ICMCS seminar - Preservation of early eukaryotes: a spectroscopic and taphonomic approach.

Title: Preservation of early eukaryotes: a spectroscopic and taphonomic approach.

Abstract: The early diversification of eukaryotes remains one of the least understood transitions of the evolution of life. Precambrian organic-walled microfossils (OWM) dated ca. 1 billion years ago include candidate microfossils of early eukaryotes in a period when major life innovations were occurring. Although their size and soft composition make them extremely cryptic, OWM with exceptional preservation can provide some preservable morphological characters but lack eukaryotic-diagnostic intracellular structures. Thereby, the biological affinity —prokaryote or eukaryote— of many OWM remains elusive. Experimental taphonomy studies have highlighted the role of sedimentation, mineral precipitation, and oxygenic conditions to interpret features preserved in soft-bodied fossils, but there has been little emphasis on micro-eukaryotes. As well, spectroscopic techniques such as Fourier-Transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman micro-spectroscopy have proved to be complementary to traditional fossil morphological analysis by providing molecular fingerprints with the potential to discriminate between morphologically similar taxa. This project aims to determine diagnostic characters of some micro-eukaryotic groups and how these are lost or acquired during the decay and preservation processes, this by applying experimental taphonomy and vibrational spectroscopy techniques. Furthermore, this project has astrobiological implications as the taxonomic identification of ambiguous microbial fossils here on Earth allow us to correctly identify and study potential microfossils from analogous extraterrestrial rock samples.

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https://ed-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/81211470751

Meeting ID: 812 1147 0751
Passcode: ICMCS123