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1. Integrated carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen isotope chemostratigraphy of the Ediacaran Lantian Formation in South China: Spatial gradient, ocean redox oscillation, and fossil distribution

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12226  

   Wang, W. ; Guan, C. ; Zhou, C. ; Peng, Y. ; Pratt, L. M. ; Chen, X. ; Chen, L. ; Chen, Z. ; Yuan, X. ; Xiao, S. ( January 2017 , Geobiology)

   The Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation in South China is a prime target for geobiological investigation because it offers opportunities to integrate chemostratigraphic and paleobiological data. Previous studies were mostly focused on successions in shallow‐water shelf facies, but data from deep‐water successions are needed to fully understand basinal redox structures. Here, we report δ¹³C_carb, δ¹³C_org, δ³⁴S_pyr, δ³⁴S_CAS, and δ¹⁵N_seddata from a drill core of the fossiliferous Lantian Formation, which is a deep‐water equivalent of the Doushantuo Formation. Our data confirm a large (>10‰) spatial gradient in δ¹³C_carbin the lower Doushantuo/Lantian formations, but this gradient is probably due to the greater sensitivity of carbonate‐poor deep‐water sediments to isotopic mixing with¹³C‐depleted carbonate cements. A pronounced negative δ¹³C_carbexcursion (EN3) in the upper Doushantuo/Lantian formations, however, is spatially consistent and may be an equivalent of the Shuram excursion. δ³⁴S_pyris more negative in deeper‐water facies than in shallow‐water facies, particularly in the lower Doushantuo/Lantian formations, and this spatial pattern is interpreted as evidence for ocean redox stratification: Pyrite precipitated in euxinic deep waters has lower δ³⁴S_pyrthan that formed within shallow‐water sediments. The Lantian Formation was probably deposited in oscillating oxic and euxinic conditions. Euxinic black shales have higherTOCandTNcontents, but lower δ³⁴S_pyrand δ¹⁵N_sedvalues. In euxinic environments, pyrite was predominantly formed in the water column and organic nitrogen was predominantly derived from nitrogen fixation orNH₄⁺assimilation because of quantitative denitrification, resulting in lower δ³⁴S_pyrand δ¹⁵N_sedvalues. Benthic macroalgae and putative animals occur exclusively in euxinic black shales. If preserved in situ, these organisms must have lived in brief oxic episodes punctuating largely euxinic intervals, only to be decimated and preserved when the local environment switched back to euxinia again. Thus, taphonomy and ecology were the primary factors controlling the stratigraphic distribution of macrofossils in the Lantian Formation.

    

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2. A diverse Ediacara assemblage survived under low-oxygen conditions

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-35012-y  

   Cherry, Lucas B. ; Gilleaudeau, Geoffrey J. ; Grazhdankin, Dmitriy V. ; Romaniello, Stephen J. ; Martin, Aaron J. ; Kaufman, Alan J. ( November 2022 , Nature Communications)

   The Ediacaran biota were soft-bodied organisms, many with enigmatic phylogenetic placement and ecology, living in marine environments between 574 and 539 million years ago. Some studies hypothesize a metazoan affinity and aerobic metabolism for these taxa, whereas others propose a fundamentally separate taxonomic grouping and a reliance on chemoautotrophy. To distinguish between these hypotheses and test the redox-sensitivity of Ediacaran organisms, here we present a high-resolution local and global redox dataset from carbonates that contain in situ Ediacaran fossils from Siberia. Cerium anomalies are consistently >1, indicating that local environments, where a diverse Ediacaran assemblage is preserved in situ as nodules and carbonaceous compressions, were pervasively anoxic. Additionally, δ²³⁸U values match other terminal Ediacaran sections, indicating widespread marine euxinia. These data suggest that some Ediacaran biotas were tolerant of at least intermittent anoxia, and thus had the capacity for a facultatively anaerobic lifestyle. Alternatively, these soft-bodied Ediacara organisms may have colonized the seafloor during brief oxygenation events not recorded by redox proxy data. Broad temporal correlations between carbon, sulfur, and uranium isotopes further highlight the dynamic redox landscape of Ediacaran-Cambrian evolutionary events.

    

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3. The role of iron in the formation of Ediacaran ‘death masks’

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12551  

   Gibson, Brandt M. ; Schiffbauer, James D. ; Wallace, Adam F. ; Darroch, Simon A. F. ( February 2023 , Geobiology)

   The Ediacara biota are an enigmatic group of Neoproterozoic soft‐bodied fossils that mark the first major radiation of complex eukaryotic and macroscopic life. These fossils are thought to have been preserved via pyritic “death masks” mediated by seafloor microbial mats, though little about the chemical constraints of this preservational pathway is known, in particular surrounding the role of bioavailable iron in death mask formation and preservational fidelity. In this study, we perform decay experiments on both diploblastic and triploblastic animals under a range of simulated sedimentary iron concentrations, in order to characterize the role of iron in the preservation of Ediacaran organisms. After 28 days of decay, we demonstrate the first convincing “death masks” produced under experimental laboratory conditions composed of iron sulfide and probable oxide veneers. Moreover, our results demonstrate that the abundance of iron in experiments is not the sole control on death mask formation, but also tissue histology and the availability of nucleation sites. This illustrates that Ediacaran preservation via microbial death masks need not be a “perfect storm” of paleoenvironmental porewater and sediment chemistry, but instead can occur under a range of conditions.

