., & Donoghue, P. C. J. (2018) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1719588115 · Cited by 926
Estimating the timing of early eukaryotic diversification with multigene molecular clocks
Parfrey, L. W., Lahr, D. J. G., Knoll, A. H., & Katz, L. A. (2011) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1110633108 · Cited by 899
The rise of algae in Cryogenian oceans and the emergence of animals
Brocks, J. J., Jarrett, A. J. M., Sirantoine, E., Hallmann, C., Hoshino, Y., & Liyanage, T. (2017) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature23457 · Cited by 574
The Number, Speed, and Impact of Plastid Endosymbioses in Eukaryotic Evolution
Keeling, P. J. (2013) · Annual Review of Plant Biology · doi:10.1146/annurev-arplant-050312-120144 · Cited by 498
Integrated genomic and fossil evidence illuminates life’s early evolution and eukaryote origin
Betts, H. C., Puttick, M. N., Clark, J. W., Williams, T. A., Donoghue, P. C. J., & Pisani, D. (2018) · Nature Ecology & Evolution · doi:10.1038/s41559-018-0644-x · Cited by 437
Morphologie und Biologie der Algen
Oltmanns, F. (1922) · Fischer eBooks · doi:10.5962/bhl.title.44469 · Cited by 395
Paleobiological Perspectives on Early Eukaryotic Evolution
Knoll, A. H. (2014) · Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology · doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a016121 · Cited by 394
Confidence intervals on stratigraphic ranges
Marshall, C. R. (1990) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1017/s0094837300009672 · Cited by 349

Show all 69 references

Research works printed but not linked: 2

Hermann, T. N. Filamentous microorganisms in the Lakhanda Formation on the Maya River. Paleontol. J. 1981, 100–107 (1981).
Fryxell, G. A. Survival Strategies of the Algae (Cambrian Univ. Press, 1983).

