Exceptional fossils from North Dakota reveal hidden Ordovician ecosystems

What is it about?

The Ordovician is one of the most important geological periods for the evolution of modern ecosystems, with one of the greatest evolutionary radiations in Earth's history - the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event - taking place during this interval. In this study we describe two exceptionally preserved fossil biotas from the Ordovician of North Dakota, offering an unprecedentedly complete window on life in the vast shallow marine ecosystems of this period.

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Why is it important?

Exceptionally preserved Ordovician faunas are rare and mostly capture unusual, ecologically restricted settings. This has led to a heavily biased picture of life during this key period in the evolution of modern marine ecosystems. The diverse, functionally modern animals revealed by our study show that most previously described Ordovician biotas record evolutionary "backwaters", largely unrepresentative of the broader state of their biosphere.