Recent discoveries from paleo biogeochemists. (Photo: Reuters.com).
Friend, have you ever wondered and thought about what predatory creatures, sih, the first one on Earth? Nah, the answer has been found by paleo biogeochemists from the Australian National University named Jochen Brocks and Benjamin Nettesheim.
Yes, the two experts who led research on the ecosystem of early Earth life are known to have discovered the first predatory organism on Earth, named protosterol biota.
In quotations Science Alert published on Saturday (10/6/2023), a study conducted by paleo biogeochemists explained that protosterol biota are microbial-eating organisms that are abundant in the oceans. It is even called the ancestor of all eukaryotic life (cell organisms that contain a nucleus) on Earth.
Regarding eukaryotic life itself are all the plants, animals, fungi that are around us today, including humans.
“These ancient creatures detected in rocks 1.6 billion years old are abundant in marine ecosystems around the world and probably formed ecosystems for most of Earth’s history,” explains Benjamin Nettesheim in his journal.
Organisms that have lived for more than one billion years are said to have left quite a large footprint and are difficult to diagnose. However, slowly researchers finally succeeded in finding new discoveries in rocks in the Barney Creek Formation in Australia.
From his research, protosterol biota organisms specifically look for steroids. This is consistent with the initial discovery of eukaryotic biomarkers by Nobel Laureate biochemist Konrad Bloch in 1994, where it was stated that almost all eukaryotes can synthesize steroids.
Eukaryotes’ own biomarkers have been hiding in plain sight for a long time, though what kind of creatures that produce them is still unknown, as fossils of the creatures themselves have yet to be found.
However, researchers believe that protosterol biota organisms are larger and more complex than bacteria, and thrive on them as the next link in the food web.
“We believe they were probably the first predators on Earth, hunting and devouring bacteria,” Jochen Brocks is quoted as saying Reuters.
As information, the tracks left by these creatures stopped appearing in the fossil record about 800 million years ago. After that, algae and fungi began to appear, while the first animals are thought to have appeared 600-700 million years ago.
The decline in the protosterol biota and the emergence of other organisms is known as Tonian transformation. This was one of the most profound changes Earth’s ecology underwent and made possible the emergence of modern eukaryotes.
2023-06-12 07:00:38
#Predator #Earth #Paleo #Biogeochemistry #Experts