Sorted by citations

A molecular timescale for eukaryote evolution with implications for the origin of red algal-derived plastids
Strassert, J. F. H., Irisarri, I., Williams, T. A., & Burki, F. (2021) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22044-z · Cited by 298
Cyanobacteria and biogeochemical cycles through Earth history
Sánchez-Baracaldo, P., Bianchini, G., Wilson, J. D., & Knoll, A. H. (2022) · Trends in Microbiology · doi:10.1016/j.tim.2021.05.008 · Cited by 279
Oxygenation, Life, and the Planetary System during Earth's Middle History: An Overview
Lyons, T. W., Diamond, C. W., Planavsky, N. J., Reinhard, C. T., & Li, C. (2021) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2020.2418 · Cited by 211
“…to 1.6 Ga stem eukaryote remains (Zhu et al., 2016), and emergence of the crown group, expressed in simple multicellular red algae, is placed at *1.05 Ga (Butterfield, 2000; Gibson et al., 2018) and more recently with reports of macroscopic multicellular green algae at *1.0 Ga (Tang et al., 2020).”
BackgroundInfluential
Divergent evolutionary trajectories of bryophytes and tracheophytes from a complex common ancestor of land plants
Harris, B. J., Clark, J. W., Schrempf, D., Szöllősi, G. J., Donoghue, P. C. J., Hetherington, A. M., & Williams, T. A. (2022) · Nature Ecology & Evolution · doi:10.1038/s41559-022-01885-x · Cited by 187
Sedimentary Ce anomalies: Secular change and implications for paleoenvironmental evolution
Zhang, K., & Shields, G. (2022) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104015 · Cited by 162
Eukaryogenesis and oxygen in Earth history
Mills, D. B., Boyle, R. A., Daines, S. J., Sperling, E. A., Pisani, D., Donoghue, P. C. J., & Lenton, T. M. (2022) · Nature Ecology & Evolution · doi:10.1038/s41559-022-01733-y · Cited by 156
Lost world of complex life and the late rise of the eukaryotic crown
Brocks, J. J., Nettersheim, B. J., Adam, P., Schaeffer, P., Jarrett, A. J. M., Güneli, N., Liyanage, T., van Maldegem, L. M., Hallmann, C., & Hope, J. M. (2023) · Nature · doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06170-w · Cited by 135
Progress towards an improved Precambrian seawater 87Sr/86Sr curve
Chen, X., Zhou, Y., & Shields, G. (2021) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2021.103869 · Cited by 139
Large-Scale Phylogenomic Analyses Reveal the Monophyly of Bryophytes and Neoproterozoic Origin of Land Plants
Su, D., Yang, L., Shi, X., Ma, X., Zhou, X., Hedges, S. B., & Zhong, B. (2021) · Molecular Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/molbev/msab106 · Cited by 116
Genomic and fossil windows into the secret lives of the most ancient fungi
Berbee, M. L., Strullu‐Derrien, C., Delaux, P., Strother, P. K., Kenrick, P., Selosse, M., & Taylor, J. W. (2020) · Nature Reviews Microbiology · doi:10.1038/s41579-020-0426-8 · Cited by 106
The origin and early evolution of plants
Bowles, A. M. C., Williamson, C. J., Williams, T. A., Lenton, T. M., & Donoghue, P. C. J. (2022) · Trends in Plant Science · doi:10.1016/j.tplants.2022.09.009 · Cited by 95
ATP synthase evolution on a cross-braced dated tree of life
Mahendrarajah, T. A., Moody, E. R. R., Schrempf, D., Szánthó, L. L., Dombrowski, N., Davín, A. A., Pisani, D., Donoghue, P. C. J., Szöllősi, G. J., Williams, T. A., et al. (2023) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-023-42924-w · Cited by 86
Seaweeds through time: Morphological and ecological analysis of Proterozoic and early Paleozoic benthic macroalgae
Bykova, N., LoDuca, S. T., Ye, Q., Marusin, V. V., Grazhdankin, D. V., & Xiao, S. (2020) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2020.105875 · Cited by 93
Self-citation
Cryptic terrestrial fungus-like fossils of the early Ediacaran Period
Gan, T., Luo, T., Pang, K., Zhou, C., Zhou, G., Wan, B., Li, G., Yi, Q., Czaja, A. D., & Xiao, S. (2021) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-021-20975-1 · Cited by 80
Self-citation
Organic carbon cycling and black shale deposition: an Earth System Science perspective
Jin, Z., Wang, X., Wang, H., Ye, Y., & Zhang, S. (2023) · National Science Review · doi:10.1093/nsr/nwad243 · Cited by 75
Radiation of the coralline red algae (Corallinophycidae, Rhodophyta) crown group as inferred from a multilocus time-calibrated phylogeny
