The dramatic increase in ocean-atmosphere oxygen levels during the Devonian and Mississippian is increasingly linked to the diversification of land plants, yet the timing and extent of this event remain uncertain. This study uses the redox-sensitive rare earth element cerium (cerium anomaly—Ce/Ce*) to investigate ocean redox conditions during the deposition of globally distributed Paleozoic carbonate strata. Our Paleozoic Ce/Ce* record suggests that Cambrian, Ordovician, and Silurian oceans had relatively low O2 levels (mean Ce/Ce* = 0.86 ± 0.10, 0.91 ± 0.14, and 0.91 ± 0.10 [±1σ], respectively). In contrast, short-lived ocean oxygenation events, possibly related to the diversification of small land plants, likely occurred throughout the Early and Middle Devonian (mean Ce/Ce* = 0.80 ± 0.07 and 0.58 ± 0.14, respectively). “Modern” Ce/Ce* values (<0.36) first occurred during the Late Devonian, suggesting that the main phase of Devonian and Mississippian oceanic oxygenation was related to the evolution of large vascular plants and the first forests. Despite this, the significant variability of Ce/Ce* values during this time suggests that shallow marine settings were susceptible to redox instability, possibly caused by upwelling of anoxic deep waters. This redox instability potentially provides evidence of a mechanism for contemporaneous mass extinction and metazoan reef collapse events. Development of strongly oxic conditions during the Late Devonian may have resulted in the demise of many Paleozoic-type organisms, facilitated the radiation of the modern evolutionary fauna, and established the modern oxygenated ocean-atmosphere system.
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Research Article|
October 08, 2024
Early Publication
Ocean oxygenation and ecological restructuring caused by the late Paleozoic evolution of land plants
Jack Stacey;
Jack Stacey
1
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Malcolm W. Wallace;
Malcolm W. Wallace
1
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Ashleigh v.S. Hood;
Ashleigh v.S. Hood
1
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Alice M. Shuster;
Alice M. Shuster
1
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
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Hilary Corlett;
Hilary Corlett
2
Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 3X5, Canada
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Christopher P. Reed;
Christopher P. Reed
3
Teck Australia Pty Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 6005, Australia
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Conor Moynihan
Conor Moynihan
3
Teck Australia Pty Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 6005, Australia
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Jack Stacey
1
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
Malcolm W. Wallace
1
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
Ashleigh v.S. Hood
1
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
Alice M. Shuster
1
School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3010, Australia
Hilary Corlett
2
Department of Earth Sciences, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland A1B 3X5, Canada
Christopher P. Reed
3
Teck Australia Pty Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 6005, Australia
Conor Moynihan
3
Teck Australia Pty Ltd., Perth, Western Australia 6005, Australia
Publisher: Geological Society of America
Received:
20 Jun 2024
Revision Received:
18 Sep 2024
Accepted:
25 Sep 2024
First Online:
08 Oct 2024
Online ISSN: 1943-2682
Print ISSN: 0091-7613
© 2024 Geological Society of America
Geology (2024)
Article history
Received:
20 Jun 2024
Revision Received:
18 Sep 2024
Accepted:
25 Sep 2024
First Online:
08 Oct 2024
Citation
Jack Stacey, Malcolm W. Wallace, Ashleigh v.S. Hood, Alice M. Shuster, Hilary Corlett, Christopher P. Reed, Conor Moynihan; Ocean oxygenation and ecological restructuring caused by the late Paleozoic evolution of land plants. Geology 2024; doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G52502.1
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