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A diverse Ediacara assemblage survived under low-oxygen conditions

Author

Listed:
  • Lucas B. Cherry

    (George Mason University
    University of Maryland)

  • Geoffrey J. Gilleaudeau

    (George Mason University)

  • Dmitriy V. Grazhdankin

    (Russian Academy of Sciences)

  • Stephen J. Romaniello

    (Arizona State University)

  • Aaron J. Martin

    (IPICYT)

  • Alan J. Kaufman

    (University of Maryland)

Abstract

The Ediacaran biota were soft-bodied organisms, many with enigmatic phylogenetic placement and ecology, living in marine environments between 574 and 539 million years ago. Some studies hypothesize a metazoan affinity and aerobic metabolism for these taxa, whereas others propose a fundamentally separate taxonomic grouping and a reliance on chemoautotrophy. To distinguish between these hypotheses and test the redox-sensitivity of Ediacaran organisms, here we present a high-resolution local and global redox dataset from carbonates that contain in situ Ediacaran fossils from Siberia. Cerium anomalies are consistently >1, indicating that local environments, where a diverse Ediacaran assemblage is preserved in situ as nodules and carbonaceous compressions, were pervasively anoxic. Additionally, δ238U values match other terminal Ediacaran sections, indicating widespread marine euxinia. These data suggest that some Ediacaran biotas were tolerant of at least intermittent anoxia, and thus had the capacity for a facultatively anaerobic lifestyle. Alternatively, these soft-bodied Ediacara organisms may have colonized the seafloor during brief oxygenation events not recorded by redox proxy data. Broad temporal correlations between carbon, sulfur, and uranium isotopes further highlight the dynamic redox landscape of Ediacaran-Cambrian evolutionary events.

Suggested Citation

  • Lucas B. Cherry & Geoffrey J. Gilleaudeau & Dmitriy V. Grazhdankin & Stephen J. Romaniello & Aaron J. Martin & Alan J. Kaufman, 2022. "A diverse Ediacara assemblage survived under low-oxygen conditions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:13:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-022-35012-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35012-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. D. A. Fike & J. P. Grotzinger & L. M. Pratt & R. E. Summons, 2006. "Oxidation of the Ediacaran Ocean," Nature, Nature, vol. 444(7120), pages 744-747, December.
    2. Erik A. Sperling & Charles J. Wolock & Alex S. Morgan & Benjamin C. Gill & Marcus Kunzmann & Galen P. Halverson & Francis A. Macdonald & Andrew H. Knoll & David T. Johnston, 2015. "Statistical analysis of iron geochemical data suggests limited late Proterozoic oxygenation," Nature, Nature, vol. 523(7561), pages 451-454, July.
    3. Emily G. Mitchell & Charlotte G. Kenchington & Alexander G. Liu & Jack J. Matthews & Nicholas J. Butterfield, 2015. "Reconstructing the reproductive mode of an Ediacaran macro-organism," Nature, Nature, vol. 524(7565), pages 343-346, August.
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    5. Swapan K. Sahoo & Noah J. Planavsky & Brian Kendall & Xinqiang Wang & Xiaoying Shi & Clint Scott & Ariel D. Anbar & Timothy W. Lyons & Ganqing Jiang, 2012. "Ocean oxygenation in the wake of the Marinoan glaciation," Nature, Nature, vol. 489(7417), pages 546-549, September.
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