Peña, V., Vieira, C., Braga, J. C., Aguirre, J., Rösler, A., Baele, G., Clerck, O. D., & Gall, L. L. (2020) · Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution · doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2020.106845 · Cited by 67
The earliest history of eukaryotic life: uncovering an evolutionary story through the integration of biological and geological data
COHEN, P. A., & Kodner, R. B. (2021) · Trends in Ecology & Evolution · doi:10.1016/j.tree.2021.11.005 · Cited by 65
Green land: Multiple perspectives on green algal evolution and the earliest land plants
McCourt, R. M., Lewis, L. A., Strother, P. K., Delwiche, C. F., Wickett, N. J., de Vries, J., & Bowman, J. L. (2023) · American Journal of Botany · doi:10.1002/ajb2.16175 · Cited by 59
Domains and Major Transitions of Social Evolution
Boomsma, J. J. (2022) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198746171.001.0001 · Cited by 59
1.63-billion-year-old multicellular eukaryotes from the Chuanlinggou Formation in North China
Miao, L., Yin, Z., Knoll, A. H., Qu, Y., & Zhu, M. (2024) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.adk3208 · Cited by 57
North China craton: The conjugate margin for northwestern Laurentia in Rodinia
Ding, J., Zhang, S., Evans, D. A. D., Yang, T., Li, H., Wu, H., & Chen, J. (2021) · Geology · doi:10.1130/g48483.1 · Cited by 54
Chronic Ionizing Radiation of Plants: An Evolutionary Factor from Direct Damage to Non-Target Effects
Duarte, G. T., Volkova, P., Pérez, F. F., & Horemans, N. (2023) · Plants · doi:10.3390/plants12051178 · Cited by 56
Hydrogen Sulfide Signaling in Plants
Huang, J., & Xie, Y. (2023) · Antioxidants and Redox Signaling · doi:10.1089/ars.2023.0267 · Cited by 56
Phylotranscriptomic insights into a Mesoproterozoic–Neoproterozoic origin and early radiation of green seaweeds (Ulvophyceae)
Hou, Z., Ma, X., Shi, X., Li, X., Yang, L., Xiao, S., Clerck, O. D., Leliaert, F., & Zhong, B. (2022) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-022-29282-9 · Cited by 52
Self-citation
Quantifying the global biodiversity of Proterozoic eukaryotes
Tang, Q., Zheng, W., Zhang, S., Fan, J., Riedman, L. A., Hou, X., Muscente, A. D., Bykova, N., Sadler, P. M., Wang, X., et al. (2024) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.adm9137 · Cited by 53
Self-citation
A template for an improved rock-based subdivision of the pre-Cryogenian timescale
Shields, G., Strachan, R. A., Porter, S. M., Halverson, G. P., Macdonald, F. A., Plumb, K. A., de Alvarenga, C. J. S., Banerjee, D. M., Bekker, A., Bleeker, W., et al. (2021) · Journal of the Geological Society · doi:10.1144/jgs2020-222 · Cited by 50
Self-citation
Phylotranscriptomics unveil a Paleoproterozoic-Mesoproterozoic origin and deep relationships of the Viridiplantae
Yang, Z., Ma, X., Wang, Q., Tian, X., Sun, J., Zhang, Z., Xiao, S., Clerck, O. D., Leliaert, F., & Zhong, B. (2023) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-023-41137-5 · Cited by 49
Self-citation
An assemblage of macroscopic and diversified carbonaceous compression fossils from the Tonian Shiwangzhuang Formation in western Shandong, North China
Li, G., Chen, L., Pang, K., Zhou, G., Han, C., Yang, L., Lv, W., Wu, C., Wang, W., & Yang, F. (2020) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2020.105801 · Cited by 45
Self-citation
Evidence for a Syncytial Origin of Eukaryotes from Ancestral State Reconstruction
Skejo, J., Garg, S. G., Gould, S. B., Hendriksen, M., Tria, F. D. K., Bremer, N., Franjević, D., Blackstone, N. W., & Martin, W. F. (2021) · Genome Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/gbe/evab096 · Cited by 44
Cellular organization in lab-evolved and extant multicellular species obeys a maximum entropy law
Day, T. C., Höhn, S. S., Zamani-Dahaj, S. A., Yanni, D., Burnetti, A., Pentz, J. T., Honerkamp‐Smith, A. R., Wioland, H., Sleath, H. R., Ratcliff, W. C., et al. (2022) · eLife · doi:10.7554/elife.72707 · Cited by 40
Cryogenian Origins of Multicellularity in Archaeplastida
Bowles, A. M. C., Williamson, C. J., Williams, T. A., & Donoghue, P. C. J. (2024) · Genome Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/gbe/evae026 · Cited by 39
Origin and evolution of green plants in the light of key evolutionary events
Zhang, Z., Ma, X., Liu, Y., Yang, L., Shi, X., Wang, H., Diao, R., & Zhong, B. (2022) · Journal of Integrative Plant Biology · doi:10.1111/jipb.13224 · Cited by 44
