Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

What is Evolutionary History?

What is Evolutionary History?

Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.

The Fossil Record

The Fossil Record

The fossil record documents only a small fraction of all organisms that have ever inhabited Earth. Fossilization is a rare process, and most organisms never become fossils. Moreover, the fossil record only exhibits fossils that have been discovered. Nevertheless, sedimentary rock fossils of long-lived, abundant, hard-bodied organisms dominate the fossil record. These fossils offer valuable information, such as an organism's physical form, behavior, and age. Studying the fossil record helps...

Speciation Rates

Speciation Rates

Eukaryotic Evolution

Eukaryotic Evolution

The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...

The Evidence for Evolution

The Evidence for Evolution

Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.

Threats to Biodiversity

Threats to Biodiversity

There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Functional morphology of the Cambrian archaeocyath sponge Yukonensis.

PloS one·2026

Same author

Paleontology: A diverse biota in the shadow of a mass extinction?

Current biology : CB·2026

Same author

Localized and Transient Oxygenation of Shallow Oceans of Southwestern Laurentia at the Ediacaran-Cambrian Boundary.

Geobiology·2025

Same author

Community hydrodynamics created ecological opportunity in Ediacaran shallow marine ecosystems.

PNAS nexus·2025

Same author

'Earth system engineers' and the cumulative impact of organisms in deep time.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2025

Same author

In Science Journals.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2025

Same journal

Can habitat modification in the native range promote invasion?

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026

Same journal

The host-microbiome dimension of ecological regime shifts.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026

Same journal

The emerging field of wild animal welfare science.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026

Same journal

Integrating nutritional mutualists into the evolution of defense.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026

Same journal

Formation of three great Asian plateaus, climate change, and biodiversity: (Trends Ecol. Evol. 40, 970-982; 2025).

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026

Same journal

Digital twins as a tool for ecosystem research.

Trends in ecology & evolution·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment

Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment

Published on: February 27, 2021

Ediacaran Extinction and Cambrian Explosion.

Simon A F Darroch¹, Emily F Smith², Marc Laflamme³

¹Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235-1805, USA.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

|July 16, 2018

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The Ediacaran-Cambrian transition saw two extinction pulses, impacting early life. The latest Ediacaran fauna, appearing after these events, shows early Cambrian traits, possibly marking the Cambrian Explosion's start.

Keywords:

Cambrian Ediacaran biotic replacement environmental perturbation explosion extinction

More Related Videos

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Published on: January 19, 2018

Laboratory Simulation of an IronII-rich Precambrian Marine Upwelling System to Explore the Growth of Photosynthetic Bacteria

Laboratory Simulation of an IronII-rich Precambrian Marine Upwelling System to Explore the Growth of Photosynthetic Bacteria

Published on: July 24, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment

Simulation of Early Earth Hydrothermal Chimneys in a Thermal Gradient Environment

Published on: February 27, 2021

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Resurrection of Dormant Daphnia magna: Protocol and Applications

Published on: January 19, 2018

Laboratory Simulation of an IronII-rich Precambrian Marine Upwelling System to Explore the Growth of Photosynthetic Bacteria

Laboratory Simulation of an IronII-rich Precambrian Marine Upwelling System to Explore the Growth of Photosynthetic Bacteria

Published on: July 24, 2016

Area of Science:

Geobiology
Paleontology
Evolutionary Biology

Background:

The Ediacaran-Cambrian transition is a pivotal period of geobiological change.
This era witnessed the Earth's first crisis of macroscopic eukaryotic life and subsequent evolutionary diversification.

Purpose of the Study:

To review and contrast models of late Ediacaran extinction.
To summarize existing evidence supporting these extinction models.
To identify critical research questions for understanding this geological interval.

Main Methods:

Review of paleontological data.
Analysis of extinction patterns at the White Sea-Nama transition and the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary.
Comparative analysis of late Ediacaran and Cambrian faunas.

Main Results:

Evidence suggests two distinct extinction pulses during the late Ediacaran.
The first pulse occurred at the White Sea-Nama transition, preceding a metazoan fauna.
The second pulse coincided with the Ediacaran-Cambrian boundary.

Conclusions:

The latest Ediacaran fauna exhibits more similarities to Cambrian life than to earlier Ediacaran life.
This fauna may represent the initial phase of the Cambrian Explosion.
Further research is needed to fully elucidate the drivers and consequences of these extinction events.