'Ghost' fossils of early coccolithophores point to a Triassic diversification of marine calcifying organisms.

ABSTRACT: Over geologic time, biocalcification - the process by which marine organisms make calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) - has reshaped climates, ocean life, and seawater chemistry. In particular, the evolution of coccolithophores, the largest group of nannoplankton and today's most productive calcifiers, transformed ocean environments and the carbon cycle. Their origins, however, remain enigmatic. This is partly because studying coccolithophore fossils traditionally requires CaCO₃ preservation. Here, we bypass this limitation, searching for their 'ghost' fossils -imprints on organic matter. We present coccolithophores from ~241-million-year-old (Triassic) rocks, predating previous records by ~26 million years (myrs). The >100 ghost fossils, exceptionally preserved within zooplank

SUBMITTER: Slater SM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12537907 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature