Mass Extinctions Drove Increased Global Faunal Cosmopolitanism on the Supercontinent Pangaea

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Mass Extinctions Drove Increased Global Faunal Cosmopolitanism on the Supercontinent Pangaea ARTICLE DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00827-7 OPEN Mass extinctions drove increased global faunal cosmopolitanism on the supercontinent Pangaea David J. Button1,4,5, Graeme T. Lloyd 2, Martín D. Ezcurra1,3 & Richard J. Butler1 Mass extinctions have profoundly impacted the evolution of life through not only reducing taxonomic diversity but also reshaping ecosystems and biogeographic patterns. In particular, they are considered to have driven increased biogeographic cosmopolitanism, but quantita- tive tests of this hypothesis are rare and have not explicitly incorporated information on evolutionary relationships. Here we quantify faunal cosmopolitanism using a phylogenetic network approach for 891 terrestrial vertebrate species spanning the late Permian through Early Jurassic. This key interval witnessed the Permian–Triassic and Triassic–Jurassic mass extinctions, the onset of fragmentation of the supercontinent Pangaea, and the origins of dinosaurs and many modern vertebrate groups. Our results recover significant increases in global faunal cosmopolitanism following both mass extinctions, driven mainly by new, widespread taxa, leading to homogenous ‘disaster faunas’. Cosmopolitanism subsequently declines in post-recovery communities. These shared patterns in both biotic crises suggest that mass extinctions have predictable influences on animal distribution and may shed light on biodiversity loss in extant ecosystems. 1 School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. 2 School of Earth and Environment, Maths/Earth and Environment Building, The University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. 3 Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados, CONICET−Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, Avenida Ángel Gallardo 470, Buenos Aires C1405DJR, Argentina. 4Present address: North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA. 5Present address: Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, 3510 Thomas Hall, Campus Box 7614, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA. Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to D.J.B. (email: [email protected])orto R.J.B. (email: [email protected]) NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | 8: 733 | DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00827-7 | www.nature.com/naturecommunications 1 ARTICLE NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00827-7 arth history has been punctuated by mass extinction (and sampled) within a given locality or not. It does not explicitly events1, biotic crises that fundamentally alter both incorporate information on the supra-specific phylogenetic E 1, 2 biodiversity and biogeographic patterns . A common relationships between taxa, such as could be used to estimate generalisation is that mass extinctions are followed by periods of phylogenetic distance present between different species present at – increased faunal cosmopolitanism1 4. For example, the Early different localities. As such, it may be difficult or impossible to Triassic aftermath of the Permian–Triassic mass extinction, apply to a global fossil record dominated by singletons (species the largest extinction event known5, 6, has been considered occurring at just one locality), as is common for tetrapods. as characterized by a globally homogeneous ‘disaster fauna’ Moreover, the results are potentially sensitive to systematic dominated by a small number of widely distributed and abundant variation in taxonomic practice (i.e., ‘lumping’ vs. ‘splitting’) and – taxa1, 3, 6 8. Similar patterns have been proposed for the differential temporal and spatial sampling. Consequently, it may aftermath of the mass extinction at the end of the Triassic9. be useful to consider how closely related sets of species from pairs However, explicit quantitative tests of changes in cosmopolitan- of localities are on a continuous scale. ism across mass extinctions are rare and have been limited to Here we present a modification of this network model that small geographical regions3 or have not incorporated information addresses these issues by incorporating phylogenetic information from evolutionary relationships (phylogeny)2, 3. into the calculation of BC. Rather than treating links between taxa In order to test the impact of mass extinctions on biogeo- in different geographic regions in a binary fashion, they are graphic patterns, a method for quantifying relative changes in instead inversely weighted in proportion to the phylogenetic cosmopolitanism through time is required. Sidor et al.3 proposed distance between them (Fig. 1a, c). These reweighted links are that the spatial occurrence data can be modelled as a bipartite then used to calculate phylogenetic biogeographic connectedness taxon-locality network, specifying the distribution of fossil taxa (pBC). As