Evolutionary dynamics of plants and animals: a comparative approach

Area of Science:

• Paleontology
• Evolutionary Biology
• Ecology

Background:

• Fossil records reveal distinct evolutionary trajectories for different life forms.
• Taxonomic turnover rates provide insights into clade stability and extinction proneness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare evolutionary dynamics between land plants and marine invertebrates using fossil data.
• To identify factors contributing to divergent evolutionary patterns in terrestrial and marine clades.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of fossil records to determine rates of taxonomic appearance and extinction.
• Comparison of longevity and turnover rates across major plant and invertebrate groups.
• Identification of environmental and developmental factors influencing evolutionary trends.

Main Results:

• Marine invertebrates show declining taxonomic turnover through the Phanerozoic, favoring long-lived, extinction-resistant clades.
• Terrestrial vascular plants exhibit increasing turnover rates, dominated by short-lived, extinction-prone clades since the Devonian.
• Terrestrial vertebrates align more closely with the marine invertebrate pattern than with plants.

Conclusions:

• Continuous invasion of stressful environments by land plants may explain their divergent evolutionary pattern.
• Differences in growth modes (indeterminate in plants, determinate in animals) could influence clade origin timing and stability.