The Devonian nekton revolution
Open accessAbstract
Traditional analyses of Early Phanerozoic marine diversity at the genus level show an explosive radiation of marine life until the Late Ordovician, followed by a phase of erratic decline continuing until the end of the Palaeozoic, whereas a more recent analysis extends the duration of this early radiation into the Devonian. This catch-all approach hides an evolutionary and ecological key event long after the Ordovician radiation: the rapid occupation of the free water column by animals during the Devonian. Here, we explore the timing of the occupation of the water column in the Palaeozoic and test the hypothesis that ecological escalation led to fundamental evolutionary changes in the mid-Palaeozoic marine water column. According to our analyses, demersal and nektonic modes of life were probably initially driven by competition in the diversity-saturated benthic habitats together with the availability of abundant planktonic food. Escalatory feedback then promoted the rapid rise of nekton in the Devonian as suggested by the sequence and tempo of water-column occupation.
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Among meso- to macro-predators, a positive selection occurred towards an increase in mobility as well as larger and stronger oral instruments.
“Among meso- to macro-predators, a positive selection therefore occurred towards an increase in mobility (Devonian Nekton Revolution; Klug et al. 2010) as well as larger and stronger oral instruments (this paper).”
From Palaeozoic evolution of animal mouthparts (2017) · cites this paper as Klug et al. 2010
Cites
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Ordovician and Silurian sea–water chemistry, sea level, and climate: A synopsis
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Self-citationThe Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE): The palaeoecological dimension
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Self-citationRevisiting the Great Ordovician Diversification of land plants: Recent data and perspectives
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Self-citationPalaeozoic evolution of animal mouthparts
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- Authors
- Klug, C., Kröger, B., Kiessling, W., Mullins, G. L., Servais, T., Frýda, J., Korn, D., & Turner, S.
- Affiliations
- University of Zurich (CH)
- Museum für Naturkunde (DE)
- University of Leicester (GB)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZ)
- Queensland Museum (AU)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Lethaia
- Publisher
- Scandinavian University Press
- Published
- 2010-12
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 465-477
- ISSN
- 0024-1164 (ISSN-L)
- 1502-3931
- OpenAlex
- W2168459490
- Cited by
- 212
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 22 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 7.29
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Locations
- Lethaia (publishedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (acceptedVersion)
- reroDoc Digital Library (submittedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich) (submittedVersion)
- Zurich Open Repository and Archive (University of Zurich)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Keywords
- Devonian, nekton, Ordovician radiation
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