with BC, higher levels of pBC equate to more (e.g., species) within defined localities (e.g., geographic areas such cosmopolitan faunas, with less phylogenetic distance between sets as continents or basins). The biogeographic structure of this of species from pairs of localities. By contrast, lower values of pBC network can then be quantified. Faunal heterogeneity (or indicate greater endemism, and increased phylogenetic disparity biogeographic connectedness, BC) can be measured as the between sets of species from pairs of localities. This method was rescaled density of the network—the number of taxa actually applied using an informal supertree (Fig. 2a; Supplementary shared between localities relative to the total possible number of Note 1) and species-level occurrence data set of terrestrial taxon links between them3 (Fig. 1a, b). Higher values of BC amniotes ranging from the late Permian to late Early Jurassic equate to increased cosmopolitanism (i.e., less heterogeneity), (c. 255–175 Ma; see Supplementary Note 2). A k-means cluster whereas decreases in BC indicate increasing faunal endemism or analysis was used to group taxa into ten distinct geographical provinciality (i.e., greater heterogeneity). This approach has been regions based on their occurrence palaeocoordinates (Fig. 2b; previously applied to assess regional changes in cosmopolitanism Supplementary Note 3). The sampled interval includes the within southern Gondwana across the Permian–Triassic mass Permian–Triassic and Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction events, extinction3. Results indicated a decline in BC from the late and the origins of key terrestrial vertebrate clades such as Permian to the Middle Triassic, indicating that cosmopolitanism crocodylomorphs, dinosaurs, lepidosaurs, mammaliaforms, increased following the extinction event. However, this study did pterosaurs, and turtles9. It is of particular biogeographic interest not include the critical immediate post-extinction faunas (earliest due to the presence of the supercontinent Pangaea10, which began Triassic), and it is also unclear whether this regional signal is to break apart by the Early Jurassic. Although barriers to dispersal representative of global biogeographic trends. might be perceived as sparse on a supercontinent, numerous This network method uses only the binary presence–absence studies have suggested faunal provinciality and endemism – data—i.e., information on whether a given species was present on Pangaea, perhaps driven by climatic variation3, 9, 11 13. a KombuisiaShansiodonVinceria TetragoniasKannemeyeriaDolichuranusRechnisaurus bc Fig. 1 Schematic illustration of network biogeography methods. a Simplified phylogeny of Dicynodontia. b, c Taxon-locality networks. Localities are indicated by the large, pale brown circles, taxa are coloured as in (a). Taxa are connected by brown lines to the locality at which they occur. b Rescaled non-phylogenetic biogeographic connectedness (BC) of Sidor et al.3. A single taxon, Kannemeyeria (yellow), is present at all three localities, resulting in a link of value = 1(solid black line) between each locality. c Phylogenetic biogeographic connectedness (pBC), as proposed here. Links (grey lines) between taxa from different localities are weighted inversely to their phylogenetic relatedness. Line thickness and shade is proportional to the strength of the link (and thus inversely proportional to phylogenetic distance between the two taxa) 2 NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | 8: 733 | DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00827-7 | www.nature.com/naturecommunications NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00827-7 ARTICLE ab Synapsida Prom Scylacosuchus ore C i P i Ichibengops m P y t n P P I o n r r s c i o P o i r schor s r Olivie C t a Lycosuchus vanderrieti s t C i s G s r C i t o i Ch h t risterog e o d S r y t e r s e p i e h ro st r g l o o n c Euchamber r Mos Aki a a rdosuc r d Annath e r r P i u s e g tho o P y a o g T A hu e n Moschorh i i s p c n t a s hy e rosu l i a l erp gn o a n g n a r S k h d a o e l p a dnognathus par a r a i g Ic o o a g S u h s c a n nosau n e o i a x r n n s g x e chowhai r i g s at d d i a na p u Theriognat m i t t r o t n c t m n Me a ch r i i AMN h t g g lex o cep s u n Ictido a c s e i d t u doc i s u i I o i h w i i n l i i e chus par e r I cti athoi o s y Mirot h y a at o o n t ct b n v s o s t t s hoid c u I o r s s si i i s o erapsidu t u i c h rv s la st a id a o a h I u o hus c b s e u S i r r ct u e u d ss isa u g p s a h id a t d d d f u r a e s n ti g u i n u s s u c u l spl i o l n r s u u s nyamadziens co i e a h e e Hofme de l o n e e os dos h l ilp Viatk e t s a en n idosuc u Noth aw c a at g s si e osuc Icti g r g r r an s rus ve r l a i i i i u s e y u h s i u i s nburgensis d ri h s i s a amps n i s l u p b HF s u SAM− ur sv hu n i d e n r e es brevidens de s r ic n K n n t l g e n p i n e s i sia mirabi v e n i i s h toma hembu r v r ic u m n i u Tra o sc SAM i so i s Sca u nus sparv ss a r hus s e g a u e d ap l p d u a a l .
