Collaborative Research: The Rise and Fall of the Neoproterozoic Era in Siberia: Connections between Tectonics, Ocean Chemistry, and Biologic Innovation

合作研究：西伯利亚新元古代的兴衰：构造、海洋化学和生物创新之间的联系

• 批准号: 2020593
• 负责人: Alan Kaufman
• 金额: $ 30.17万
• 依托单位: University of Maryland, College Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-08-01 至 2024-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2020593&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Rise; Fall; Neoproterozoic

The co-evolution of life and environment is one of the most compelling stories in Earth's 4.5 billion year history. For eons, simple, single-celled organisms dominated the Earth's oceans, until the first organisms with a cell nucleus began to proliferate about a billion years ago. Then, in the geologic blink of an eye approximately 550 million years ago, complex animals burst onto the scene. The timing of these two extraordinary evolutionary events has been one of the most enduring mysteries in the natural sciences. In this proposal, the principal investigators test an intriguing hypothesis that both of these evolutionary transitions were catalyzed by major mountain-building events that delivered nutrients to the oceans, and changed the amount of biologically-critical oxygen available for use by marine organisms. To test this hypothesis, the science team will measure minute differences in the masses of the chemical elements lithium (Li) and uranium (U) preserved in ancient limestone deposits from Siberia. These rocks from Siberia preserve a spectacular record of life in the oceans across these two evolutionary transitions, and new data generated from this project aim to provide a fresh look at the fundamental processes that drive evolutionary change on Earth. The researchers will also lead a broad outreach program aimed at bringing field geology and university internships to high school students in Maryland and Virginia. Specifically, spectaculargeologic formations exposed in West Virginia will be presented to students both virtually and in person, with the broad goal of training the next generation of geoscientists.The 'big bang of eukaryotic evolution' across the Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic transition, and the subsequent proliferation of animals across the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition, mark two of the most critical biological transformations in Earth history. Intriguingly, both of these evolutionary events are associated with intense periods of global mountain-building, which may have delivered nutrients and changed the redox balance of the ocean-atmosphere system. To test the linkages between global tectonics, ocean oxygenation, and biological innovation, this project will measure the isotopic composition of lithium (Li) and uranium (U) in marine carbonate successions from Siberia that span each of these critical transitions in Earth history. Li isotopes are a sensitive barometer for the silicate weathering system, and U isotopes are a powerful new tool for ocean redox quantification. Pairing these isotopes with sedimentological and paleontological data from fossil-rich successions in Siberia promises to provide new insights into the environmental conditions that accompanied early eukaryotic and animal evolution on Earth.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

生活与环境的共同发展是地球45亿年历史上最引人注目的故事之一。对于Eons来说，简单的单细胞生物占据了地球的海洋，直到第一个具有细胞核的生物开始扩散约十亿年前。然后，在大约5.5亿年前的眼睛的地质眨眼中，复杂的动物冲向现场。这两个非凡的进化事件的时机一直是自然科学中最持久的谜团之一。在该提案中，主要研究人员检验了一个有趣的假设，即这两种进化过渡都是通过将养分运送到海洋的重大山间建设事件催化的，并改变了海洋生物可用于使用的生物临界氧气的量。为了检验这一假设，科学团队将测量在西伯利亚的古代石灰石沉积物中保存的化学元素锂（Li）和铀（U）的微小差异。西伯利亚的这些岩石保留了这两个进化过渡的海洋生命记录，并且该项目产生的新数据旨在对推动地球进化变化的基本过程进行全面了解。研究人员还将领导一项广泛的外展计划，旨在将实地地质和大学实习带给马里兰州和弗吉尼亚州的高中生。 Specifically, spectaculargeologic formations exposed in West Virginia will be presented to students both virtually and in person, with the broad goal of training the next generation of geoscientists.The 'big bang of eukaryotic evolution' across the Mesoproterozoic-Neoproterozoic transition, and the subsequent proliferation of animals across the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition, mark two of the most critical biological transformations in Earth history.有趣的是，这两个进化事件都与全球山区建设的强烈时期有关，这可能已经提供了营养，并改变了海洋 - 大气系统的氧化还原平衡。为了测试全球构造，海洋氧合和生物创新之间的联系，该项目将测量来自西伯利亚的海洋碳酸盐术中锂（Li）和铀（U）的同位素组成，这些碳酸盐是跨越地球历史上这些关键过渡的每一个。 LI同位素是用于硅酸盐风化系统的敏感晴雨表，U同位素是海洋氧化还原定量的强大新工具。将这些同位素与西伯利亚化石富裕的继任的沉积学和古生物学数据相结合，有望提供对伴随着地球早期真核生物和动物进化的环境条件的新见解。这项奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过使用该基金会的知识优点和广泛的影响来评估NSF的法定任务。

项目成果

Dynamic interplay of biogeochemical C, S and Ba cycles in response to the Shuram oxygenation event

• DOI: 10.1144/jgs2021-081
• 发表时间: 2021-10-26
• 期刊: JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
• 影响因子: 2.7
• 作者: Cui, Huan;Kaufman, Alan J.;Guan, Chengguo
• 通讯作者: Guan, Chengguo

An authigenic response to Ediacaran surface oxidation: Remarkable micron-scale isotopic heterogeneity revealed by SIMS

• DOI: 10.1016/j.precamres.2022.106676
• 发表时间: 2022-05-31
• 期刊: PRECAMBRIAN RESEARCH
• 影响因子: 3.8
• 作者: Cui, Huan;Kitajima, Kouki;Valley, John W.
• 通讯作者: Valley, John W.

Deposition or diagenesis? Probing the Ediacaran Shuram excursion in South China by SIMS

• DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2021.103591
• 发表时间: 2021-09-14
• 期刊: GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
• 影响因子: 3.9
• 作者: Cui, Huan;Kitajima, Kouki;Valley, John W.
• 通讯作者: Valley, John W.