Rifting leading to the breakup of supercontinentRodinia, which had formed in the mid-Stenian, occurred during this period, starting from 900 to 850 Mya.
The first putative metazoan (animal) fossils are dated to the middle to late Tonian (c. 890-800 Mya). The fossils of Otavia antiqua, which has been described as a primitive sponge by its discoverers and numerous other scholars, date back to about 800 mya. Even earlier sponge-like fossils have been reported in reefs dating back to 890 million years before the present, but their identity is highly debated.[1] This dating is consistent with molecular data recovered through genetic studies on modern metazoan species; more recent studies have concluded that the base of the animal phylogenetic tree is in the Tonian.[2]
Tonian rocks preserve some of the earliest fossils of macroalgae,[3] such as the benthic macroalgae from the Longfengshan biota of the Luotuoling Formation[4] or the green algae from the Dolores Creek Formation.[5]
The first large evolutionary radiation of acritarchs occurred during the Tonian. Vase-shaped microfossils abound in late Tonian sediments and represent the earliest testate amoebozoans.[6]
↑Tingle, Kelly E.; Porter, Susannah M.; Raven, Morgan R.; Czaja, Andrew D.; Webb, Samuel M.; Bloeser, Bonnie (18 January 2023). "Organic preservation of vase-shaped microfossils from the late Tonian Chuar Group, Grand Canyon, Arizona, USA" (in en). Geobiology21 (3): 290–309. doi:10.1111/gbi.12544. ISSN1472-4677. PMID36651474. Bibcode: 2023Gbio...21..290T.