The Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event - (Critical Moments and Perspectives in Earth History and Paleo) (Hardcover)

About the Book

Two of the greatest evolutionary events in the history of life on Earth occurred during Early Paleozoic time. The first was the Cambrian explosion of skeletonized marine animals about 540 million years ago. The second was the "Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event," which is the focus of this book. This is the first book devoted specifically to establishing the global patterns of differentiation of Ordovician biotas through time and space. It provides extensive genus- and species-level diversity data for the many Ordovician fossil groups and presents an evaluation of how each group diversified, with assessments of patterns of change, and rates of origination and extinction.

Book Synopsis

Two of the greatest evolutionary events in the history of life on Earth occurred during Early Paleozoic time. The first was the Cambrian explosion of skeletonized marine animals about 540 million years ago. The second was the "Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event," which is the focus of this book. During the 46-million-year Ordovician Period (489-443 m.y.), a bewildering array of adaptive radiations of "Paleozoic- and Modern-type" biotas appeared in marine habitats, the first animals (arthropods) walked on land, and the first non-vascular bryophyte-like plants (based on their cryptospore record) colonized terrestrial areas with damp environments.

This book represents a compilation by a large team of Ordovician specialists from around the world, who have enthusiastically cooperated to produce this first globally orientated, internationally sponsored IGCP (International Geological Correlation Program) project on Ordovician biotas. The major part is an assembly of genus- and species-level diversity data for the many Ordovician fossil groups. The book also presents an evaluation of how each group diversified through Ordovician time, with assessments of patterns of change and rates of origination and extinction. As such, it will become the standard work and data source for biotic studies on the Ordovician Period.

Review Quotes

An excellent summary of the Ordovician as we know it.--Stephen K. Donovan "Priscum"

I would recommend it to anyone who seeks a deeper insight into the events that shaped the earliest truly diverse animal communities hosted by our planet.--Lynne M. Clos "Bone Bug Journal"

The book is well produced and will provide a valuable source... as it should, considering the expertise of the contributors. It should be on the shelves of all geological libraries.--Adrian Rushton "Geological Magazine"

Webby and his dedicated cohorts are to be congratulated for producing this admirable and insightful stocktake...The book stands as an indispensable reference.--Geoffrey Playford "American Association of Stratigraphic Polynologists Newsletter"

About the Author

Barry D. Webby is a senior paleontologist at the Center for Ecostratigraphy & Paleobiology at Macquarie University, Sydney. Florentin Paris is a CNRS research director in geosciences at the University of Rennes, France. Mary L. Droser is a professor in the Department of Earth Science, University of California, Riverside. Ian G. Percival is chief paleontologist at the Geological Survey of New South Wales, Australia.