[B-PT26_2AM1] Paleogenomics

[BPT26-03] The close correlation between environmental change and evolution of metazoans: Genome duplication and rapid adaptation

*Tsuyoshi KOMIYA¹ (1.Komaba, University of Tokyo)

Keywords:Biological evolution, paleoenvironmental change, Ediacaran, Nutrients of seawater, Evolution of Metazoa and Cambrian explosion, Genome duplication

The Neoproterozoic to Cambrian is one of the most exciting periods when Metazoa first appeared and quickly evolved. The origin and early evolution of Metazoa are very attractive firstly because the events suddenly happened after very long calmness, over 2000 m.y. since the emergence of eukaryotes, and proceeded very quickly, and secondly because appearance of new phylum was limited to this period (Cambrian explosion). Recent paleontology, biomarker study and molecular biology suggested early origin, especially of sponges and cnidarians, and cryptic evolution of the metazoans (e.g. Maloof et al., 2010; Love et al., 2010; Peterson et al., 2008: Sperling et al., 2010, Erwin et al., 2011). On the other hand, recent comprehensive study of multi-elemental and multi-isotopic chemostratigraphies of drill core samples in Three Gorges, Tianping and Beidoushan areas revealed that redox condition and bioessential element contents of seawater such as P, Ca, NO₃^-, Fe, Mn, Mo, and Sr drastically changed from the Neoproterozoic to the Early Cambrian. Sr isotope values display positive excursions at ca. 580, 570-550 and 540 Ma, indicating repeated high continental influxes at those times. P contents of carbonate minerals were very high until ca. 550 Ma, and then decreased, suggesting the seawater was enriched in phosphorus before 550 Ma and then depleted due to oxidation of seawater and deposition of phosphorite. High nitrogen isotope values of organic matter and high Ca isotope values of carbonate rocks indicate that seawater was depleted in NO₃^- and Ca contents until ca. 550 Ma, and then increased. Mo isotopes of black shale, and Fe and Mn contents and REE patterns of carbonate rocks indicate that seawater became more oxic since ca. 550 Ma. In addition, the Mo contents of black shale increased in the Late Ediacaran and Early Cambrian, indicating Mo content of seawater increased due to the oxidation of seawater. On the other hand, iron and manganese contents of carbonate rocks decreased, suggesting that iron and manganese contents of seawater decreased because of the oxidation of seawater.Comparison of the geochemical evidence with biostratigraphy suggests that the emergence of Metazoan in the Early Ediacaran was caused under the relatively less oxic and P-rich condition, whereas their diversification occurred under oxic, NO₃^- and Ca-rich condition. Especially, the transition from phosphorus-rich to NO₃^--rich seawater possibly increased Redfield ratio, and contributed to diversification of more actively mobile multicellular animals. In addition, the comparison of geochemical and paleontological evidence indicates that the biological evolution occurred just after the environmental changes, especially the timing of increase in nutrients, allowing a new insight of biological evolution of multicellular animals. The quick response of biological evolution to the environments suggests that the fundamental innovation for biological functions was already established long before the environmental changes. The quick adaptation implies that early metazoans or a common ancestor have genomes for the functions before they acquired the functions, indicating genome duplication plays important role on the early evolution of metazoans.