Recommended publications
  • Appendix 3.Pdf
    A Geoconservation perspective on the trace fossil record associated with the end – Ordovician mass extinction and glaciation in the Welsh Basin Item Type Thesis or dissertation Authors Nicholls, Keith H. Citation Nicholls, K. (2019). A Geoconservation perspective on the trace fossil record associated with the end – Ordovician mass extinction and glaciation in the Welsh Basin. (Doctoral dissertation). University of Chester, United Kingdom. Publisher University of Chester Rights Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Download date 26/09/2021 02:37:15 Item License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10034/622234 International Chronostratigraphic Chart v2013/01 Erathem / Era System / Period Quaternary Neogene C e n o z o i c Paleogene Cretaceous M e s o z o i c Jurassic M e s o z o i c Jurassic Triassic Permian Carboniferous P a l Devonian e o z o i c P a l Devonian e o z o i c Silurian Ordovician s a n u a F y r Cambrian a n o i t u l o v E s ' i k s w o Ichnogeneric Diversity k p e 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 S 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 n 23 r e 25 d 27 o 29 M 31 33 35 37 39 T 41 43 i 45 47 m 49 e 51 53 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 Number of Ichnogenera (Treatise Part W) Ichnogeneric Diversity 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 n 23 r e 25 d 27 o 29 M 31 33 35 37 39 T 41 43 i 45 47 m 49 e 51 53 55 57 59 61 c i o 63 z 65 o e 67 a l 69 a 71 P 73 75 77 79 81 83 n 85 a i r 87 b 89 m 91 a 93 C Number of Ichnogenera (Treatise Part W)
    [Show full text]
  • Guadalupian, Middle Permian) Mass Extinction in NW Pangea (Borup Fiord, Arctic Canada): a Global Crisis Driven by Volcanism and Anoxia
    The Capitanian (Guadalupian, Middle Permian) mass extinction in NW Pangea (Borup Fiord, Arctic Canada): A global crisis driven by volcanism and anoxia David P.G. Bond1†, Paul B. Wignall2, and Stephen E. Grasby3,4 1Department of Geography, Geology and Environment, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK 2School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK 3Geological Survey of Canada, 3303 33rd Street N.W., Calgary, Alberta, T2L 2A7, Canada 4Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive N.W., Calgary Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada ABSTRACT ing gun of eruptions in the distant Emeishan 2009; Wignall et al., 2009a, 2009b; Bond et al., large igneous province, which drove high- 2010a, 2010b), making this a mid-Capitanian Until recently, the biotic crisis that oc- latitude anoxia via global warming. Although crisis of short duration, fulfilling the second cri- curred within the Capitanian Stage (Middle the global Capitanian extinction might have terion. Several other marine groups were badly Permian, ca. 262 Ma) was known only from had different regional mechanisms, like the affected in equatorial eastern Tethys Ocean, in- equatorial (Tethyan) latitudes, and its global more famous extinction at the end of the cluding corals, bryozoans, and giant alatocon- extent was poorly resolved. The discovery of Permian, each had its roots in large igneous chid bivalves (e.g., Wang and Sugiyama, 2000; a Boreal Capitanian crisis in Spitsbergen, province volcanism. Weidlich, 2002; Bond et al., 2010a; Chen et al., with losses of similar magnitude to those in 2018). In contrast, pelagic elements of the fauna low latitudes, indicated that the event was INTRODUCTION (ammonoids and conodonts) suffered a later, geographically widespread, but further non- ecologically distinct, extinction crisis in the ear- Tethyan records are needed to confirm this as The Capitanian (Guadalupian Series, Middle liest Lopingian (Huang et al., 2019).
    [Show full text]
  • Permian (Artinskian to Wuchapingian) Conodont Biostratigraphy in the Tieqiao Section, Laibin Area, South China
    Permian (Artinskian to Wuchapingian) conodont biostratigraphy in the Tieqiao section, Laibin area, South China Y.D. Suna, b*, X.T. Liuc, J.X. Yana, B. Lid, B. Chene, D.P.G. Bondf, M.M. Joachimskib, P.B. Wignallg, X.L. Laia a State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China b GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schlossgarten 5, 91054 Erlangen, Germany c Key Laboratory of Marine Geology and Environment, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China d Key Laboratory of Marine Mineral Resources, Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, Ministry of Land and Resources, Guangzhou, 510075, China e State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, 39 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, 210008, R.P. China f School of Environmental Sciences, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK g School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK *Corresponding authors Email: [email protected] (Y.D. Sun) © 2017, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ 1 Abstract Permian strata from the Tieqiao section (Jiangnan Basin, South China) contain several distinctive conodont assemblages. Early Permian (Cisuralian) assemblages are dominated by the genera Sweetognathus, Pseudosweetognathus and Hindeodus with rare Neostreptognathodus and Gullodus. Gondolellids are absent until the end of the Kungurian stage—in contrast to many parts of the world where gondolellids and Neostreptognathodus are the dominant Kungurian conodonts. A conodont changeover is seen at Tieqiao and coincided with a rise of sea level in the late Kungurian to the early Roadian: the previously dominant sweetognathids were replaced by mesogondolellids.
