Marine redox fluctuation as a potential trigger for the Cambrian explosion

Research Article| May 30, 2018 Marine redox fluctuation as a potential trigger for the Cambrian explosion Guang-Yi Wei; Guang-Yi Wei * 1State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Department of Earth Sciences, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China2Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA *E-mails: wgynjues@gmail.com, guangyi.wei@yale.edu; lida@nju.edu.cn; hfling@nju.edu.cn Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Noah J. Planavsky; Noah J. Planavsky 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Lidya G. Tarhan; Lidya G. Tarhan 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Xi Chen; Xi Chen 1State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Department of Earth Sciences, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Wei Wei; Wei Wei 1State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Department of Earth Sciences, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Da Li; Da Li * 1State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Department of Earth Sciences, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China *E-mails: wgynjues@gmail.com, guangyi.wei@yale.edu; lida@nju.edu.cn; hfling@nju.edu.cn Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Hong-Fei Ling Hong-Fei Ling * 1State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Department of Earth Sciences, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China *E-mails: wgynjues@gmail.com, guangyi.wei@yale.edu; lida@nju.edu.cn; hfling@nju.edu.cn Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Guang-Yi Wei * 1State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Department of Earth Sciences, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China2Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA Noah J. Planavsky 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA Lidya G. Tarhan 2Department of Geology and Geophysics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA Xi Chen 1State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Department of Earth Sciences, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China Wei Wei 1State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Department of Earth Sciences, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China Da Li * 1State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Department of Earth Sciences, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China Hong-Fei Ling * 1State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, Department of Earth Sciences, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China *E-mails: wgynjues@gmail.com, guangyi.wei@yale.edu; lida@nju.edu.cn; hfling@nju.edu.cn Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 07 Feb 2018 Revision Received: 26 Apr 2018 Accepted: 01 May 2018 First Online: 30 May 2018 Online Issn: 1943-2682 Print Issn: 0091-7613 © 2018 Geological Society of America Geology (2018) 46 (7): 587–590. https://doi.org/10.1130/G40150.1 Article history Received: 07 Feb 2018 Revision Received: 26 Apr 2018 Accepted: 01 May 2018 First Online: 30 May 2018 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Guang-Yi Wei, Noah J. Planavsky, Lidya G. Tarhan, Xi Chen, Wei Wei, Da Li, Hong-Fei Ling; Marine redox fluctuation as a potential trigger for the Cambrian explosion. Geology 2018;; 46 (7): 587–590. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G40150.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract The diversification of metazoans during the latest Neoproterozoic and early Cambrian has been attributed to, among other factors, a progressive rise in surface oxygen levels. However, recent results have also questioned the idea of a prominent rise in atmospheric oxygen levels or a major or unidirectional shift in the marine redox landscape across this interval. Here, we present new carbonate-associated uranium isotope data from upper Ediacaran to lower Cambrian marine carbonate successions. These data provide evidence for short-lived episodes of widespread marine anoxia near the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition and during Cambrian Age 2 (ca. 525 Ma). We suggest that biotic turnover and resulting ecological restructuring, triggered by marine redox fluctuations rather than progressive oxygenation, were the dominant drivers of the Cambrian explosion. Episodes of harsh environmental conditions against a backdrop of Proterozoic–Phanerozoic oceanic oxygenation on the eve of the Cambrian explosion could have, by promoting ecosystem restructuring, spurred the diversification of the Cambrian Evolutionary Fauna. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.