    

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4. Carbonate facies‐specific stable isotope data record climate, hydrology, and microbial communities in Great Salt Lake, UT

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12386  

   Ingalls, Miquela ; Frantz, Carie M. ; Snell, Kathryn E. ; Trower, Elizabeth J. ( March 2020 , Geobiology)

   Organic and inorganic stable isotopes of lacustrine carbonate sediments are commonly used in reconstructions of ancient terrestrial ecosystems and environments. Microbial activity and local hydrological inputs can alter porewater chemistry (e.g., pH, alkalinity) and isotopic composition (e.g., δ¹⁸O_water, δ¹³C_DIC), which in turn has the potential to impact the stable isotopic compositions recorded and preserved in lithified carbonate. The fingerprint these syngenetic processes have on lacustrine carbonate facies is yet unknown, however, and thus, reconstructions based on stable isotopes may misinterpret diagenetic records as broader climate signals. Here, we characterize geochemical and stable isotopic variability of carbonate minerals, organic matter, and water within one modern lake that has known microbial influences (e.g., microbial mats and microbialite carbonate) and combine these data with the context provided by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing community profiles. Specifically, we measure oxygen, carbon, and clumped isotopic compositions of carbonate sediments (δ¹⁸O_carb, δ¹³C_carb, ∆₄₇), as well as carbon isotopic compositions of bulk organic matter (δ¹³C_org) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC; δ¹³C_DIC) of lake and porewater in Great Salt Lake, Utah from five sites and three seasons. We find that facies equivalent to ooid grainstones provide time‐averaged records of lake chemistry that reflect minimal alteration by microbial activity, whereas microbialite, intraclasts, and carbonate mud show greater alteration by local microbial influence and hydrology. Further, we find at least one occurrence of ∆₄₇isotopic disequilibrium likely driven by local microbial metabolism during authigenic carbonate precipitation. The remainder of the carbonate materials (primarily ooids, grain coatings, mud, and intraclasts) yield clumped isotope temperatures (T(∆₄₇)), δ¹⁸O_carb, and calculated δ¹⁸O_waterin isotopic equilibrium with ambient water and temperature at the time and site of carbonate precipitation. Our findings suggest that it is possible and necessary to leverage diverse carbonate facies across one sedimentary horizon to reconstruct regional hydroclimate and evaporation–precipitation balance, as well as identify microbially mediated carbonate formation.

    

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5. Uncovering the spatial heterogeneity of Ediacaran carbon cycling

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12222  

   Li, C. ; Hardisty, D. S. ; Luo, G. ; Huang, J. ; Algeo, T. J. ; Cheng, M. ; Shi, W. ; An, Z. ; Tong, J. ; Xie, S. ; et al ( December 2016 , Geobiology)

   Records of the Ediacaran carbon cycle (635–541 million years ago) include the Shuram excursion (SE), the largest negative carbonate carbon isotope excursion in Earth history (down to −12‰). The nature of this excursion remains enigmatic given the difficulties of interpreting a perceived extreme global decrease in the δ¹³C of seawater dissolved inorganic carbon. Here, we present carbonate and organic carbon isotope (δ¹³C_carband δ¹³C_org) records from the Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation along a proximal‐to‐distal transect across the Yangtze Platform of South China as a test of the spatial variation of theSE. Contrary to expectations, our results show that the magnitude and morphology of this excursion and its relationship with coexisting δ¹³C_orgare highly heterogeneous across the platform. Integrated geochemical, mineralogical, petrographic, and stratigraphic evidence indicates that theSEis a primary marine signature. Data compilations demonstrate that theSEwas also accompanied globally by parallel negative shifts of δ³⁴S of carbonate‐associated sulfate (CAS) and increased⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio and coastalCASconcentration, suggesting elevated continental weathering and coastal marine sulfate concentration during theSE. In light of these observations, we propose a heterogeneous oxidation model to explain the high spatial heterogeneity of theSEand coexisting δ¹³C_orgrecords of the Doushantuo, with likely relevance to theSEin other regions. In this model, we infer continued marine redox stratification through theSEbut with increased availability of oxidants (e.g., O₂and sulfate) limited to marginal near‐surface marine environments. Oxidation of limited spatiotemporal extent provides a mechanism to drive heterogeneous oxidation of subsurface reduced carbon mostly in shelf areas. Regardless of the mechanism driving theSE, future models must consider the evidence for spatial heterogeneity in δ¹³C presented in this study.

    

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