Intracellular bound chlorophyll residues identify 1 Gyr-old fossils as eukaryotic algae
Sforna, M.-C., Loron, C., Demoulin, C., François, C., Cornet, Y., Lara, Y. J., Grolimund, D., Sánchez, D. F., Medjoubi, K., Somogyi, A., et al. (2022) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-021-27810-7 · Cited by 39
Aluminosilicate haloes preserve complex life approximately 800 million years ago
Anderson, R. P., Tosca, N. J., Cinque, G., Frogley, M. D., Lekkas, I., Akey, A. J., Hughes, G. M., Bergmann, K., Knoll, A. H., & Briggs, D. E. G. (2020) · Interface Focus · doi:10.1098/rsfs.2020.0011 · Cited by 37
Earth Systems to Anthropocene Systems: An Evolutionary, System-of-Systems, Convergence Paradigm for Interdependent Societal Challenges
Little, J. C., Kaaronen, R. O., Hukkinen, J., Xiao, S., Sharpee, T. O., Farid, A. M., Nilchiani, R., & Barton, C. M. (2023) · Environmental Science & Technology · doi:10.1021/acs.est.2c06203 · Cited by 40
Self-citation
A late Ediacaran ice age: The key node in the Earth system evolution
Wang, R., Yin, Z., & Shen, B. (2023) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104610 · Cited by 38
Shale-hosted biota from the Dismal Lakes Group in Arctic Canada supports an early Mesoproterozoic diversification of eukaryotes
Loron, C., Halverson, G. P., Rainbird, R. H., Skulski, T., Turner, E. C., & Javaux, E. (2021) · Journal of Paleontology · doi:10.1017/jpa.2021.45 · Cited by 35
Cyanobacteria and algae
García‐Pichel, F., & Belnap, J. (2021) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-820202-9.00007-1 · Cited by 35
New multicellular marine macroalgae from the early Tonian of northwestern Canada
Maloney, K. M., Halverson, G. P., Schiffbauer, J. D., Xiao, S., Gibson, T. M., Lechte, M. A., Cumming, V. M., Millikin, A. E. G., Murphy, J. G., Wallace, M. W., et al. (2021) · Geology · doi:10.1130/g48508.1 · Cited by 33
Self-citation
Resurrected Rubisco suggests uniform carbon isotope signatures over geologic time
Kędzior, M., Garcia, A. K., Li, M., Taton, A., Adam, Z. R., Young, J. N., & Kaçar, B. (2022) · Cell Reports · doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110726 · Cited by 33
A benthic oxygen oasis in the early Neoproterozoic ocean
Wang, H., Liu, A., Li, C., Feng, Q., Tang, S., Cheng, M., & Algeo, T. J. (2021) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2020.106085 · Cited by 32
Frameworks for Interpreting the Early Fossil Record of Eukaryotes
Porter, S. M., & Riedman, L. A. (2023) · Annual Review of Microbiology · doi:10.1146/annurev-micro-032421-113254 · Cited by 29
Bioactives From Brown Algae: Antioxidant, Anti‐Inflammatory, Anticancer, and Antimicrobial Potential
Fonseca‐Barahona, I., Shahbaz, K., & Baroutian, S. (2025) · ChemBioEng Reviews · doi:10.1002/cben.70007 · Cited by 35
Oldest-known Neoproterozoic carbon isotope excursion: Earlier onset of Neoproterozoic carbon cycle volatility
Zhang, Z., Peng, P., Feng, L., Gong, Z., Mitchell, R. N., & Li, Y. (2021) · Gondwana Research · doi:10.1016/j.gr.2021.01.013 · Cited by 29
One-billion-year-old epibionts highlight symbiotic ecological interactions in early eukaryote evolution
Tang, Q., Pang, K., Li, G., Chen, L., Yuan, X., & Xiao, S. (2021) · Gondwana Research · doi:10.1016/j.gr.2021.05.008 · Cited by 29
Self-citation
The Proterozoic macrofossil Tawuia as a coenocytic eukaryote and a possible macroalga
Tang, Q., Pang, K., Li, G., Chen, L., Yuan, X., Шарма, М., & Xiao, S. (2021) · Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology · doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110485 · Cited by 27
Self-citation
The Nonesuch Formation Lagerstätte: a rare window into freshwater life one billion years ago
Strother, P. K., & Wellman, C. H. (2020) · Journal of the Geological Society · doi:10.1144/jgs2020-133 · Cited by 26
SIMS Pb-Pb dating of phosphates in the Proterozoic strata of SE North China Craton: Constraints on eukaryote evolution
Zhang, S., Cao, R., Lan, Z., Li, Z., Zhao, Z., Wan, B., Guan, C., & Yuan, X. (2022) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2022.106562 · Cited by 26
Self-citation
Amoebozoan testate amoebae illuminate the diversity of heterotrophs and the complexity of ecosystems throughout geological time
Porfírio‐Sousa, A. L., Tice, A. K., Morais, L., Ribeiro, G. M., Blandenier, Q., Dumack, K., Eglit, Y., Fry, N. W., Souza, M. B. G. E., Henderson, T. C., et al. (2024) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2319628121 · Cited by 23
