IGCP 735 (2021-2025): rocks and the rise of Ordovician life: filling knowledge gaps in the Early Palaeozoic biodiversification (Rocks n'ROL)
Resource type
Conference paper (unpublished)
Creator (person)
Lefebvre, Bertrand
Candela, Yves
Hariri, Khadija
Ghobadi Pour, Mansoureh
Raevskaya, Elena
Tinn, Oive
Waisfeld, Beatriz
Wang, Wenhui
Abstract
Deciphering the complex interactions between climate change, biodiversity and
ecosystem structuration is a major societal issue for future generations. The geological
record offers the unique opportunity to document the impact of environmental changes in
the biosphere in the past, and thus to provide some clues for the future. In this context,
the Early Palaeozoic is probably one of the most critical intervals to document such
interactions between biotas and the Earth system. This interval embraces major
evolutionary events such as the Cambrian Explosion and the Great Ordovician
Biodiversification Event, but also major shifts in climate with a dramatic impact on the
biosphere. Recently, the development of large-scale collaborative palaeontological
databases promoted high-resolution analyses of biodiversity patterns, which could be
compared with different environmental proxies. However, most available data are so far
strongly biased towards some geographic areas (Europe, North America) and time
intervals (lower-middle Cambrian, Middle-Upper Ordovician). Through a
multidisciplinary approach, and in close collaboration with the International
Subcommission on Ordovician Stratigraphy, the project aims at filling the numerous
knowledge gaps in most regions of the world (e.g. Africa, Asia and South America), with a
special focus on less- documented time intervals (e.g. late Cambrian to Early Ordovician)
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