Theory regarding the causation of mass extinctions is in need of systematization, which is
the focus of this contribution. Every mass extinction has both an ultimate cause, ie the trigger …

Astronomical insolation forcing is well established as the underlying metronome of
Quaternary ice ages and Cenozoic climate changes. Yet its effects on earlier eras …

Widespread oceanic anoxia marked by globally extensive deposition of organic-rich black
shale during the Late Devonian was a major factor in the mass extinctions at the Frasnian …

This paper reviews global records of anoxic events of the Middle Devonian–earliest
Mississippian, as well as the possible triggers and controls of these events. These “anoxic …

The evolution and expansion of land plants brought about one of the most dramatic shifts in
the history of the Earth system—the birth of modern soils—and likely stimulated massive …

Projecting the dynamics and functioning of the biosphere requires a holistic consideration of
whole‐ecosystem processes. However, biases toward leaf, canopy, and soil modeling since …

There is a strong relationship between metazoan body size and extinction risk. However, the
size selectivity and underlying mechanisms in foraminifera, a common marine protozoa …

Repeated carbon isotope excursions and widespread organic-rich shale deposition mark
the Middle and Upper Devonian series. Various explanations such as extensive volcanism …

Silica cycling in the world's oceans is not straightforward to evaluate on a geological time
scale. With the rise of radiolarians and sponges from the early Cambrian onward, silica can …

Abstract During the Devonian Period plants first reached forest stature, impacting chemical
weathering of rocks, fluvial systems, atmospheric composition and possibly aquatic …