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Related Concept Videos

The Tree of Life - Bacteria, Archaea, Eukaryotes02:40

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The “tree of life” describes the evolution of life and the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The root of the tree is the common ancestor to all life on Earth. All other species radiate from this point, much like the branches of a tree. The numerous tips of these branches on the tree of life represent every living, or extant, species. Extinct species, which are species that no longer exist, can be found towards the center of the tree. Currently, these organisms, both...
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Biodiversity describes the variety of living things at multiple organizational levels: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Species diversity includes all branches of the evolutionary tree from single-celled prokaryotic organisms, bacteria, and archaea, to the eukaryotic kingdoms: plants; animals; fungi; and protists. To date, there have been about 1.75 million species identified, and new species are discovered every week.
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Eukaryotic Evolution01:24

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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.
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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...
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Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
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Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 4, 2025

An Aquatic Microbial Metaproteomics Workflow: From Cells to Tryptic Peptides Suitable for Tandem Mass Spectrometry-based Analysis
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Quantifying the global biodiversity of Proterozoic eukaryotes.

Qing Tang1,2,3, Wentao Zheng4, Shuhan Zhang1

  • 1State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, and Frontiers Science Center for Critical Earth Material Cycling, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|December 19, 2024
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Proterozoic eukaryote fossil diversity is quantified, revealing Cryogenian glaciations as a key evolutionary divide. This period separates prolonged stasis from the Ediacaran

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Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Macroevolution
  • Geological Time Scales

Background:

  • Quantifying Proterozoic eukaryote fossil diversity is crucial for understanding early Earth macroevolutionary patterns.
  • Previous assessments of early life diversity are limited, hindering comprehensive analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To construct a quantitative assessment of fossil eukaryote diversity from the Paleoproterozoic to the early Cambrian.
  • To identify major evolutionary shifts and their correlation with geological events.

Main Methods:

  • Comprehensive compilation of fossil eukaryote data.
  • Quantitative analyses to generate a taxonomic richness curve.
  • Correlation of diversity patterns with paleoclimatic events, specifically Cryogenian glaciations.

Main Results:

  • A new taxonomic richness curve for fossil eukaryotes from the Paleoproterozoic to early Cambrian was generated.
  • Cryogenian glaciations were identified as a significant evolutionary divide.
  • The
  • Boring Billion
  • period showed prolonged evolutionary stasis.
  • The Ediacaran period exhibited increased diversity, rapid turnover, and multiple radiations and extinctions.

Conclusions:

  • The Proterozoic Eon experienced distinct evolutionary phases separated by major glaciations.
  • These findings provide a framework for testing hypotheses on biosphere-geosphere coevolution.
  • The study highlights the dynamic nature of early eukaryote evolution.