Simulation of Ediacaran Cloudina tubular growth model via electrochemical synthesis

Abstract

Tubular fossil Cloudina and other contemporaneous cloudinids from the terminal Ediacaran (∼551–539 Ma) have long been widely regarded as the earliest known metazoans with biomineralisation. During the Ediacaran to Early Cambrian Period, three phosphorous-rich rock forming events occurred, resulting in the presence of tubular and small shelly fossils. By simulating the growth environment of tubular fossils, we aim to improve our understanding of biotic turnover that took place during the end of the Ediacaran. In this study, we synthesised ‘tubular fossils’ with the same phosphorus content as modern seawater via electrochemical methods. The findings of this study provide a scientific basis for investigating the origin of the Cloudina tubular fossils and the reconstruction of the marine environment of the Ediacaran.