Flinders University study links animal waste to Cambrian Explosion

Researchers led by Dr. Russell Bicknell at Flinders University argue that the increasing production of animal feces during the early Cambrian helped transport nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and iron through ancient oceans. By moving organic matter away from continental shelves, the fecal pellets and coprolites created new food sources and accelerated ecosystem development, providing an additional driver for the rapid diversification of animal life known as the Cambrian Explosion.

The team identified coprolites from 36 global deposits ranging from about 539 million to 494 million years ago, including sites in Australia, Greenland, North America and China. Their findings were published in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, where they propose a “faecal revolution” that worked alongside rising oxygen levels and other ecological factors to fuel the evolutionary burst.