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Late Proterozoic rise in atmospheric oxygen concentration inferred from phylogenetic and sulphur-isotope studies

Nature volume 382, pages 127–132 (1996)Cite this article

Abstract

The evolution of non-photosynthetic sulphide-oxidizing bacteria was contemporaneous with a large shift in the isotopic composition of biogenic sedimentary sulphides between 0.64 and 1.05 billion years ago. Both events were probably driven by a rise in atmospheric oxygen concentrations to greater than 5–18% of present levels—a change that may also have triggered the evolution of animals.

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Author notes

  1. Andreas Teske

    Present address: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Biology Department, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Celsiusstrasse 1, Bremen, 28359, Germany

    Donald E. Canfield & Andreas Teske

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  1. Donald E. Canfield
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  2. Andreas Teske
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Canfield, D., Teske, A. Late Proterozoic rise in atmospheric oxygen concentration inferred from phylogenetic and sulphur-isotope studies. Nature 382, 127–132 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/382127a0

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