Biological diversification linked to environmental stabilization following the Sturtian Snowball glaciation
Abstract
The body fossil and biomarker records hint at an increase in biotic complexity between the two Cryogenian Snowball Earth episodes (ca. 661 million to ≤650 million years ago). Oxygen and nutrient availability can promote biotic complexity, but nutrient (particularly phosphorus) and redox dynamics across this interval remain poorly understood. Here, we present high-resolution paleoredox and phosphorus phase association data from multiple globally distributed drill core records through the non-glacial interval. These data are first correlated regionally by litho- and chemostratigraphy, and then calibrated within a series of global chronostratigraphic frameworks. The combined data show that regional differences in postglacial redox stabilization were partly controlled by the intensity of phosphorus recycling from marine sediments. The apparent increase in biotic complexity followed a global transition to more stable and less reducing conditions in shallow to mid-depth marine environments and occurred within a tolerable climatic window during progressive cooling after post-Snowball super-greenhouse conditions.
Copyright and License
© 2023 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works. Distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (CC BY).
Acknowledgement
We thank I. Fairchild, T. Spencer, and L. Alcott for insightful discussion.
Funding
This work was supported by NERC project NE/R010129/1 (to F.T.B., S.W.P., B.J.W.M., and G.A.S.), NERC SPHERES Doctoral Training Partnership NE/L002574/1 (to A.J.K.), National Natural Science Foundation of China 42063009 (to Y.F.), and Australian Research Council ARC DP170100556 ARC DP200100004 (to J.J.B.).
Contributions
Conceptualization: F.T.B., S.W.P., and A.J.K. Methodology: F.T.B., S.W.P., B.J.W.M., A.J.K., and G.L.H. Investigation: F.T.B., S.W.P., A.J.K., Y.S., M.A.K., K.-J.H., Y.F., B.S., X.-K.Z., J.L., L.M.v.M., J.J.B., B.J.W.M., and G.L.H. Visualization: F.T.B. Supervision: S.W.P., G.A.S., and B.J.W.M. Writing—original draft: F.T.B. Writing—review and editing: F.T.B., S.W.P., G.A.S., A.J.K., Y.S., B.J.W.M., J.J.B., M.A.K., and G.L.H.
Data Availability
Full compilation of Cryogenian data and references is provided with corresponding age models in table S1, and radiometric ages and corresponding references are provided in table S3. Data analyzed in this study are provided in full in tables S4 and S5. All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper and/or the Supplementary Materials.
Ethics
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Files
sciadv.adf9999.pdf
Additional details
Identifiers
- PMCID
- PMC10456883
Funding
- Natural Environment Research Council
- NE/R010129/1
- Natural Environment Research Council
- NE/L002574/1
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- 42063009
- Australian Research Council
- DP170100556
- Australian Research Council
- DP200100004