Ediacaran biozones identified with network analysis provide evidence for pulsed extinctions of early complex life

Nature Communications
A D MuscenteA H Knoll

Abstract

Rocks of Ediacaran age (~635-541 Ma) contain the oldest fossils of large, complex organisms and their behaviors. These fossils document developmental and ecological innovations, and suggest that extinctions helped to shape the trajectory of early animal evolution. Conventional methods divide Ediacaran macrofossil localities into taxonomically distinct clusters, which may represent evolutionary, environmental, or preservational variation. Here, we investigate these possibilities with network analysis of body and trace fossil occurrences. By partitioning multipartite networks of taxa, paleoenvironments, and geologic formations into community units, we distinguish between biostratigraphic zones and paleoenvironmentally restricted biotopes, and provide empirically robust and statistically significant evidence for a global, cosmopolitan assemblage unique to terminal Ediacaran strata. The assemblage is taxonomically depauperate but includes fossils of recognizable eumetazoans, which lived between two episodes of biotic turnover. These turnover events were the first major extinctions of complex life and paved the way for the Cambrian radiation of animals.

References

Sep 3, 1993·Science·S A BowringP Kolosov
Feb 9, 2005·Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics·Aaron ClausetCristopher Moore
Jun 4, 2008·Physical Review. E, Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics·Brian KarrerM E J Newman
Oct 28, 2008·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Shuhai Xiao, Marc Laflamme
Feb 1, 2003·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Ben Waggoner
Oct 26, 2012·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Maria DornelasMark Vellend
Jun 7, 2014·Science·Maria DornelasAnne E Magurran
Feb 17, 2015·Current Biology : CB·Arye HarelDebashish Bhattacharya
Apr 23, 2015·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Mary L Droser, James G Gehling
Sep 4, 2015·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Simon A F DarrochMarc Laflamme
Jun 2, 2016·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Luis A BuatoisMark A Wilson
Mar 16, 2018·Scientific Reports·Luis A BuatoisGerard J B Germs
Apr 25, 2018·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·A D MuscenteAndrew H Knoll
May 4, 2018·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Ádám T KocsisWolfgang Kiessling
Jul 17, 2018·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Simon A F DarrochDouglas H Erwin

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations

Jan 12, 2020·Nature Communications·James D SchiffbauerEmily F Smith
Sep 23, 2020·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Brandt M GibsonSimon A F Darroch
Feb 9, 2020·Scientific Reports·William J FosterRowan C Martindale
Jul 10, 2020·Interface Focus·M Gabriela Mángano, Luis A Buatois
Jul 28, 2019·Nature Communications·Qing TangShuhai Xiao
Jul 10, 2020·Interface Focus·Emily G MitchellDmitriy V Grazhdankin
Jan 7, 2021·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Bruno Becker-KerberMarc Laflamme
Mar 10, 2021·Communications Biology·Alexis RojasMartin Rosvall
Apr 6, 2021·IScience·Anshuman SwainWilliam F Fagan
Apr 17, 2021·Science·Fernando BlancoJuan L Cantalapiedra

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
ICE

Software Mentioned

vaznull
igraph
lpbrim
bipartite
ggplot2
vegan
MATLAB
ggnetwork
R
pvclust

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
Graham E Budd, S Jensen
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
Graham E Budd
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved