Enjoyed reading about this nice study @Palaeo3 about the relationship between Li/Ca ratios in #brachiopods and #temperature. The #dataset looks very robust and the empirical relationship highly promising for #paleoclimate #reconstructions!

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031018225002135

Oldest-known evolutionary arms race https://phys.org/news/2025-01-fossil-reveals-oldest-evolutionary-arms.html

Adaptive responses in #Cambrian predator and prey highlight the arms race during the rise of #animals https://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(24)01647-6

"These 517-million-year-old predator-prey interactions occurred between a small, shelled #animal distantly related to #brachiopods and an unknown marine animal capable of piercing its shell... an increase in shell wall thickness coincides with an increase in the number of perforated shells"

Remarkable marine animal forests found around #Wellington's coast in central #NewZealand https://phys.org/news/2024-09-remarkable-marine-animal-forests-wellington.html

Ecologically significant shallow-water (0–30 m) marine animal forests in central New Zealand https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989424003445

"#MarineAnimalForests are habitats formed by big groups of #invertebrates—creatures such as #sponges, horse #mussels, and #brachiopods, which look a bit like #clams. These remarkable communities are increasingly being recognized as #biodiversity hotspots"

25-JUL-2024
Ancient marine animal had inventive past despite being represented by few species, new study finds

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1052241

Ancient marine #animal had inventive past despite being represented by few species https://phys.org/news/2024-07-ancient-marine-animal-species.html

Morphological innovation did not drive diversification in #Mesozoic–#Cenozoic brachiopods https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-024-02491-9

#Brachiopods were evolving in new directions but this did not become an evolutionary success in terms of the numbers of species... The findings shed light on some core principles of the #evolution of modern #biodiversity.