Macroevolutionary turnover through the Ediacaran transition: ecological and biogeochemical implications
Abstract
Ecological and evolutionary principles are often context-dependent, particularly where the context is biologically defined. Organ-grade animals (eumetazoans) are particularly powerful contextual agents, with a unique capacity to drive escalatory co-evolution and build multi-tiered food-webs. The evolution of eumetazoans through the Ediacaran and early Cambrian fundamentally altered macroecological and macroevolutionary dynamics, including the structure and function of the marine carbon cycle. Pelagic eumetazoans can be held responsible for driving the evolution of relatively large eukaryotic phytoplankton, thereby shifting the system from a turbid, stratified, cyanobacteria-dominated stable state to the clear-water, well-oxygenated, algae-dominated condition typical of the Phanerozoic. Intermittent return to the pre-Ediacaran state during Phanerozoic extinctions and oceanic anoxic events suggests that the widespread anoxia detected in pre-Ediacaran deep-marine sequences may be a consequence of this alternate biological pump rather than a reflection of fundamentally lower levels of atmospheric oxygen. The transition between the pre- and post-Ediacaran states is also associated with the oldest commercially exploitable hydrocarbons, a possible by-product of invading animals and their top-down impact on the biological pump.
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The key innovation introduced by filter-feeding mesozooplankton may have acted as the trigger of the evolution of large-size metazoans and played a role in the final turnover from matgrounds to mixgrounds.
“The key innovation introduced by filter-feeding mesozooplankton may have not only acted as the trigger of the evolution of large-size metazoans [43,48], but also played a role in the final turnover from matgrounds to mixgrounds.”
From Decoupling of body-plan diversification and ecological structuring during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition: evolutionary and geobiological feedbacks (2014) · cites this paper as [48]
By repacking unicellular phytoplankton as nutrient-rich larger particles, zooplankton provides a more concentrated and exploitable resource for the benthos.
“By repacking unicellular phytoplankton as nutrient-rich larger particles, zooplankton provides a more concentrated and exploitable resource for the benthos [43,48].”
From Decoupling of body-plan diversification and ecological structuring during the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition: evolutionary and geobiological feedbacks (2014) · cites this paper as [48]
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- Authors
- Butterfield, N. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Butterfield, Nicholas J.
- Venue
- Geological Society, London, Special Publications
- Publisher
- Geological Society of London
- Published
- 2009-01
- Volume
- 326
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 55-66
- ISSN
- 0305-8719 (ISSN-L)
- 2041-4927
- OpenAlex
- W2039281489
- Cited by
- 39
- References
- 27
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2
- FWCI
- 1.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Geological Society London Special Publications (publishedVersion)
- Department of Earth Sciences EPrints Repository (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Earth Systems and Cosmic Evolution
- Keywords
- Ediacaran, ocean carbon cycle, biological carbon pump, ocean anoxia, Lower Cambrian, hydrocarbons, atmospheric oxygen, food webs
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