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Stable ocean redox during the main phase of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event

del Rey, Álvaro ; Rasmussen, Christian Mac Ørum ; Calner, Mikael LU orcid ; Wu, Rongchang ; Asael, Dan and Dahl, Tais W. (2022) In Communications Earth and Environment 3(1).
Abstract

The Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) represents the greatest increase in marine animal biodiversity ever recorded. What caused this transformation is heavily debated. One hypothesis states that rising atmospheric oxygen levels drove the biodiversification based on the premise that animals require oxygen for their metabolism. Here, we present uranium isotope data from a Middle Ordovician marine carbonate succession that shows the steepest rise in generic richness occurred with global marine redox stability. Ocean oxygenation ensued later and could not have driven the biodiversification. Stable marine anoxic zones prevailed during the maximum increase in biodiversity (Dapingian–early Darriwilian) when the life expectancy... (More)

The Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) represents the greatest increase in marine animal biodiversity ever recorded. What caused this transformation is heavily debated. One hypothesis states that rising atmospheric oxygen levels drove the biodiversification based on the premise that animals require oxygen for their metabolism. Here, we present uranium isotope data from a Middle Ordovician marine carbonate succession that shows the steepest rise in generic richness occurred with global marine redox stability. Ocean oxygenation ensued later and could not have driven the biodiversification. Stable marine anoxic zones prevailed during the maximum increase in biodiversity (Dapingian–early Darriwilian) when the life expectancy of evolving genera greatly increased. Subsequently, unstable ocean redox conditions occurred together with a marine carbon cycle disturbance and a decrease in relative diversification rates. Therefore, we propose that oceanic redox stability was a factor in facilitating the establishment of more resilient ecosystems allowing marine animal life to radiate.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Communications Earth and Environment
volume
3
issue
1
article number
220
publisher
Springer Nature
external identifiers
  • pmid:36186548
  • scopus:85138733539
ISSN
2662-4435
DOI
10.1038/s43247-022-00548-w
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
52039875-ebbe-4cae-b965-a83bf142b005
date added to LUP
2022-12-09 13:55:32
date last changed
2024-04-18 07:50:32
@article{52039875-ebbe-4cae-b965-a83bf142b005,
  abstract     = {{<p>The Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) represents the greatest increase in marine animal biodiversity ever recorded. What caused this transformation is heavily debated. One hypothesis states that rising atmospheric oxygen levels drove the biodiversification based on the premise that animals require oxygen for their metabolism. Here, we present uranium isotope data from a Middle Ordovician marine carbonate succession that shows the steepest rise in generic richness occurred with global marine redox stability. Ocean oxygenation ensued later and could not have driven the biodiversification. Stable marine anoxic zones prevailed during the maximum increase in biodiversity (Dapingian–early Darriwilian) when the life expectancy of evolving genera greatly increased. Subsequently, unstable ocean redox conditions occurred together with a marine carbon cycle disturbance and a decrease in relative diversification rates. Therefore, we propose that oceanic redox stability was a factor in facilitating the establishment of more resilient ecosystems allowing marine animal life to radiate.</p>}},
  author       = {{del Rey, Álvaro and Rasmussen, Christian Mac Ørum and Calner, Mikael and Wu, Rongchang and Asael, Dan and Dahl, Tais W.}},
  issn         = {{2662-4435}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Springer Nature}},
  series       = {{Communications Earth and Environment}},
  title        = {{Stable ocean redox during the main phase of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00548-w}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s43247-022-00548-w}},
  volume       = {{3}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}