Biomineralization: Integrating mechanism and evolutionary history
Pupa U P A Gilbert1,2, Kristin D Bergmann3, Nicholas Boekelheide3
1Departments of Physics, Chemistry, Geoscience, and Materials Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
Science Advances
|March 9, 2022
Summary
Calcium carbonate biomineralizing organisms are vital to Earth's history and carbon cycle. Understanding their evolution and environmental responses is key to predicting future ocean changes.
Area of Science:
- Paleontology
- Biomineralization
- Marine Biology
Background:
- Calcium carbonate (CaCO3) biomineralization has profoundly influenced life's history and the global carbon cycle over the past 541 million years.
- Marine organism diversification and mass extinctions are linked to physiological adaptations to environmental shifts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a unified model for CaCO3 biomineralization applicable across all phyla.
- To illuminate the evolutionary record of calcifying organisms and predict their response to 21st-century global change.
Main Methods:
- Review of CaCO3 skeleton formation mechanisms.
- Integration of evolutionary history, omics data, and meta-analysis of isotopic data.
- Development of a cross-phyla biomineralization model.
Main Results:
- Biomineralization evolved convergently across diverse phyla, indicating shared underlying mechanisms.
- The proposed model offers a framework for assessing environmental sensitivity in marine calcifiers.
Conclusions:
- An integrated understanding of CaCO3 biomineralization is crucial for interpreting past mass extinctions and modern oceanic changes.
- The model aids in predicting the resilience of calcifying organisms in acidifying oceans.
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