The Cambrian Explosion: Biological Diversity Gone Wild

Biological Diversity and Energy Abundance 

As the first chapter of life on Earth reaches an end with the energetic revolution, a new evolutionary story begins. This is the story of the biggest and most complex arms race in the history of our planet. The abundance of energy access from aerobic respiration enabled organisms to rearrange atoms in ways that were otherwise impossible. These organisms could sustainably produce billions of molecules that served specific functions, exploding biological diversity like never before.

Due to this lack of pressure for survival, organisms developed many different traits from multicellularity to various new enzymes. However, just like the initial explosion of life, this rapid increase in biological diversity could not be sustained forever. There reached a point where various different life forms began to compete with each other to sustain their complex machinery. At this point, nature once again put on the pressure to excel in a particular niche. However, the overwhelming capacity for life to diversify had opened up countless new niches to occupy. This is exactly where war between organisms reached a peak. I am talking about the rise of carnivory.

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