In this paper, we solve a long-standing open question, about the spectrum of the successivity relation on a computable linear ordering. We show that if a computable linear ordering [Formula: see text] has infinitely many successivities, then the spectrum of the successivity relation is closed upwards in the computably enumerable Turing degrees. To do this, we use a new method of constructing [Formula: see text]-isomorphisms, which has already found other applications such as Downey, Kastermans and Lempp [9] and is of (...) independent interest. It would seem to promise many further applications. (shrink)