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Nicholas J. Butterfield is a researcher in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge. His research is focused on palaeobiology, particularly the early diversification of eukaryotic life and the Proterozoic record of major protistan clades, including the Ediacaran-Cambrian 'explosion' of animals. He explores the macroecological and macroevolutionary divides that separated a billion years of predominantly microbial life from the macroscopic world of the Phanerozoic. His work emphasizes the evolutionary arms races and the construction of multi-trophic food webs that have played a critical role in biogeochemical feedbacks and the overall dynamics of life on Earth. Butterfield is particularly interested in exceptionally preserved, organic-walled fossils, which form the basis of his insights into palaeobiological processes. His ongoing research includes studies of pre-Cryogenian microfossil assemblages in regions such as Arctic Canada, Montana, and Svalbard, investigating themes like multicellularity, biomineralization, and the interpretation of Ediacaran/Avalonian macrofossil assemblages. Recent contributions include the discovery of Small Carbonaceous Fossils and their significance in reconstructing early Palaeozoic diversity, revealing unique aspects of evolutionary diversification.
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