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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 27, 2026

Laboratory Simulation of an Iron(II)-rich Precambrian Marine Upwelling System to Explore the Growth of Photosynthetic Bacteria

Laboratory Simulation of an Iron(II)-rich Precambrian Marine Upwelling System to Explore the Growth of Photosynthetic Bacteria

Published on: July 24, 2016

Phanerozoic Earth system evolution and marine biodiversity.

Bjarte Hannisdal¹, Shanan E Peters

¹Department of Earth Science, Centre for Geobiology, University of Bergen, Allégaten 41, Bergen, Norway. bjarte.hannisdal@geo.uib.no

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|November 26, 2011

Summary

Fossil marine animal diversity tracks sedimentary rock, but this covariation is not just sampling bias. Earth system interactions, including continental flooding and ocean chemistry, drive biodiversity patterns independently of rock quantity.

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Area of Science:

Paleontology
Geology
Macroevolution

Background:

Marine animal diversity in the fossil record appears to correlate with marine sedimentary rock abundance.
The degree to which this correlation reflects geological sampling bias is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether marine animal diversity patterns are influenced by factors beyond geological sampling bias.
To explore the relationship between Earth system processes and Phanerozoic marine biodiversity.

Main Methods:

Analysis of Phanerozoic records of seawater chemistry and continental flooding.
Statistical examination of covariation between environmental variables and fossil diversity data.
Interrogation of long-term interactions among geological, chemical, and biological datasets.

Main Results:

Marine animal diversity data contains information independent of sedimentary rock quantity and sampling.
Long-term interactions among continental flooding, sulfur and carbon cycling, and macroevolution were identified.
Mutual responses within interacting Earth systems, rather than sampling biases, explain much of the observed covariation.

Conclusions:

Phanerozoic patterns of sedimentation and fossil biodiversity are primarily driven by interacting Earth systems.
Biodiversity changes are linked to environmental records reflecting biotic responses to ocean redox conditions and sea-level fluctuations.
Plate tectonics-driven sea-level changes and ocean chemistry shifts are key drivers of macroevolutionary patterns.