Paleoecological feedback and the Vendian-Cambrian transition

The emergence of abundant skeletonized animals during the Vendian-Cambrian transition is seen by paleontologists as an 'explosion' when nearly all basic designs of invertebrate life appeared for the first time in the fossil record. Breakthroughs in trophic strategy, involving an increasing three-dimensionality in the benthic habitat and positive feedback between predators and prey, played a creative role in the evolution of these higher life forms.