Martin Brasier’s contribution to the palaeobiology of the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition

Martin Brasier’s work spanned almost the entire geological column, but the origin of animals and the nature of the Cambrian Explosion were areas of particular interest. Martin adopted a holistic approach to the study of these topics that considered the interplay between multiple geological and biological phenomena, and sought to interpret the fossil record within the broad context of geological, biogeochemical, and ecological changes in the Earth system. Here we summarize Martin’s main contributions in this area, and assess the impact of his findings on the development of this field.