“Winners” and “Losers” of the Bivalve Evolution
Bivalves are nowadays represented by several thousand species of variable sizes and shapes. Additionally, thousands more species occurred during their 500-million-year long evolution. Present on Earth since the Cambrian, the class Bivalvia experienced periods of gradual evolution, interspersed with...
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MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| author | Jasenka Sremac Marija Bošnjak |
| author_facet | Jasenka Sremac Marija Bošnjak |
| author_sort | Jasenka Sremac |
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| description | Bivalves are nowadays represented by several thousand species of variable sizes and shapes. Additionally, thousands more species occurred during their 500-million-year long evolution. Present on Earth since the Cambrian, the class Bivalvia experienced periods of gradual evolution, interspersed with periods of rapid changes. Some groups of bivalves, namely clams, oysters, scallops, and marine mussels, managed to survive a series of extinctions, and their descendants still thrive in modern oceans and seas. Other groups, such as the rudists, completely disappeared from marine environments, after undergoing successful evolutionary radiation. In this study, we consider the possible reasons for the longevity of some bivalve orders and discuss the possible causes of demise of several once-successful clades. As expected, a small body size, large number of specimens, infaunal mode of life, motility, and long-living planktonic larvae proved to be evolutionary advantages during stress periods. The ability to harbor chemosymbionts could be an additional benefit during biotic crises. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d10a13355e8946bc8b91f523c6f0b339 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj-art-d10a13355e8946bc8b91f523c6f0b3392025-08-20T03:58:26ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182025-07-0117750010.3390/d17070500“Winners” and “Losers” of the Bivalve EvolutionJasenka Sremac0Marija Bošnjak1Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaCroatian Natural History Museum, 10000 Zagreb, CroatiaBivalves are nowadays represented by several thousand species of variable sizes and shapes. Additionally, thousands more species occurred during their 500-million-year long evolution. Present on Earth since the Cambrian, the class Bivalvia experienced periods of gradual evolution, interspersed with periods of rapid changes. Some groups of bivalves, namely clams, oysters, scallops, and marine mussels, managed to survive a series of extinctions, and their descendants still thrive in modern oceans and seas. Other groups, such as the rudists, completely disappeared from marine environments, after undergoing successful evolutionary radiation. In this study, we consider the possible reasons for the longevity of some bivalve orders and discuss the possible causes of demise of several once-successful clades. As expected, a small body size, large number of specimens, infaunal mode of life, motility, and long-living planktonic larvae proved to be evolutionary advantages during stress periods. The ability to harbor chemosymbionts could be an additional benefit during biotic crises.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/7/500MolluscaBivalviageological historyextinctionssurvivorssymbionts |
| spellingShingle | Jasenka Sremac Marija Bošnjak “Winners” and “Losers” of the Bivalve Evolution Diversity Mollusca Bivalvia geological history extinctions survivors symbionts |
| title | “Winners” and “Losers” of the Bivalve Evolution |
| title_full | “Winners” and “Losers” of the Bivalve Evolution |
| title_fullStr | “Winners” and “Losers” of the Bivalve Evolution |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Winners” and “Losers” of the Bivalve Evolution |
| title_short | “Winners” and “Losers” of the Bivalve Evolution |
| title_sort | winners and losers of the bivalve evolution |
| topic | Mollusca Bivalvia geological history extinctions survivors symbionts |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/7/500 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jasenkasremac winnersandlosersofthebivalveevolution AT marijabosnjak winnersandlosersofthebivalveevolution |