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First macrobiota biomineralization was environmentally triggered.

Rachel Wood1, Andrey Yu Ivantsov2, Andrey Yu Zhuravlev3,4

  • 1School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE, UK rachel.wood@ed.ac.uk.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|March 31, 2017
PubMed
Summary

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The earliest large skeletons appeared around 550 million years ago, likely due to environmental factors like high alkalinity and oxygen levels. Calcification was an independent trait acquired by diverse groups, not a universal evolutionary step.

Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Geochemistry
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • The origin of large and diverse skeletons in the Ediacaran period (ca. 550 Ma) remains poorly understood.
  • Ediacaran skeletal biota often exhibit thin walls, simple microstructures (aragonite or high-Mg calcite), and flexibility.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the origins and environmental context of early biomineralization.
  • To explore the relationship between soft-bodied organisms and early skeletal macrobiota.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of skeletal fossils in carbonate rocks and their soft-bodied counterparts in clastic rocks.
  • Examination of fossil evidence including *Suvorovella*, tubular, and vase-shaped forms.

Main Results:

Keywords:
Ediacaranbiomineralizationcarbonate supersaturationmacrobiotametazoans

Related Experiment Videos

  • Earliest skeletal macrobiota had soft-bodied counterparts, indicating calcification was a derived trait.
  • Calcification likely occurred independently in diverse taxa (unicellular eukaryotes, cnidarians, etc.) facilitated by organic scaffolds.
  • Ediacaran carbonate environments (high alkalinity, specific seawater chemistry) favored easy acquisition of skeletons.
  • Changing seawater Mg/Ca ratios and/or increased oxygen levels may have triggered Ediacaran biomineralization.

Conclusions:

  • Calcification was an independently acquired, derived trait in the Ediacaran, enabled by organic scaffolds and favorable marine chemistry.
  • Environmental triggers for biomineralization included seawater chemistry and oxygen levels.
  • By the Early Cambrian, biomineralization diversified, possibly driven by predation pressure and genetic/molecular constraints.