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Paleontologists investigating the sea bed off the coast of southern California have discovered a lost ecosystem that had nurtured communities of scallops and shelled marine organisms called brachiopods. These brachiopods and scallops had thrived for at least 4,000 years. But they had died off by the early 20th century. The disappearance of these abundant filter-feeding animals coincided with the rise of lifestock and cultivation in coastal lands, which increased silt deposition on the continental shelf, far beyond the lake and nearshore settings where they would expect this stress to have an impact. [Source: University of Chicago]
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