Right at the bottom of the deep sea, the first very simple forms of life on earth probably emerged a long time ago. Today, the deep sea is known for its bizarre fauna. Intensive research is being conducted into how the number of species living on the sea floor have changed in the meantime. Some theories say that the ecosystems of the deep sea have emerged again and again after multiple mass extinctions and oceanic upheavals. Today's life in the deep sea would thus be comparatively young in the history of the Earth. But there is increasing evidence that parts of this world are much older than previously thought.
A research team led by the University of Göttingen has now provided the first fossil evidence for a stable colonisation of the deep sea floor by higher invertebrates for at least 104 million years. Fossil spines of irregular echinoids indicate their long-standing existence since the Cretaceous period, as well as their evolution under the influence of fluctuating environmental conditions.
What these fossil spines document is that the deep sea has been continuously populated by irregular echinoids since at least the early Cretaceous period about 104 million years ago. And they provide further exciting insights into the past: the devastating meteorite impact at the end of the Cretaceous period about 66 million years ago, which resulted in a worldwide mass extinction -- with the dinosaurs as the most prominent victims -- also caused considerable disturbances in the deep sea.
"We interpret the changes in the spines as an indication of the constant evolution and emergence of new species in the deep sea," explains Dr Frank Wiese from the Department of Geobiology at the University of Göttingen, the lead author of the study. He emphasises another finding:"About 70 million years ago, the biomass of sea urchins increased. We know that the water cooled down at the same time.
In addition to the University of Göttingen, the Universities of Heidelberg and Frankfurt as well as the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin were involved in the research project.
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