The Cambrian conundrum: Early divergence and later ecological success in the early history of animals
Erwin, D.H.; Laflamme, M.; Tweedt, S.; Sperling, E.A.; Pisani, D.; Peterson, K.J. (2011). The Cambrian conundrum: Early divergence and later ecological success in the early history of animals. Science (Wash.) 334(6059): 1091-1097. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1206375
In: Science (Washington). American Association for the Advancement of Science: New York, N.Y. ISSN 0036-8075; e-ISSN 1095-9203, more
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| Authors | | Top |
- Erwin, D.H.
- Laflamme, M.
- Tweedt, S.
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- Sperling, E.A.
- Pisani, D.
- Peterson, K.J.
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| Abstract |
Diverse bilaterian clades emerged apparently within a few million years during the early Cambrian, and various environmental, developmental, and ecological causes have been proposed to explain this abrupt appearance. A compilation of the patterns of fossil and molecular diversification, comparative developmental data, and information on ecological feeding strategies indicate that the major animal clades diverged many tens of millions of years before their first appearance in the fossil record, demonstrating a macroevolutionary lag between the establishment of their developmental toolkits during the Cryogenian [(850 to 635 million years ago Ma)] and the later ecological success of metazoans during the Ediacaran (635 to 541 Ma) and Cambrian (541 to 488 Ma) periods. We argue that this diversification involved new forms of developmental regulation, as well as innovations in networks of ecological interaction within the context of permissive environmental circumstances. |
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