Article
Geography, Physical
Jongsun Hong, Jino Park, Daecheol Kim, Eunhyun Cho, Seung-Min Kim
Summary: This study analyzes the constructional style and environmental conditions of middle Tremadocian patch reefs in Korea and assesses the temporal-spatial patterns of Furongian-Lower Ordovician reefs. The results reveal the transition of reef development during the Early Ordovician and the rapid occupation of deeper subtidal ecospace by microbial-anthaspidellid consortia. These findings contribute to understanding the early Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event and its relationship with the Top Skullrockian Isotopic Carbon Excursion.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Thomas Servais, David A. T. Harper, Wenhui Wang
Summary: This special issue presents different perspectives on the Ordovician radiations, featuring 16 selected papers that provide insights into the various radiations that occurred during the Ordovician Period. The study suggests that the Cambrian and Ordovician radiations are actually artificially separated by the late Cambrian 'Furongian Biodiversity Gap', and a long-term early Palaeozoic radiation is becoming more visible.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Ge Zhu, Qiao Lyu, Minghao Du, Weihui Wang
Summary: This study utilized computational fluid dynamics to construct simplified computer models of 92 Ordovician chitinozoan species and assessed the long-term changes in hydrodynamic properties. The results show that chitinozoans gradually increased their floating ability during evolution, consistent with the idea of increased planktonic diversity during the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE). It was also found that structural innovations in chitinozoans were influenced by hydrodynamics, indicating the importance of hydrodynamic pressure in the evolution of Ordovician microplankton.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jan Audun Rasmussen, Nicolas Thibault, Christian Mac Orum Rasmussen
Summary: Evidence from 469-million-year-old Palaeozoic era suggests a link between orbital changes and climatic- and biotic variations, indicating a universal orbital control in modulating climate and biodiversity accumulation through geological time. The study decouples millennia-scale climate and biodiversity change from a meteorite shower that occurred 468.4 million years ago.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Geology
Olev Vinn, Lars E. Holmer, Mark A. Wilson, Mare Isakar, Ursula Toom
Summary: A steinkern of an endoceratid nautiloid siphuncle contains a Trypanites sozialis boring with a lingulate brachiopod Rowellella sp. shell inside. The formation of the lithified steinkern might have occurred partly in the seawater or after exhumation, which allowed colonization by boring organisms. This bioerosion resulted in numerous Trypanites borings in the siphuncle. The vacant boring was later colonized by a small lingulate brachiopod, which was preadapted to life in hard substrate borings and benefited from increased availability and predation pressure during the Late Ordovician GOBE.
Article
Geography, Physical
Ruo-ying Fan, Rui-wen Zong, Yi-ming Gong
Summary: Trace fossils provide unique evidence of the body plan and behavioral complexity of animals, with a diverse ichnoassemblage discovered from deep-marine deposits in Inner Mongolia, North China during the Middle-Upper Ordovician period. The complex trace fossils suggest distinct behavioral complication and novelty in deep-sea communities during this time, possibly reflecting an evolution towards more delicate, geometric, and efficient feeding patterns. The Late Ordovician period may represent a peak in ichnodiversity and behavioral complexity of deep-sea ichnofauna, reflecting the complex interplay of biodiversity, biomass, and ecological changes during this time.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Karma Nanglu, Madeleine E. Waskom, Jared C. Richards, Javier Ortega-Hernandez
Summary: Evidence of interspecific interactions in the fossil record is rare but can provide valuable insights into ancient ecosystems. A recent discovery in the Fezouata Shale of Morocco reveals an exceptional cross-phylum interspecific interaction, with tube-dwelling organisms found on the phragmocone of a cephalopod fossil. This finding highlights the scarcity of benthic graptolites in the Fezouata Shale and reveals a 480-million-year-old association of pterobranchs as epibionts of molluscs, a relationship that persists to this day.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Thomas Servais, Borja Cascales-Minana, David A. T. Harper, Bertrand Lefebvre, Axel Munnecke, Wenhui Wang, Yuandong Zhang
Summary: During the late Precambrian and early Cambrian, there was a gradual increase in the diversity of life, with the appearance of almost all animal phyla. However, there is no clear Cambrian explosion and Ordovician event, but rather a continuous and complex radiation of life throughout the Ordovician.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Yuefeng Shen, Fritz Neuweiler, Adrian Immenhauser
Summary: The study investigates the carbonate factories in the western Tarim Basin during the Ordovician period. A multiproxy approach is used to analyze sedimentological, paleoecological, geochemical, and diagenetic criteria, including statistical analysis of proxy data. The results provide insights into the geological processes and their relationship with biotic evolution.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geography, Physical
Duy Pham, Jongsun Hong, Jeong-Hyun Lee
Summary: Lower Ordovician stromatolite-like columns and thrombolite-like mounds, composed of fossilised keratose sponges and microbial carbonates, were reported in the Tremadocian Mungok Formation in Yeongwol, Korea. These structures were formed in different energy environments, highlighting the significant impact of hydrodynamics on reef morphology and configuration.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Xiang Fang, Yingyan Mao, Qi Liu, Wenwei Yuan, Zhongyang Chen, Rongchang Wu, Lixia Li, Yuchen Zhang, Junye Ma, Wenhui Wang, Renbin Zhan, Shanchi Peng, Yuandong Zhang, Diying Huang