Geological alteration of Precambrian steroids mimics early animal signatures
van Maldegem, L. M., Nettersheim, B. J., Leider, A., Brocks, J. J., Adam, P., Schaeffer, P., & Hallmann, C. (2020) · Nature Ecology & Evolution · doi:10.1038/s41559-020-01336-5 · Cited by 25
Adaptation to a Viscous Snowball Earth Ocean as a Path to Complex Multicellularity
Simpson, C. (2021) · The American Naturalist · doi:10.1086/716634 · Cited by 23
Non-pollen palynomorphs in deep time: unravelling the evolution of early eukaryotes
Agić, H., & COHEN, P. A. (2021) · Geological Society London Special Publications · doi:10.1144/sp511-2020-223 · Cited by 22
Screening and verification of extranuclear genetic markers in green tide algae from the Yellow Sea
Cai, C., Gu, K., Zhao, H., Steinhagen, S., He, P., & Wichard, T. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0250968 · Cited by 21
New paleomagnetic results from the ca. 1.0 Ga Jiayuan Formation of the Huaibei Group in the North China craton, and their paleogeographic implications
Zhao, H., Zhang, S., Ren, W., Ding, J., Yang, K., Li, H., Yang, T., Wu, H., & Chen, J. (2022) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2022.106807 · Cited by 21
New record of the green algal fossil Proterocladus and coexisting microfossils from the Meso-Neoproterozoic Diaoyutai Formation in southern Liaoning, North China
Li, D., Luo, G., Tang, Q., She, Z., & Xiao, S. (2023) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2023.107104 · Cited by 20
Self-citation
New insights on the palaeobiology and biostratigraphy of the acritarch Trachyhystrichosphaera aimika: A potential late Mesoproterozoic to Tonian index fossil
Pang, K., Tang, Q., Wan, B., & Yuan, X. (2020) · Palaeoworld · doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2020.02.003 · Cited by 21
Self-citation
Characteristics of the carbon cycle in late Mesoproterozoic: Evidence from carbon isotope composition of paired carbonate and organic matter of the Shennongjia Group in South China
Li, D., Luo, G., Yang, H., She, Z., Papineau, D., & Li, C. (2022) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2022.106726 · Cited by 20
Earth’s surface oxygenation and the rise of eukaryotic life: Relationships to the Lomagundi positive carbon isotope excursion revisited
Fakhraee, M., Tarhan, L. G., Reinhard, C. T., Crowe, S. A., Lyons, T. W., & Planavsky, N. J. (2023) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2023.104398 · Cited by 20
Origin and Early Evolution of the Eukaryotes: Perspectives from the Fossil Record
Agić, H. (2021) · Advances in astrobiology and biogeophysics · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-81039-9_11 · Cited by 18
Phylogenomic analysis restructures the ulvophyceae
Gulbrandsen, Ø. S., Andresen, I. J., Krabberød, A. K., Bråte, J., & Shalchian‐Tabrizi, K. (2021) · Journal of Phycology · doi:10.1111/jpy.13168 · Cited by 18
Systematic paleontology of macroalgal fossils from the Tonian Mackenzie Mountains Supergroup
Maloney, K. M., Maverick, D. P., Schiffbauer, J. D., Halverson, G. P., Xiao, S., & Laflamme, M. (2023) · Journal of Paleontology · doi:10.1017/jpa.2023.4 · Cited by 17
Self-citation
Ediacaran algal cysts from the Doushantuo Formation, South China
Moczydłowska, M., & Liu, P. (2021) · Geological Magazine · doi:10.1017/s0016756820001405 · Cited by 18
Neoproterozoic Earth-life system
Tang, Q., Cui, H., & Zhang, F. (2021) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2021.106486 · Cited by 17
Self-citation
Mesoproterozoic Molar Tooth Structure Related to Increased Marine Oxygenation
Tang, D., Fang, H., Shi, X., Liang, L., Zhou, L., Xie, B., Huang, K., Zhou, X., Wu, M., & Riding, R. (2023) · Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences · doi:10.1029/2022jg007077 · Cited by 17
Cytoskeletal diversification across 1 billion years: What red algae can teach us about the cytoskeleton, and vice versa
Goodson, H. V., Kelley, J. B., & Brawley, S. (2021) · Bioessays · doi:10.1002/bies.202000278 · Cited by 11
Precambrian Earth: Co-evolution of life and geodynamics
Westall, F., & Xiao, S. (2024) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2024.107589 · Cited by 20
Self-citation
Preservation of early Tonian macroalgal fossils from the Dolores Creek Formation, Yukon
