◐ Shell
reader mode source ↗
Skip to main page content
Advanced
User Guide
Full text links Cite
Display options

Erratum in

Abstract

Tides are a major component of the interaction between the marine and terrestrial environments, and thus play an important part in shaping the environmental context for the evolution of shallow marine and coastal organisms. Here, we use a dedicated tidal model and palaeogeographic reconstructions from the Late Silurian to early Late Devonian (420 Ma, 400 Ma and 380 Ma, Ma = millions of years ago) to explore the potential significance of tides for the evolution of osteichthyans (bony fish) and tetrapods (land vertebrates). The earliest members of the osteichthyan crown-group date to the Late Silurian, approximately 425 Ma, while the earliest evidence for tetrapods is provided by trackways from the Middle Devonian, dated to approximately 393 Ma, and the oldest tetrapod body fossils are Late Devonian, approximately 373 Ma. Large tidal ranges could have fostered both the evolution of air-breathing organs in osteichthyans to facilitate breathing in oxygen-depleted tidal pools, and the development of weight-bearing tetrapod limbs to aid navigation within the intertidal zones. We find that tidal ranges over 4 m were present around areas of evolutionary significance for the origin of osteichthyans and the fish-tetrapod transition, highlighting the possible importance of tidal dynamics as a driver for these evolutionary processes.

Keywords: Silurian–Devonian tides; fish-tetrapod transition; intertidal zone; osteichthyan.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

We declare we have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The model bathymetry for 420 Ma (a), 400 Ma (d) and 380 Ma (g), with depth saturating at 6000 m (Abyssal ocean is at 4200 m, with trenches at 6000 m). The bathymetry data are computed from the tectonic reconstructions in [26]. The major continents are as follows: Laurussia is highlighted as panels (c), (f) and (i), Gondwana is the major continent in the south of panels, and Siberia is located NE of Laurussia denoted as S in panels (a), (d) and (g). The South China region is highlighted in panels (b), (e) and (h), with South China denoted as SC and Indochina as IC. The tidal proxies have been indicated in each time slices; Kez Fm, Keziertage Formation; Kar Fm, Karheen Formation; Man Fm, Manlius Formation; Pad Fm, Padeha Formation; Batt P Fm, Battery Point Formation; Pär and Rez Fms, Pärnu and Rēzekne Formations; Gau Fm, Gauja Formation; Ham gp, Hamilton Group and Esc Fm, Escuminac Formation. The stars in (f) indicate the locations of the two earliest fossil tetrapod trackways. Zachelmie is denoted by Z and Valentia Island as V (see §1 for details). (Online version in colour.)
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
(a,b) show the modelled M2 tidal ranges (in metres) for the PD control (a) and PD reconstructed simulations (b). The RMS error values between the modelled and the TPXO M2 amplitudes are approximately 12 cm for PD and approximately 20 cm for PD reconstructed. (c,d) as in (a) and (b) but for the S2 constituent. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
The 420 Ma simulation with tidal range (colour, range in metres) for M2 (a–c) and S2 (d–f). Enlarged areas of evolutionary interest are shown in (b) and (e) for the South China region and (c) and (f) for Laurussia. Note that the S2 range is equal to the spring–neap range difference, so panels (d–f) show the spring–neap range difference as well. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
As in figure 3 but for the shallow bathymetry. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
As in figure 3 but using the deep bathymetry. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
As in figure 3 but for the 400 Ma simulation. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
As in figure 6 but using the shallow bathymetry. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 8.
Figure 8.
As in figure 6 but for the deep bathymetry. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 9.
Figure 9.
As in figure 3 but for the 380 Ma simulation. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 10.
Figure 10.
As in figure 9 but using the shallow bathymetry. (Online version in colour.)
Figure 11.
Figure 11.
As in figure 9 but using the deep bathymetry. (Online version in colour.)
All figures (11)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Niedwiedzki G, Szrek P, Narkiewicz K, Narkiewicz M, Ahlberg PE. 2010. Tetrapod trackways from the early Middle Devonian period of Poland. Nature 463, 43–48. ( 10.1038/nature08623) - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ahlberg PE. 2018. Follow the footprints and mind the gaps: a new look at the origin of tetrapods. Earth Environ. Sci. Trans. R. Soc. Edinburgh 109, 115–137. ( 10.1017/S1755691018000695) - DOI
    1. Gingerich PD. 2003. Land-to-sea transition in early whales: evolution of Eocene Archaeoceti (Cetacea) in relation to skeletal proportions and locomotion of living semiaquatic mammals. Paleobiology 29, 429–454. ( 10.1666/0094-8373(2003)029<0429:LTIEWE>2.0.CO;2) - DOI
    1. Savage RJG, Domning DP, Thewissen JGM. 1994. Fossil sirenia of the west Atlantic and Caribbean region. V. The most primitive known sirenian, Prorastomus sirenoides Owen, 1855. J. Vertebr. Paleontol. 14, 427–449. ( 10.1080/02724634.1994.10011569) - DOI
    1. Clack JA. 2012. Gaining ground: the origin and evolution of tetrapods, 2nd edn Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Show all 73 references

LinkOut - more resources