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Coupling of ocean redox and animal evolution during the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition

Wang, D; Ling, H-F; Struck, U; Zhu, X-K; Zhu, M; He, T; Yang, B; ... Shields, GA; + view all (2018) Coupling of ocean redox and animal evolution during the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition. Nature Communications , 9 , Article 2575. 10.1038/s41467-018-04980-5. Green open access

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Abstract

The late Ediacaran to early Cambrian interval witnessed extraordinary radiations of metazoan life. The role of the physical environment in this biological revolution, such as changes to oxygen levels and nutrient availability, has been the focus of longstanding debate. Seemingly contradictory data from geochemical redox proxies help to fuel this controversy. As an essential nutrient, nitrogen can help to resolve this impasse by establishing linkages between nutrient supply, ocean redox, and biological changes. Here we present a comprehensive N-isotope dataset from the Yangtze Basin that reveals remarkable coupling between δ¹⁵N, δ¹³C, and evolutionary events from circa 551 to 515 Ma. The results indicate that increased fixed nitrogen supply may have facilitated episodic animal radiations by reinforcing ocean oxygenation, and restricting anoxia to near, or even at the sediment–water interface. Conversely, sporadic ocean anoxic events interrupted ocean oxygenation, and may have led to extinctions of the Ediacaran biota and small shelly animals.

Type: Article
Title: Coupling of ocean redox and animal evolution during the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04980-5
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04980-5
Language: English
Additional information: © The Author(s) 2018. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). - The publisher's corrected version (updated 20/8/18) has been uploaded in place of the original version published on 3/7/18.
Keywords: Element cycles, Geochemistry, Geology
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Earth Sciences
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10052342
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