Abstract
The Ediacaran Period (635–539 Ma) witnessed the emergence of early animals, rapid oceanic oxygenation, and rising oceanic P availability. However, the relationships among these developments remain intensely debated. Here, we present high-resolution carbonate-associated phosphate (CAP) data from seven Ediacaran sections spanning diverse depositional environments across South China. Contrary to the modern ocean, our measurements reveal an inverted phosphorus (P) gradient, with lower P availability at depth. By integrating these data with a quantitative biogeochemical model, we show that increasing shallow-water P inputs drove enhanced productivity and bottom-water anoxia on continental shelves, while P-starved distal oceans became progressively oxygenated from the top downward, providing an oxygenated niche—a deep-ocean cradle—for early metazoan evolution. Our study establishes a conceptual framework linking nutrient dynamics, marine oxygenation, and evolutionary innovation in Earth’s early history.
Acknowledgements
M.S.D. acknowledges support from the International Exchange Programme for Postdoctoral Researchers of China, the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, the Forrest Research Foundation, and the UWA School of Earth and Oceans.
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grants #42130208 and #42425002) and the National Key Research and Development Programme of China (2022YFF0800100) awarded to C.L. and a Forrest Research Fellowship awarded to M.S.D. A.S. acknowledges support for RV Sonne cruises funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF grant 03G0185A).
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Dodd, M.S., Li, C., Cheng, M. et al. Reversed marine phosphorus gradient in the Ediacaran Ocean.
Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-77093-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-77093-z
Source: Ecology - nature.com
