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The Devonian Period closes with another decline and mass extinction. Again, 50 percent of species vanish world-wide, the major losses taken this time by ocean life. Basic biota body blueprints remain conservative.

Note the "bottom-heavy" trend in evolution: new lineages generate remarkable diversity when they first appear, but settle to a limited number of body plans in what paleontologist Stephen Gould calls, "early experimentation and later standardization."

It takes 30 million years for biodiversity to recover fully from this mass extinction.

Date Created

1997

Holding Institution

University of Montana--Missoula. Environmental Studies Program

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© 1997 Stiftung Drittes Millennium

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Exhibit

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image/jpeg

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Text; Image

Digital Image Number

64_wtt_file04_60-79.jpg

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