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Macroevolution of ecosystem engineering, niche construction and diversity.

Douglas H Erwin¹

¹Department of Paleobiology, MRC-121, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC 20013-7012, USA. Erwind@si.edu

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

|May 7, 2008

Summary

Organisms reshape their environments through niche construction and ecosystem engineering, impacting biodiversity over geological time. These organism-driven environmental modifications have increasingly influenced macroevolutionary patterns throughout the Phanerozoic Eon.

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Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Paleontology

Background:

Organisms actively modify their environments through processes like bioturbation and habitat construction.
These modifications can alter selective pressures for the modifying species (niche construction) and impact other species' ecological and evolutionary trajectories (ecosystem engineering).

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the long-term, geological-time-scale impacts of organism-driven environmental modification on macroevolutionary patterns and biodiversity.
To assess the temporal trends in the intensity of niche construction and ecosystem engineering throughout the Phanerozoic Eon.

Main Methods:

Review of paleontological evidence for persistent environmental modifications caused by organisms.
Analysis of macroevolutionary patterns and biodiversity trends in relation to inferred levels of biological activity and environmental engineering over geological time.

Main Results:

Organismal activities, such as increased sediment bioturbation and the formation of persistent shell beds, leave lasting environmental imprints.
The extent of ecosystem engineering has demonstrably increased from the early Phanerozoic to recent communities.
These environmentally mediated selection processes appear to have created positive feedback loops that have progressively enhanced biodiversity.

Conclusions:

Organismal activities that modify environments are significant drivers of macroevolutionary change and biodiversity.
The increasing intensity of ecosystem engineering over the Phanerozoic has likely played a crucial role in the Phanerozoic's escalating biodiversity.
Understanding these organism-environment feedbacks is essential for comprehending long-term evolutionary dynamics.