1997/05/01 by Elizabeth M. Harper, Timothy J. Palmer, J. R. ALPHEY · 2 citations
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · #Marine Biology and Ecology Research #Cephalopods and Marine Biology #Marine and environmental studies
paper · doi:10.1017/s0016756897007061
openalex publication_date 1997/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25
Sedimentological evidence suggests that sea-water chemistry has oscillated between ‘Aragonite’ and ‘Calcite’ seas during the course of Phanerozoic time. During ‘Calcite’ sea periods aragonite was soluble and dissolved on the sea-floor. Here we propose, using a survey of familial diversity, that during times of such corrosive seas bivalved molluscs which secreted their shells entirely of aragonite were at a selective disadvantage compared to those with calcitic outer shell layers. This is the first case in which it has been suggested that there was a dynamic link between sea-water chemistry and the evolution of a particular taxon throughout Phanerozoic time.