New fossil evidence supports theory that first mass extinction engineered by early animals
Published: Friday, July 29, 2016 - 15:06 in Paleontology & Archaeology
Newly discovered fossil evidence from Namibia strengthens the proposition that the world's first mass extinction was caused by "ecosystem engineers" - newly evolved biological organisms that altered the environment so radically it drove older species to extinction. The event, known as the end-Ediacaran extinction, took place 540 million years ago. The earliest life on Earth consisted of microbes - various types of single-celled organisms. These held sway for more than 3 billion years, when the first multicellular organisms evolved. The most successful of these were the Ediacarans, which spread around the globe about 600 million years ago. They were a largely immobile form of marine life shaped like discs and tubes, fronds and quilted mattresses.
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2016/07/29/new.fossil.evidence.supports.theory.first.mass.extinction.engineered.early.animals