Summary: This article reports on a new tropical Lagerstatte, Liexi fauna, which has been recently discovered in the Lower Ordovician carbonate succession in western Hunan, South China. The fauna contains a variety of soft tissues and shelly fossils, including Cambrian relics and Ordovician taxa, revealing a complex marine ecosystem and providing new evidence for understanding the macroevolution and onset of the GOBE in the Ordovician.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geography, Physical
Xin Wei, Jianbo Liu, Renbin Zhan, Zhiqiang Zhou, Guanzhou Yan
Summary: This study reviewed the available data on the distribution of Middle-early Late Ordovician trilobites in South China and analyzed their diversity dynamics. The results revealed three macroevolutionary phases and three faunal turnovers. Changes in sea level and substrate conditions played a significant role in the faunal replacements. The radiation of trilobites was primarily influenced by the development and expansion of the Whiterock Fauna, with a shift towards outer platform environments over time. Climate cooling, substrate conditions, and increased oxygen levels and nutrients likely provided favorable conditions for trilobite radiation during the Middle Ordovician.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2024)
Article
Paleontology
Thomas Servais, Borja Cascales-Minana, David A. T. Harper
Summary: The Ordovician biodiversification is considered one of the most significant radiations in the marine ecosystems of the entire Phanerozoic, known as the "Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event" (GOBE). Based on different palaeontological datasets, the Ordovician radiation has been interpreted to occur at different times in different places, likely related to the palaeogeography of the Ordovician.
PALEONTOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Evolutionary Biology
B. Gudveig Baarli, Bing Huang, Luana S. Maroja
Summary: This study investigates the early evolution of the Atrypida order through Silurian time. It presents a phylogenetic analysis of 70 genera and 41 characters, revealing the relationships and evolutionary patterns within the group. The study also suggests the need for subdivision and redefinition of certain subfamilies and families within the order. The findings shed light on the importance of the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event and Late Ordovician Mass Extinction.
JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC PALAEONTOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Hugo Moreira
Summary: The analysis of mineral inclusions in magmas indicates significant changes in the oxidation state of sulfur before and after the Great Oxidation Event. These changes are attributed to the recycling of sediments altered by atmospheric events at the Earth's surface into the mantle.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dan L. Warren, Nicholas J. Matzke, Marcel Cardillo, John B. Baumgartner, Linda J. Beaumont, Michael Turelli, Richard E. Glor, Nicholas A. Huron, Marianna Simoes, Teresa L. Iglesias, Julien C. Piquet, Russell Dinnage
Summary: ENMTools software package was initially introduced as a Perl script in 2008 but later transitioned into a new R version with added functionality for model fit, overlapping measurements and testing of evolutionary hypotheses. The R version of ENMTools is designed to simplify the construction, comparison and evaluation of niche models within the expanding universe of R tools for ecological biogeography.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicholas J. Matzke, Angela Lin, Micaella Stone, Matthew A. B. Baker
Summary: The study reports further evidence supporting the homology between proteins in the F1FO-ATP synthetase and the bacterial flagellar motor (BFM). By constructing a gene order dataset and comparing gene orders across different systems, the researchers found deeply conserved fliHIJ gene order, exactly matching the widely conserved F-ATPase gene order atpFHAG.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hendratta N. Ali, Sarah L. Sheffield, Jennifer E. Bauer, Rocio P. Caballero-Gill, Nicole M. Gasparini, Julie Libarkin, Kalynda K. Gonzales, Jane Willenbring, Erika Amir-Lin, Julia Cisneros, Dipa Desai, Maitri Erwin, Elisabeth Gallant, Kiara Jeannelle Gomez, Benjamin A. Keisling, Robert Mahon, Erika Marin-Spiotta, Leiaka Welcome, Blair Schneider
Summary: Geoscience organizations play a vital role in shaping the discipline, but racism and discrimination limit the participation of minoritized groups. We offer a twenty-point anti-racism plan to combat racism and build an inclusive community for all marginalized geoscientists.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Adriane R. Lam, Kenneth G. MacLeod, Solveig H. Schilling, R. Mark Leckie, Andrew J. Fraass, Molly O. Patterson, Nicholas L. Venti
Summary: The study investigated the behavior of the Kuroshio Current Extension (KCE) using stable isotopic analyses of planktic foraminifera, revealing its warming and cooling patterns during different tectonic and climate events. The growth of Northern Hemisphere ice led to the modern configuration of the KCE, while the southern part showed different temperature trends throughout the study period.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
W. R. Stratford, R. Sutherland, G. R. Dickens, P. Blum, J. Collot, M. Gurnis, S. Saito, A. BordenaveG, S. J. G. Etienne, C. Agnini, L. Alegret, G. Asatryan, J. Bhattacharya, L. Chang, M. J. Cramwinckel, E. Dallanave, M. K. Drake, M. Giorgioni, D. T. Harper, H-H M. Huang, A. L. Keller, A. R. Lam, H. Li, H. Matsui, H. E. G. Morgans, C. Newsam, Y-H Park, K. M. Pascher, S. F. Pekar, D. E. Penman, T. Westerhold, X. Zhou
Summary: In the early Eocene, rapid subduction tectonics occurred along the western Pacific convergent margins, followed by slower margin growth of the proto Tonga-Kermadec subduction system in the north of Zealandia. New age constraints from borehole data provide insight into deformation events in northern Zealandian sediments, showing a shortening event lasting up to 20 million years. The lithosphere of northern Zealandia was strong enough to act as a stress guide, causing intraplate folding and faulting behind the initiating subduction system.
GEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
R. Sutherland, Z. Dos Santos, C. Agnini, L. Alegret, A. R. Lam, T. Westerhold, M. K. Drake, D. T. Harper, E. Dallanave, C. Newsam, M. J. Cramwinckel, G. R. Dickens, J. Collot, S. J. G. Etienne, A. Bordenave, W. R. Stratford, X. Zhou, H. Li, G. Asatryan
Summary: By analyzing the calcareous sediments in the Tasman Sea, we have determined the paleoceanographic conditions and found slight variations in the sediment mass accumulation rate (MAR) during certain periods. Additionally, we have observed that the Neogene MARs are on average higher than Quaternary values, indicating a potential increase in productivity in the future southwest Pacific.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
S. P. Taylor, M. O. Patterson, A. R. Lam, H. Jones, S. C. Woodard, M. H. Habicht, E. K. Thomas, G. R. Grant
Summary: The Kuroshio Current and Kuroshio Current Extension are important in regulating weather and climate dynamics in the Northern Hemisphere. This study explores the response of the Kuroshio Current Extension during Pleistocene super-interglacials and identifies periods of sustained warmth and northward migration of the current in the northwestern Pacific.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Edoardo Dallanave, Rupert Sutherland, Gerald R. Dickens, Liao Chang, Evdokia Tema, Laia Alegret, Claudia Agnini, Thomas Westerhold, Cherry Newsam, Adriane R. Lam, Wanda Stratford, Julien Collot, Samuel Etienne, Tilo von Dobeneck
Summary: New information from paleomagnetic data helps determine the past trajectory and absolute paleolatitude of northern Zealandia from the middle Eocene to the early Miocene. The findings suggest that northern Zealandia migrated 6 degrees northward between the early Oligocene and early Miocene, with lower absolute paleolatitudes at certain periods, possibly due to true polar wander.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
M. E. Gastaldello, C. Agnini, T. Westerhold, A. J. Drury, R. Sutherland, M. K. Drake, A. R. Lam, G. R. Dickens, E. Dallanave, S. Burns, L. Alegret
Summary: This study focuses on a marine drilling site in the Tasman Sea during the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene Biogenic Bloom. An age model was established using various methods, and it was found that there were changes in deep water oxygen concentrations and benthic foraminiferal assemblages, possibly related to seasonal phytoplankton blooms. Additionally, a regional change in paleoceanography was inferred around 6.7 Ma. Therefore, highly resolved studies are crucial for understanding this complex and multiphase phenomenon, as well as the local, regional, and global impacts.
PALEOCEANOGRAPHY AND PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Adriane R. Lam, Martin P. Crundwell, R. Mark Leckie, James Albanese, Jacob P. Uzel
Summary: Planktic foraminifera are commonly used for age control in deep-sea sediments, but the quantification of diachroneity in mid-latitude regions is lacking. This study updates the age models for southwest-Pacific deep-sea sites and quantifies the diachroneity of species used as datums. The findings show a high degree of diachroneity in the western Pacific and suggest the need for further research to refine regional planktic foraminiferal biozonations and understand diachroneity between the tropics and mid-latitudes.
Article
Biology
Luke G. Liddell, William G. Lee, Esther E. Dale, Heidi M. Meudt, Nicholas J. Matzke
Summary: Research shows that high-ploidy plant species in two woody plant groups in New Zealand are more likely to occupy multiple biomes and exhibit a three- to eightfold increase in the rate of biome shifts. This suggests that whole-genome duplication promotes ecological expansion into new biomes.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sarah L. Sheffield, Meghan L. Cook, Victor J. Ricchezza, Guizella A. Rocabado, Fenda A. Akiwumi
Summary: Semi-structured interviews conducted after a geoscience course intervention in the United States revealed that perceptions of scientists held by students can be broadened by highlighting individuals from marginalized groups who have influenced science, potentially reducing harmful stereotypes against underrepresented scientists.
COMMUNICATIONS EARTH & ENVIRONMENT
(2021)