Mesozoic Marine Revolution

The Mesozoic marine revolution (MMR) was a fundamental restructuring of marine ecosystems during the Mesozoic era, particularly in the Jurassic and Cretaceous,[1] caused by increased predation pressure.

The term was coined by Geerat J. Vermeij (1977) based on the earlier work of Steven M. Stanley (1974).[2][3]

The MMR was not the first bout of increased predation pressure; this also occurred around the end of the Ordovician.[4]

Some taxa began to diversify before the MMR, notably the crinoids, who were perhaps responding to increased benthic predation pressure.[1]

Casualties

Organisms which went into decline include stalked crinoids, articulate brachiopods, and endobyssate bivalves.[2] Weakly armoured gastropods also disappeared, while more heavily armoured taxa diversified.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b Baumiller, T.; Salamon, M.; Gorzelak, P.; Mooi, R.; Messing, C.; Gahn, F. (2010). "Post-Paleozoic crinoid radiation in response to benthic predation preceded the Mesozoic marine revolution". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 107 (13): 5893–5896. Bibcode 2010PNAS..107.5893B. doi:10.1073/pnas.0914199107. PMC 2851891. PMID 20231453. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2851891.  edit
  2. ^ a b Stanley, S.M. (2008). "Predation defeats competition on the seafloor". Paleobiology 34 (1): 1–21. doi:10.1666/07026.1. 
  3. ^ Stanley SM ((1974)). "What has happened to the articulate brachiopods?". GSA Abstracts with Programs 8: 966–967. 
  4. ^ Vinn, O (2008). "Attempted predation on Early Paleozoic cornulitids". Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology 273: 87. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2008.12.004. 
  5. ^ Vermeij, G.J. (July 1, 1977). "The Mesozoic marine revolution; evidence from snails, predators and grazers". Paleobiology 3 (3): 245–258. http://paleobiol.geoscienceworld.org/cgi/content/abstract/3/3/245. Retrieved 2008-05-13.