Maloney, K. M., Schiffbauer, J. D., Halverson, G. P., Xiao, S., & Laflamme, M. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-10223-x · Cited by 15
Self-citation
A stem group Codium alga from the latest Ediacaran of South China provides taxonomic insight into the early diversification of the plant kingdom
Chai, S., Aria, C., & Hua, H. (2022) · BMC Biology · doi:10.1186/s12915-022-01394-0 · Cited by 14
Ecology and evolution of algal–fungal symbioses
Bonito, G. M. (2024) · Current Opinion in Microbiology · doi:10.1016/j.mib.2024.102452 · Cited by 14
The role of clay minerals in the preservation of Precambrian organic‐walled microfossils
Woltz, C., Anderson, R. P., Tosca, N., & Porter, S. (2023) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/gbi.12573 · Cited by 8
Macroscopic fossils from the Chuanlinggou Formation of North China: evidence for an earlier origin of multicellular algae in the late Palaeoproterozoic
Liu, J., Zhang, Y., Shi, X., Chen, A., Tang, D., & Yang, T. (2023) · Palaeontology · doi:10.1111/pala.12685 · Cited by 12
Evolution of the iodine cycle and the late stabilization of the Earth’s ozone layer
Liu, J., Hardisty, D. S., Kasting, J. F., Fakhraee, M., & Planavsky, N. J. (2025) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2412898121 · Cited by 14
Early eukaryote diversity: a review and a reinterpretation
Porter, S. M., Riedman, L. A., Woltz, C. R., Gold, D. A., & Kellogg, J. B. (2025) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1017/pab.2024.33 · Cited by 13
Microscopic and geochemical analyses of the Tonian Longfengshan biota from the Luotuoling Formation (Hebei Province, North China) with taphonomic implications
Jing, Y., Chen, Z., Anderson, R. P., Wang, X., Zemin, Z., & Feng, X. (2022) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2022.106899 · Cited by 13
Tonian carbonaceous compressions indicate that Horodyskia is one of the oldest multicellular and coenocytic macro-organisms
Li, G., Chen, L., Pang, K., Tang, Q., Wu, C., Yuan, X., Zhou, C., & Xiao, S. (2023) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-023-04740-2 · Cited by 13
Self-citation
Fossil-calibrated molecular clock data enable reconstruction of steps leading to differentiated multicellularity and anisogamy in the Volvocine algae
Lindsey, C. R., Knoll, A. H., Herron, M. D., & Rosenzweig, F. (2024) · BMC Biology · doi:10.1186/s12915-024-01878-1 · Cited by 12
The environmental context of carbonaceous compressions and implications for organism preservation 1.40 Ga and 0.63 Ga
Zhang, F., Wang, H., Ye, Y., Deng, Y., Lyu, Y., Wang, X., Yu, Z., Lyu, D., Lu, Y., Zhou, C., et al. (2021) · Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology · doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2021.110449 · Cited by 12
The evolutionary conservation of eukaryotic membrane-bound adenylyl cyclase isoforms
Schultz, J. E. (2022) · Frontiers in Pharmacology · doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1009797 · Cited by 12
A diverse Palaeoproterozoic microbial ecosystem implies early eukaryogenesis
Javaux, E. (2025) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2024.0092 · Cited by 11
Why a new volume on non-pollen palynomorphs?
O’Keefe, J. M. K., Marret, F., Osterloff, P. L., Pound, M. J., & Сергеевна, Ш. Л. (2021) · Geological Society London Special Publications · doi:10.1144/sp511-2021-83 · Cited by 11
Evolution and diversification of the nuclear envelope
Padilla-Mejía, N. E., Makarov, A. A., Barlow, L. D., Butterfield, E. R., & Field, M. C. (2021) · Nucleus · doi:10.1080/19491034.2021.1874135 · Cited by 12
Did high temperature rather than low O2 hinder the evolution of eukaryotes in the Precambrian?
Zhang, F., Wang, H., Ye, Y., Liu, Y., Lyu, Y., Deng, Y., Lyu, D., Wang, X., Wu, H., Deng, S., et al. (2022) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2022.106755 · Cited by 11
Impact of steroid biosynthesis on the aerobic adaptation of eukaryotes
Hoshino, Y., & Gaucher, E. A. (2024) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/gbi.12612 · Cited by 10
Proterozoic microfossils continue to provide new insights into the rise of complex eukaryotic life
Anderson, R. P., Mughal, S., & Wedlake, G. O. (2024) · Royal Society Open Science · doi:10.1098/rsos.240154 · Cited by 10
First record of organic-walled microfossils from the Tonian Shiwangzhuang Formation of the Tumen Group in western Shandong, North China
