Biotic perturbations from the Late Ordovician to the early Silurian in Baltica: macro- and microecological changes associated with extinctions and recoveries

In this project, we will examine macro- and microecological changes associated with Late Ordovician extinctions and early Silurian recovery and extinction events through a comprehensive study of well-preserved Late Ordovician and early Silurian fossils in the eastern part of the Baltoscandian region. The main aim is to identify the factors influencing extinction risk in fossil, as well as in modern ecosystems. The questions to be addressed include: What factors make a species vulnerable to extinction? How and why does species resilience change over time in response to various climatic perturbations? What roles do biological interactions and environmental engineering play in species and ecosystem resilience? Additionally, we aim to develop an updated model describing the impact of the end-Ordovician mass extinction and Ireviken event on various organisms and the ecosystem as a whole. The attached graphical abstract (Figure 1) illustrates the main objectives of the current project.