Mesoproterozoic Era
The origin of sex
The origin of sex
The Mesoproterozoic Era is the second era in the Proterozoic Eon, occurring after the Paleoproterozoic Era, and before the Neoproterozoic Era.
Geologic Age
Geologic Age
1,600–1,000 million years ago
Subdivisions
Subdivisions
Eon
Eon
What happened during this time?
What happened during this time?
Geophysical
Geophysical
The break-up of the supercontinent Columbia
Formation of the supercontinent Rodinia
Oxygen levels 0.1% of current levels
Biological
Biological
Maximum diversity of stromatolites
Origin of the green plant lineage
The earliest fossils attributed to green algae from the Stenian-Ectasian boundary at 1,200 Ma (Tappan 1980; Knoll 2003).
The nature of these early fossils are controversial (Cavalier-Smith, 2006)
Additional Resources
Additional Resources
Sexual Reproduction and the Evolution of Sex (Nature.com)
Lack of oxygen delayed rise of animals (YaleNews, 2014)