Han, C., Chen, L., Li, G., Pang, K., Wang, W., Zhou, G., Yang, L., Lyu, W.-G., Wang, K., Zhong, Z., et al. (2020) · Palaeoworld · doi:10.1016/j.palwor.2020.06.007 · Cited by 11
Self-citation
The origin and early evolution of complex organisms
Yuan, X., Pang, K., Tang, Q., Li, G., Xiao, S., Zhou, C., Chen, Z., Chen, L., Wan, B., Wang, W., et al. (2022) · Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) · doi:10.1360/tb-2022-0804 · Cited by 11
Self-citation
Carbonaceous macrofossils from the early Mesoproterozoic Gaoyuzhuang Formation in the Yanshan Range, North China
Chen, K., Miao, L., Zhao, F., & Zhu, M. (2023) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2023.107074 · Cited by 10
Molecular fossils within bitumens and kerogens from the ~ 1 Ga Lakhanda Lagerstätte (Siberia, Russia) and their significance for understanding early eukaryote evolution
Duda, J., König, H., Reinhardt, M., Shuvalova, J. V., & Parkhaev, P. Y. (2021) · Paläontologische Zeitschrift · doi:10.1007/s12542-021-00593-4 · Cited by 11
The Proterozoic Qinggouzi microfossil assemblage and its biostratigraphic constraints on the Great Unconformity in northeastern North China Craton
Zheng, W., Tang, Q., Xiao, S., Pang, K., Kang, J., Li, G., Zhou, C., Yuan, X., & Wan, B. (2023) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2023.107130 · Cited by 9
Self-citation
Molar-Tooth Carbonate: An excellent proxy for reconstructing lithium isotopic composition of Precambrian seawater
Yang, T., Xiao, Y., Wang, Y., Kuang, H., Murphy, J. G., Shan, E., Jiang, L., Ye, X., Sun, H., & Gu, H. (2024) · Chemical Geology · doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2024.122040 · Cited by 9
A Reinvestigation of Multiple Independent Evolution and Triassic–Jurassic Origins of Multicellular Volvocine Algae
Ma, X., Shi, X., Wang, Q., Zhao, M., Zhang, Z., & Zhong, B. (2023) · Genome Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/gbe/evad142 · Cited by 9
Terminal Mesoproterozoic (1.1–1.0 Ga) shallow ocean oxygenation and the rise of crown-group eukaryotes
Tang, D., Zhou, H., Jiang, G., Shi, X., Li, X., Wang, L., Xu, L., Sun, L., Xie, B., Zhou, L., et al. (2025) · Geological Society of America Bulletin · doi:10.1130/b37943.1 · Cited by 8
Ecosystem relocation on Snowball Earth: Polar−alpine ancestry of the extant surface biosphere?
Hoffman, P. F. (2025) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2414059122 · Cited by 7
Precambrian and early Cambrian palaeobiology of India: Quo Vadis
Шарма, М., Singh, V. K., Pandey, S. K., Ansari, A. H., Shukla, Y., Ahmad, S., Kumar, Y., & Singh, D. (2021) · Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy · doi:10.1007/s43538-021-00029-2 · Cited by 8
A new red alga preserved with possible reproductive bodies from the 518‐million‐year‐old Qingjiang biota
Li, R., Cui, L., Fu, D., & Zhang, X. (2022) · Journal of Systematics and Evolution · doi:10.1111/jse.12942 · Cited by 8
Characterization of the Multicellular Membrane‐Bearing Algae From the Kuanchuanpu Biota (Cambrian: Terreneuvian)
Zheng, Y., Tang, Q., Liu, P., Sun, J., Yao, X., Hao, W., Yang, X., Guo, J., Uesugi, K., Komiya, T., et al. (2021) · Journal of Geophysical Research Biogeosciences · doi:10.1029/2020jg006102 · Cited by 8
Self-citation
The plastomes of Hyalomonas oviformis and Hyalogonium fusiforme evolved dissimilar architectures after the loss of photosynthesis
DeShaw, A. E., Figueroa-Martínez, F., Pröschold, T., Lorenz, M., Nedelcu, A., Smith, D., & Reyes-Prieto, A. (2022) · Plant Direct · doi:10.1002/pld3.454 · Cited by 5
Macroscopic carbonaceous compression fossils from the Tonian Liulaobei Formation in the Huainan region of North China
Qin, S., Dong, L., Liu, X., Tang, F., & Liu, H. (2023) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2023.107076 · Cited by 7
The paleoredox context of early eukaryotic evolution: insights from the Tonian Mackenzie Mountains Supergroup, Canada
Maloney, K. M., Halverson, G. P., Lechte, M. A., Gibson, T. M., Bui, T. H., Schiffbauer, J. D., & Laflamme, M. (2024) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/gbi.12598 · Cited by 6
Problematic tubular fossils from the Portfjeld Formation (Ediacaran) of North Greenland
Willman, S., & Peel, J. S. (2022) · Journal of Paleontology · doi:10.1017/jpa.2022.43 · Cited by 5

