The Proterozoic Fossil Record

For the Phanerozoic (538 Ma – present), mapping macroevolutionary patterns using the rich fossil record has allowed scientists to deconvolve these complex relationships between biological innovation, rates of evolution, extinction, ecosystem structure and the dynamic changes in the Earth’s atmosphere, oceans, and land through deep time.

However, the poor quality of the Precambrian fossil record creates a significant challenge for palaeobiologists. Much of this record is represented by organic-walled microfossils (OWMs) found in shales, carbonates, and chert, and further extended by traces of geobiological molecules that indicate an active biosphere in fossil barren rocks.

My current PhD aims are:

• Revisit the relationship between prokaryotes and eukaryotes through changes in microbial community composition expressed in the Proterozoic Microfossil Record through time and space. In particular investigating the effects of taphonomy and paleogeography.

• Investigate microfossil diversity and taphonomy at two major end-members of eukaryotic evolution: (1) in the Paleoproterozoic Rove Formation, Canada, and (2) in the Neoproterozoic Cango Caves and Gamtoos Groups of South Africa.

• To understand the relationship between sediment and organics, ultimately leading to the preservation of biologically informative fossils in the Proterozoic. Understanding this process, and how preservation differs for early microfossils will help us to target where to search for the best evidence of life in a sparse early geological record. 

My research combines a multifaceted toolkit of experimental, field, and computational techniques to understand the origin and evolution of life on Earth, but can also be applicable to the search for potential early life on other planets like Mars.