Sara Sjosten
Escaping the Microbial Loop: Emergence of Complex Ecosystems in the Neoproterozoic
Background
MSci Geological Sciences
PhD
Escaping the Microbial Loop: Emergence of Complex Ecosystems in the NeoproterozoicMy research explores the emergence of complex life on Earth. For billions of years, life consisted only of simple prokaryotic microbes living in a largely anoxic ocean. But during the Neoproterozoic Era (1000-541 million years ago) that all changed, and complex eukaryotes, such as algae, protists and eventually multicellular organisms like animals emerged. At the same time, oxygen levels in the ocean began to rise, and Earth’s geochemical cycles underwent major transformations.
Why did complex life suddenly radiate? And how are these evolutionary changes connected to big shifts in oxygen and nutrient cycles at the time? To explore these questions, I build coupled ecological and geochemical models of ancient shelf seas. These models allow me to explore the relationship between ecological community dynamics and redox structure in the ocean over geological time. I develop my models using the open-source, Julia-based modeling framework PALEOtoolkit.
Supervisors
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Lead Supervisor
Professor Tim Lenton
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Co-Supervisor
Stuart Daines
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Co-Supervisor
Peter Roopnarine