- Life began by oxygenation in ocean and the atmosphere
- Oxygen at the upper layer of atmosphere >> bottom layer
- To sustain life the oxygen demand ~ oxygen supply
- At the botton: when demand gets high, lifeforms struggle to evolve
Role of Sponges:
- Helped in reducing oxygen consumption and creating conditions suited for the evolution of more complex, multi-cellular life with higher oxygen needs
- Also helped in “removing” phosphorus found in the ocean
- This led to a rise in oxygen supply in the deep ocean for the animals to evolve.
*Courtesy: Nature Geoscience
