Objective
Life on earth is ancient, with a record extending back for two thirds of the 4,500 million years of Earth history. Some 530 million years ago, at the end of the Precambrian, mineralized remains of a wide variety of marine organisms abruptly appeared in such abundance and diversity within the geological record that the event has come to be known as the Cambrian Explosion.
This research project represents an interdisciplinary approach to the early history of life in the general time interval of the Cambrian Explosion, adding the dimension of incomprehensibly long periods of geological time to the modern evolutionary and environmental debate. A central theme is to elucidate the conditions that prevailed on earth during this important time span by integrating studies of metazoan fossils, the organic remains of planktonic microfossils and geochemical studies of prevailing environments.
The following research topics will be addressed: the early fossil biosphere as a testing ground for hypotheses derived from the molecular biological record of the living biota; patterns of metazoan diversification following the Cambrian Explosion, notably with reference to the Phyla Brachiopoda and Mollusca; pathways of evolution, biostratigraphy of the Precambrian - early Phanerozoic; and geochemistry of palaeo-oceans and fossil to recent organic material.
The base for the project is found in key sedimentary successions and exceptional assemblages of fossil organisms from the Precambrian, early Phanerozoic of the NIS. This foundation is consolidated by collaboration between scientists and institutions in west Europe and the NIS with proven expertise in the areas of study.
Results of the project will be presented in a number of individual scientific papers, typically jointly authored by NIS and west European scientists, and published in international journals. Specific results include: refinement of late Precambrian, early Cambrian biostratigraphic schemes; elucidation of the earliest evolution of two major groups of invertebrate animals, Phylum Brachiopoda, Phylum Mollusca, which are prominent from the Cambrian Explosion to the present day; exploration of the chemical conditions of palaeo-oceans (Precambrian, early Phanerozoic) through geochemical analysis of sedimentary organic material and the isotopic composition of organic walled microfossils as an indicator of trophic differentiation.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
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Funding Scheme
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Coordinator
75236 Uppsala
Sweden
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.