Few topics in geobiology have been as extensively debated as the role of Earth's
oxygenation in controlling when and why animals emerged and diversified. All currently …

The emergence and expansion of complex eukaryotic life on Earth is linked at a basic level
to the secular evolution of surface oxygen levels. However, the role that planetary redox …

A rise in the oxygen content of the atmosphere and oceans is one of the most popular
explanations for the relatively late and abrupt appearance of animal life on Earth. In this …

The oxygenation of the atmosphere—one of the most fundamental transformations in Earth's
history—dramatically altered the chemical composition of the oceans and provides a …

Recent studies challenge the classical view that the origin of animal life was primarily
controlled by atmospheric oxygen levels. For example, some modern sponges, representing …

The modern biosphere owes its idiosyncratic expression to the activities of oxygen
metabolizing organisms, especially animals and eukaryotes (Butterfield, 2011). And with a …

Living animals display a variety of morphological, physiological, and biochemical characters
that enable them to live in low-oxygen environments. These features and the organisms that …

The long history of life on Earth has unfolded as a cause-and-effect relationship with the
evolving amount of oxygen (O2) in the oceans and atmosphere. Oxygen deficiency …

It is generally agreed that early diversification of animals and significant rise of atmospheric
and oceanic oxygen (O2) levels occurred in the Ediacaran (635–541 million years ago, Ma) …

Atmospheric oxygen concentration has increased over Earth history, from∼ 0 before 2.5
billion years ago to its present-day concentration of 21%. The initial rise in pO 2 …