‘Earth system engineers’ and the cumulative impact of organisms in deep time
Understanding the role of humans as 'ecosystem engineers' requires a deep-time perspective rooted in evolutionary history and the fossil record. However, no conceptual framework exists for studying the rise of ecosystem engineering in deep time, requiring us to consider effects that fall outside the scope of traditional definitions. Here, we present a new framework applicable to both modern and ancient engineering-type effects. We propose a new term - 'Earth system engineering' - to describe biological processes that alter the structure and function of planetary spheres, and which combines core tenets of ecosystem engineering, niche construction, and legacy effects. We illustrate this framework using the fossil record, and show how it can be applied across the tree of life, and throughout Earth history.
Authors
- Alison Cribb (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8604-6100)
- Pincelli M. Hull (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8607-4817)
- S. Kathleen Lyons (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5112-2508)
- Tyler R. Lyson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4391-9044)
- Dori L. Contreras (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6820-7364)
- Marcus J. Hamilton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1754-6969)
- Alex B. Shupinski
- Daniel Ibarra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9980-4599)
- Ivo Duijnstee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5296-9890)
- Peter J. Wagner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9083-9787)
- Peter D. Roopnarine (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9811-1176)
- Alycia L. Stigall (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4722-3303)
- Simon A.F. Darroch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1922-7136)
- Cindy V. Looy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3292-4916)
- Michelle Casey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9111-4182)
- Vera A. Korasidis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2921-5641)
- Amelia Villaseñor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4385-946X)
- Steve C. Wang
- William Gearty (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0076-3262)
- Katherine A. Turk (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5436-7367)
- Felisa A. Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6262-436X)
- Catalina P. Tomé (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8508-7202)
- Amanda E. Bates (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0198-4537)
- Benjamin Muddiman
- Nicholas J. Gotelli (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5409-7456)
- Matthew Craffey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9903-9884)
- Matthew E. Clapham (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4867-7304)
- Jae Min Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6822-1051)
- Riley F Hayes
Institutions
- Smithsonian Institution (US)
- University of Vermont (US)
- University of Nebraska–Lincoln (US)
- Swarthmore College (US)
- Planetary Science Institute (US)
- Santa Fe Institute (US)
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (US)
- National Museum of Natural History (US)
- Thomas Jefferson University (US)
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- University of New Mexico (US)
- University of California, Santa Cruz (US)
- University of Victoria (CA)
- Brown University (US)
- Perot Museum of Nature and Science (US)
- Indiana State Museum (US)
- Denver Museum of Nature and Science (US)
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt/M (DE)
- California Academy of Sciences (US)
- Yale University (US)
- Towson University (US)
- University of Southampton (GB)
- The University of Texas at San Antonio (US)
- Syracuse University (US)
- University of Tennessee at Knoxville (US)
- University of Arkansas at Fayetteville (US)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Trends in Ecology & Evolution
- Published
- 2025-09-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2025.08.005
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Complex Systems and Decision Making
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.11