David Harper
Research Interests
Possible patterns of marine primary productivity during the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event
Author
Summary, in English
Following the appearance of numerous animal phyla during the 'Cambrian Explosion', the 'Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event' (GOBE) records their rapid diversification at the lower taxonomic levels, constituting the most significant rise in biodiversity in Earth's history. Recent studies suggest that the rapid rise in phytoplankton diversity observed at the Cambrian-Ordovician boundary may have profoundly restructured marine trophic chains, paving the way for the subsequent flourishing of plankton-feeding groups during the Ordovician. Unfortunately, the fossil record of plankton is incomplete. Its smaller members represent the bulk of the modern marine biomass, but they are usually not documented in Palaeozoic sediments, preventing any definitive assumption with regard to an eventual correlation between biodiversity and biomass at that time. Here, we use an up-to-date ocean general circulation model with biogeochemical capabilities (MITgcm) to simulate the spatial patterns of marine primary productivity throughout the Ordovician, and we compare the model output with available palaeontological and sedimentological data.
Department/s
- Lithosphere and Biosphere Science
Publishing year
2018-04
Language
English
Pages
187-197
Publication/Series
Lethaia
Volume
51
Issue
2
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Topic
- Geology
Keywords
- GOBE
- Climate modelling
- Ordovician
- Palaeoceanography
- Primary productivity
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISSN: 0024-1164