Carbonate shelf development and early Paleozoic benthic diversity in Baltica: a hierarchical diversity partitioning approach using brachiopod data

Abstract The Ordovician–Silurian (~485–419 Ma) was a time of considerable evolutionary upheaval, encompassing both great diversification and one the first major mass extinctions. Ordovician coincided with global climatic cooling paleocontinental collision, ecological impacts which were mediated by region-specific processes including substrate changes, biotic invasions, tectonic movements. From Sandbian–Katian (~453 onward, an extensive carbonate shelf developed in eastern Baltic paleobasin response to shift tropical latitudes increase abundance calcareous macroorganisms. We quantify contributions environmental differentiation temporal turnover regional diversity through Silurian, using brachiopod occurrences from more shallow-water facies belts paleobasin, epicontinental sea on Baltica paleocontinent. results are consistent development as driver diversification, enhancing broadscale between shallow- deep-marine environments generating heterogeneous that allowed increasing numbers genera coexist. However, also contributed significantly apparent diversity, particularly Middle–Late Ordovician.