A THEORETICAL INTEGRATION OF CAMBRIAN EXPLOSION AND POST-PERMIAN QUIESCENCE

Trophic dynamics is internally causative. Each trophic level is causat ive in initialing changes in trophic flour either as a supplier toward s the upper level or as a consumer towards the lower. Resource present ation followed by its subsequent exploitation makes suppliers causativ e, while resource exploitation followed by its subsequent presentation makes consumers causative. Trophic dynamics of supplier domination gr adually alternates with that of consumer domination while being punctu ated by occasional mass extinctions due to depletion of the resources towards the lowest trophic level. The Cambrian explosion could be asso ciated with trophic dynamics of supplier domination, whereas the post- Permian quiescence with that of consumer influencing supplier dominati on. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.