Authors: Tang, Q., Pang, K., Yuan, X., & Xiao, S.
Affiliations: Virginia Tech (US)
Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
Corresponding author: Tang, Qing
Xiao, Shuhai
ORCID: Tang, Qing
Pang, Ke
Yuan, Xunlai
Xiao, Shuhai
Venue: Nature Ecology & Evolution
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published: 2020-02-24
Volume: 4
Issue: 4
Pages: 543-549
ISSN: 2397-334X (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-1122-9
PMC: PMC8668152
OpenAlex: W3008173880
Cited by: 186
References: 69
Citations by year: 2026: 20 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 35 · 2020: 11
FWCI: 16.09
Type: journal article
Language: en
Open access: green
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Licence: www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/text-and-data-mining (tdm)
www.springernature.com/gp/researchers/text-and-data-mining (vor)
Locations: Nature Ecology & Evolution (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China (41602007)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NSSC18K1086)
Topics: Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Protist diversity and phylogeny
Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Plant Diversity and Evolution
Keywords: Chlorophyta, evolution of multicellularity, benthic algae, cell differentiation, molecular clock, Neoproterozoic, Paleozoic
MeSH terms: Fossils, Phylogeny, Diatoms, Ecosystem

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

A one-billion-year-old multicellular chlorophyte

Abstract

Overview

Integrity signals

Verification

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Self-check

Citations

Cites

Cited by

Related

Metadata

Record

About these checks