Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event

E87794

The Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event was a profound evolutionary radiation during the Ordovician Period that saw a dramatic increase in marine biodiversity and the establishment of many major animal groups in Paleozoic oceans.

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Statements (55)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Ordovician event
biodiversification event
evolutionary radiation
paleontological event
affects brachiopods
bryozoans
conodonts
corals
echinoderms
graptolites
mollusks
ostracods
trilobites
alsoKnownAs GOBE
associatedWith development of complex food webs
expansion of carbonate platforms
increase in alpha diversity
increase in beta diversity
increase in gamma diversity
increase in plankton diversity
characterizedBy dramatic increase in marine biodiversity
expansion of ecological niches
increase in bioturbation
increase in ecological complexity
increase in predation pressure
increase in reef-building activity
increase in taxonomic richness
increase in tiering within seafloor communities
endApproximateMa 444
follows Cambrian explosion
hasDomain benthic communities
marine ecosystems
planktonic communities
hasSignificance important benchmark for Phanerozoic biodiversity patterns
key event in the history of marine life
major step in the establishment of the Paleozoic marine fauna
occursIn Paleozoic Era
partOf Ordovician Period
peakApproximateMa 470
possibleDriver changes in ocean chemistry
climatic cooling from greenhouse to icehouse conditions
increased nutrient input to oceans
plate tectonics and continental reconfiguration
sea-level rise and expansion of shallow seas
precedes Late Ordovician mass extinction
resultsIn differentiation of marine faunal provinces
establishment of many major animal groups in Paleozoic oceans
long-term rise in marine diversity above Cambrian levels
startApproximateMa 485
studiedIn paleobiology
paleoecology
stratigraphy
temporalLocation Middle Ordovician
surface form: Early Ordovician

Late Ordovician
Middle Ordovician

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Ordovician Period characterizedBy Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event
Cambrian Period followedByEvent Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event
Paleozoic Era majorEvent Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event