This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences (CFDA 47.074) program provides $411,079 to the University of California, Santa Barbara to conduct a collaborative multi-year research investigation on the diversification and ecological rise of eukaryotes during the Tonian period (1000-720 million years ago). The research team, which includes seven principal investigators, one postdoctoral fellow, five graduate students, and two undergraduate students, will systematically collect and integrate paleontological, geochemical, sedimentological, and stratigraphic data from early Tonian strata in North China and late Tonian strata in the Grand Canyon. This data will be used to reconstruct nutrient availability, eukaryote taxonomic and functional biodiversity, and marine geochemical cycles in order to test the hypothesis that increasing nutrient availability in Tonian oceans drove the diversification and ecological rise of eukaryotes. The project aims to illuminate the complex feedbacks among nutrient availability, functional biodiversity, and biodiversity dynamics during this major transition in Earth history, while also catalyzing multidisciplinary research, creating synergies between the National Park System and research institutions, fostering informal geoscience education, and preparing the next generation of STEM workforce.
Mod # | Description | Reason For Modification | Federal Obligation (Click to sort descending) | Date (Click to sort ascending) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not listed | $411.1k | 7/7/25 |