2014/11/26 by Nicholas J. Butterfield · 7 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · #Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils #Protist diversity and phylogeny #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
paper · doi:10.1111/pala.12139
Abstract The evolution of eukaryotes represents one of the most fundamental transitions in the history of life on Earth; however, there is little consensus as to when or over what timescale it occurred. Review of recent hypotheses and data in a phylogenetic context yields a broadly coherent account. Critical re‐assessment of the palaeontological record provides convincing evidence for the presence of crown‐group eukaryotes in the late Palaeoproterozic, and stem‐group eukaryotes extending back to the early Archaean. Despite their relatively early establishment, crown‐eukaryotes appear not to have become ecologically significant until the middle Neoproterozoic. I argue that this billion‐year delay was due to the singular, contingent evolution of crown‐group animals and their unique capacity to drive co‐evolutionary change.