Author
Listed:
- Lennart M. Maldegem
(Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
University of Bremen
The Australian National University)
- Pierre Sansjofre
(Université de Bretagne Occidentale)
- Johan W. H. Weijers
(Shell Global Solutions International B.V.)
- Klaus Wolkenstein
(Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry
University of Göttingen)
- Paul K. Strother
(Boston College)
- Lars Wörmer
(University of Bremen)
- Jens Hefter
(Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research)
- Benjamin J. Nettersheim
(Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
University of Bremen)
- Yosuke Hoshino
(Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
Georgia Institute of Technology)
- Stefan Schouten
(Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and Utrecht University
Utrecht University)
- Jaap S. Sinninghe Damsté
(Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) and Utrecht University
Utrecht University)
- Nilamoni Nath
(Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry
Gauhati University)
- Christian Griesinger
(Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry)
- Nikolay B. Kuznetsov
(Russian Academy of Sciences
Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas
Russian Academy of Sciences)
- Marcel Elie
(Petroleum Development Oman (PDO))
- Marcus Elvert
(University of Bremen)
- Erik Tegelaar
(Shell Global Solutions International B.V.)
- Gerd Gleixner
(Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry)
- Christian Hallmann
(Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry
University of Bremen)
Abstract
Eukaryotic algae rose to ecological relevance after the Neoproterozoic Snowball Earth glaciations, but the causes for this consequential evolutionary transition remain enigmatic. Cap carbonates were globally deposited directly after these glaciations, but they are usually organic barren or thermally overprinted. Here we show that uniquely-preserved cap dolostones of the Araras Group contain exceptional abundances of a newly identified biomarker: 25,28-bisnorgammacerane. Its secular occurrence, carbon isotope systematics and co-occurrence with other demethylated terpenoids suggest a mechanistic connection to extensive microbial degradation of ciliate-derived biomass in bacterially dominated ecosystems. Declining 25,28-bisnorgammacerane concentrations, and a parallel rise of steranes over hopanes, indicate the transition from a bacterial to eukaryotic dominated ecosystem after the Marinoan deglaciation. Nutrient levels already increased during the Cryogenian and were a prerequisite, but not the ultimate driver for the algal rise. Intense predatory pressure by bacterivorous protists may have irrevocably cleared self-sustaining cyanobacterial ecosystems, thereby creating the ecological opportunity that allowed for the persistent rise of eukaryotic algae to global importance.
Suggested Citation
Lennart M. Maldegem & Pierre Sansjofre & Johan W. H. Weijers & Klaus Wolkenstein & Paul K. Strother & Lars Wörmer & Jens Hefter & Benjamin J. Nettersheim & Yosuke Hoshino & Stefan Schouten & Jaap S. S, 2019.
"Bisnorgammacerane traces predatory pressure and the persistent rise of algal ecosystems after Snowball Earth,"
Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-11, December.
Handle:
RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-08306-x
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-08306-x
Download full text from publisher
Corrections
All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-08306-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.
If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.
We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .
If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.
For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .
Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through
the various RePEc services.