Secondary Evolutionary Escalation Between Brachiopods and Enemies of Other Prey
Abstract
The fossil record of predation indicates that attacks on Paleozoic brachiopods were very rare, especially compared to those on post-Paleozoic mollusks, yet stratigraphically and geographically widespread. Drilling frequencies were very low in the early Paleozoic («1%) and went up slightly in the mid-to-late Paleozoic. Present-day brachiopods revealed frequencies only slightly higher. The persistent rarity of drilling suggests that brachiopods were the secondary casualties of mistaken or opportunistic attacks by the enemies of other taxa. Such sporadic attacks became slightly more frequent as trophic systems escalated and predators diversified. Some evolutionarily persistent biotic interactions may be incidental rather than coevolutionary or escalatory in nature.
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References and Notes
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We thank NSF (Geology and Paleontology Program, grants EAR-9909225 and 9909565), the Petroleum Research Fund (grants AC 37737 and AC 40735), and the Fulbright Commission for financial support; F. Gahn, B. Deline, E. Roberts, M. Tuura, and P. Shafer for help in processing museum samples; and S. Xiao, J. Huntley, G. Dietl, and two anonymous reviewers for useful comments on the manuscript.
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Science
Volume 308 | Issue 5729
17 June 2005
17 June 2005
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American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Submission history
Received: 8 April 2005
Accepted: 21 April 2005
Published in print: 17 June 2005
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