Free and kerogen‐bound biomarkers from late Tonian sedimentary rocks record abundant eukaryotes in mid‐Neoproterozoic marine communities
Open accessAbstract
Lipid biomarker assemblages preserved within the bitumen and kerogen phases of sedimentary rocks from the ca. 780–729 Ma Chuar and Visingsö Groups facilitate paleoenvironmental reconstructions and reveal fundamental aspects of emerging mid‐Neoproterozoic marine communities. The Chuar and Visingsö Groups were deposited offshore of two distinct paleocontinents (Laurentia and Baltica, respectively) during the Tonian Period, and the rock samples used had not undergone excessive metamorphism. The major polycyclic alkane biomarkers detected in the rock bitumens and kerogen hydropyrolysates consist of tricyclic terpanes, hopanes, methylhopanes, and steranes. Major features of the biomarker assemblages include detectable and significant contribution from eukaryotes, encompassing the first robust occurrences of kerogen‐bound regular steranes from Tonian rocks, including 21‐norcholestane, 27‐norcholestane, cholestane, ergostane, and cryostane, along with a novel unidentified C 30 sterane series from our least thermally mature Chuar Group samples. Appreciable values for the sterane/hopane (S/H) ratio are found for both the free and kerogen‐bound biomarker pools for both the Chuar Group rocks (S/H between 0.09 and 1.26) and the Visingsö Group samples (S/H between 0.03 and 0.37). The more organic‐rich rock samples generally yield higher S/H ratios than for organic‐lean substrates, which suggests a marine nutrient control on eukaryotic abundance relative to bacteria. A C 27 sterane (cholestane) predominance among total C 26–C 30 steranes is a common feature found for all samples investigated, with lower amounts of C 28 steranes (ergostane and crysotane) also present. No traces of known ancient C 30 sterane compounds; including 24‐isopropylcholestanes, 24‐n‐propylcholestanes, or 26‐methylstigmastanes, are detectable in any of these pre‐Sturtian rocks. These biomarker characteristics support the view that the Tonian Period was a key interval in the history of life on our planet since it marked the transition from a bacterially dominated marine biosphere to an ocean system which became progressively enriched with eukaryotes. The eukaryotic source organisms likely encompassed photosynthetic primary producers, marking a rise in red algae, and consumers in a revamped trophic structure predating the Sturtian glaciation.
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Possible animal (sponge) organic biomarkers have been identified in the same pre-Cryogenian time slice.
“Further, possible animal (sponge) organic biomarkers have been identified in the same pre-Cryogenian time slice (Brocks et al., 2016, 2017; Zumberge et al., 2020).”
From Oxygenation, Life, and the Planetary System during Earth's Middle History: An Overview (2021) · cites this paper as Zumberge et al., 2020
There are claims for the earliest reliable organic biomarkers for ancient eukaryotes around 800 Ma.
“An equally intriguing possibility lies with claims for the earliest reliable organic biomarkers for ancient eukaryotes around 800 Ma (Brocks et al., 2016, 2017; Zumberge et al., 2020; and references cited therein)”
From Oxygenation, Life, and the Planetary System during Earth's Middle History: An Overview (2021) · cites this paper as Zumberge et al., 2020
Organic biomarker evidence for eukaryotic life (steranes), when vetted for contamination, does not appear until ∼820 Ma despite many searches for earlier occurrences.
“And, in what may be the most important tie point in this discussion, organic biomarker evidence for eukaryotic life (steranes), when vetted for miscues linked to contamination, does not appear until ∼820 Ma (Brocks et al., 2017; Brocks, 2018; Zumberge et al., 2020)—despite many searches in diverse paleoenvironmental settings for earlier occurrences (e.g., Nguyen et al., 2019).”
From Oxygenation, Life, and the Planetary System during Earth's Middle History: An Overview (2021) · cites this paper as Zumberge et al., 2020
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Oxygenation, Life, and the Planetary System during Earth's Middle History: An Overview
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- Authors
- Zumberge, J. A., Rocher, D., & Love, G. D.
- Affiliations
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences University of California Riverside CA USA
- GeoMark Research Houston TX USA
- University of California, Riverside (US)
- Corresponding author
- Love, Gordon D.
- Venue
- Geobiology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2019-12-21
- Volume
- 18
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 326-347
- ISSN
- 1472-4669 (ISSN-L)
- 1472-4677
- PMC
- PMC7233469
- OpenAlex
- W2995152773
- Cited by
- 73
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 9
- FWCI
- 6.86
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Geobiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanics of Materials › Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Keywords
- Neoproterozoic, lipid biomarkers, bitumen, steranes, hopanes, tricyclic terpanes, marine biodiversity, Chuar Group, early eukaryotes, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, Laurentia
- MeSH terms
- Cholestanes, Photosynthesis, Biomarkers, Geologic Sediments, Eukaryota
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