Figure 1 - Meteorites and biodiversity.

Timing of the asteroid disruption and of the subsequent meteorite showers on Earth (pink bar; ref. 5) compared with the global diversification trends at the species level for selected groups of Ordovician organisms (left-hand panel. Faunal data compiled from ref. 1. Asterisks indicate regional curves from the Baltic and Scandinavian region). Changes in sea level and global climate as well as unusual signals in carbon isotope compositions suggesting important changes to the Earth's carbon cycling system are shown for comparison (right-hand panels), as possible alternative causes for the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event. The black and white arrows represent major inrcreases and decreases in sea level, respectively. Adapted from ref. 4.

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