The Silurian–Devonian terrestrial revolution: Diversity patterns and sampling bias of the vascular plant macrofossil record

Capel, Eliott; Cleal, Christopher J.; Xue, Jinzhuang; Monnet, Claude; Servais, Thomas; Cascales‐Miñana, Borja

doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104085

Cited by 26 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 237 publications

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“…According to current plant classification, the early Emsian flora of the Eifel contains many different basal forms of tracheophytes (Capel et al 2021, 2022). Such forms include rhyniopsids (e.g.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A diverse Early Devonian palynoflora from the Waxweiler Lagerstätte (Klerf Formation, Rhenish Massif, Western Germany): palaeobotanical implications

et al. 2022

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A diverse Early Devonian palynoflora from the Waxweiler Lagerstätte (Klerf Formation, Rhenish Massif, Western Germany): palaeobotanical implications

et al. 2022

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“…1B, E), even though global patterns suggest a massive diversification (Capel et al . 2022). While a lack of terrestrial deposits can partly explain the scarcity of plant macrofossils (Fig.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…1980; Edwards & Davies 1990; Raymond & Metz 1995; Cascales‐Miñana 2016; Capel et al . 2021, 2022). Nevertheless, the lack of detailed evidence about how geological biases influence our interpretation of the dynamics of early plant diversity calls into question the detailed timing and magnitude of this radiation.…”

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confidence: 99%

The effect of geological biases on our perception of early land plant radiation

et al. 2023

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The Silurian–Devonian plant radiation was a critical development in the evolution of early terrestrial ecosystems. Characterizing the diversity dynamics of this radiation has been a focus of numerous studies. However, little is known about the impact of geological bias on our perception of this biodiversification. Here, we use a new, comprehensive compilation of plant occurrences from North America, together with a Macrostrat lithological dataset, to elucidate the relationships between the palaeobotanical and geological records of early land plants. Results show that observed raw diversity patterns at both species and genus rank are significantly correlated with fluctuations of sedimentary rock volume, especially of non‐marine fossiliferous deposits. The lack of terrestrial sedimentary deposits before the Emsian (Early Devonian) makes it difficult to obtain an accurate depiction of the pre‐Emsian plant diversification in North America. However, complementary analyses reveal that sampling‐standardized diversity patterns partially correct the raw trajectories, especially at the genus‐level if enough preserved non‐marine sediments are available for sampling. Our findings highlight that geological incompleteness remains a fundamental bias for describing early plant diversification. This indicates that, even when sampling is extensive, observed diversity patterns potentially reflect the heterogeneity of the rock record, which blurs our understanding of the early history of land vegetation.

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“…A major shift in climate and oxygen levels in Earth’s atmosphere beginning near the Emsian-Eifelian boundary (~ 395 Ma) 1 and continued into the Early Frasnian when forests were expanding 2 – 4 . The world’s first forests were identified in the late Emsian in Spitzbergen and in Givetian strata in Gilboa, New York, USA 5 , 6 , however, Capel et al 3 identifies several major origination-extinction pulses during the Silurian-Devonian that eventually resulted in a transition to a forested terrestrial landscape during the Middle Devonian. By the end of the Givetian, root networks had deepened and by the Frasnian, aneurophyte and archaeopterid progymnosperm forests were common, resulting in thicker soil horizons starting to form; thereby increasing terrestrially-derived nutrient delivery to the marine environment 2 , 4 , 7 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mapping amorphous SiO2 in Devonian shales and the possible link to marine productivity during incipient forest diversification

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Silica cycling in the world’s oceans is not straightforward to evaluate on a geological time scale. With the rise of radiolarians and sponges from the early Cambrian onward, silica can have two depositional origins, continental weathering, and biogenic silica. It is critical to have a reliable method of differentiating amorphous silica and crystalline silica to truly understand biogeochemical and inorganic silica cycling. In this study, opal-A is mapped across the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin in the Late Devonian Duvernay Formation shales using longwave hyperspectral imaging alongside geochemical proxies that differentiate between crystalline and amorphous SiO2, during the expansion of the world’s early forests. Signaled by several carbon isotope excursions in the Frasnian, the punctata Event corresponds to the expansion of forests when vascular land plants develop seeds and deeper root networks, likely resulting in increased pedogenesis. Nutrients from thicker soil horizons entering the marine realm are linked to higher levels of primary productivity in oceans and subsequent oxygen starvation in deeper waters at this time. The results of this study reveal, for the first time, the spatial distribution of amorphous SiO2 across a sedimentary basin during this major shift in the terrestrial realm when forests expand and develop deeper root networks.

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The Silurian–Devonian terrestrial revolution: Diversity patterns and sampling bias of the vascular plant macrofossil record

Cited by 26 publications

References 237 publications

A diverse Early Devonian palynoflora from the Waxweiler Lagerstätte (Klerf Formation, Rhenish Massif, Western Germany): palaeobotanical implications

A diverse Early Devonian palynoflora from the Waxweiler Lagerstätte (Klerf Formation, Rhenish Massif, Western Germany): palaeobotanical implications

The effect of geological biases on our perception of early land plant radiation

Mapping amorphous SiO2 in Devonian shales and the possible link to marine productivity during incipient forest diversification

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