    [Show full text]
  • Lopingian, Permian) of North China
    Foss. Rec., 23, 205–213, 2020 https://doi.org/10.5194/fr-23-205-2020 © Author(s) 2020. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. The youngest occurrence of embolomeres (Tetrapoda: Anthracosauria) from the Sunjiagou Formation (Lopingian, Permian) of North China Jianye Chen1 and Jun Liu1,2,3 1Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China 2Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, China 3College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Correspondence: Jianye Chen ([email protected]) Received: 7 August 2020 – Revised: 2 November 2020 – Accepted: 16 November 2020 – Published: 1 December 2020 Abstract. Embolomeri were semiaquatic predators preva- 1 Introduction lent in the Carboniferous, with only two species from the early Permian (Cisuralian). A new embolomere, Seroher- Embolomeri are a monophyletic group of large crocodile- peton yangquanensis gen. et sp. nov. (Zoobank Registration like, semiaquatic predators, prevalent in the Carboniferous number: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:790BEB94-C2CC-4EA4- and early Permian (Cisuralian) (Panchen, 1970; Smithson, BE96-2A1BC4AED748, registration: 23 November 2020), is 2000; Carroll, 2009; Clack, 2012). The clade is generally named based on a partial right upper jaw and palate from the considered to be a stem member of the Reptiliomorpha, taxa Sunjiagou Formation of Yangquan, Shanxi, China, and is late that are more closely related to amniotes than to lissamphib- Wuchiapingian (late Permian) in age. It is the youngest em- ians (Ruta et al., 2003; Vallin and Laurin, 2004; Ruta and bolomere known to date and the only embolomere reported Coates, 2007; Clack and Klembara, 2009; Klembara et al., from North China Block.
    [Show full text]
  • Paleogeographic Maps Earth History
    History of the Earth Age AGE Eon Era Period Period Epoch Stage Paleogeographic Maps Earth History (Ma) Era (Ma) Holocene Neogene Quaternary* Pleistocene Calabrian/Gelasian Piacenzian 2.6 Cenozoic Pliocene Zanclean Paleogene Messinian 5.3 L Tortonian 100 Cretaceous Serravallian Miocene M Langhian E Burdigalian Jurassic Neogene Aquitanian 200 23 L Chattian Triassic Oligocene E Rupelian Permian 34 Early Neogene 300 L Priabonian Bartonian Carboniferous Cenozoic M Eocene Lutetian 400 Phanerozoic Devonian E Ypresian Silurian Paleogene L Thanetian 56 PaleozoicOrdovician Mesozoic Paleocene M Selandian 500 E Danian Cambrian 66 Maastrichtian Ediacaran 600 Campanian Late Santonian 700 Coniacian Turonian Cenomanian Late Cretaceous 100 800 Cryogenian Albian 900 Neoproterozoic Tonian Cretaceous Aptian Early 1000 Barremian Hauterivian Valanginian 1100 Stenian Berriasian 146 Tithonian Early Cretaceous 1200 Late Kimmeridgian Oxfordian 161 Callovian Mesozoic 1300 Ectasian Bathonian Middle Bajocian Aalenian 176 1400 Toarcian Jurassic Mesoproterozoic Early Pliensbachian 1500 Sinemurian Hettangian Calymmian 200 Rhaetian 1600 Proterozoic Norian Late 1700 Statherian Carnian 228 1800 Ladinian Late Triassic Triassic Middle Anisian 1900 245 Olenekian Orosirian Early Induan Changhsingian 251 2000 Lopingian Wuchiapingian 260 Capitanian Guadalupian Wordian/Roadian 2100 271 Kungurian Paleoproterozoic Rhyacian Artinskian 2200 Permian Cisuralian Sakmarian Middle Permian 2300 Asselian 299 Late Gzhelian Kasimovian 2400 Siderian Middle Moscovian Penn- sylvanian Early Bashkirian
    [Show full text]
  • Alphabetical List
    LIST E - GEOLOGIC AGE (STRATIGRAPHIC) TERMS - ALPHABETICAL LIST Age Unit Broader Term Age Unit Broader Term Aalenian Middle Jurassic Brunhes Chron upper Quaternary Acadian Cambrian Bull Lake Glaciation upper Quaternary Acheulian Paleolithic Bunter Lower Triassic Adelaidean Proterozoic Burdigalian lower Miocene Aeronian Llandovery Calabrian lower Pleistocene Aftonian lower Pleistocene Callovian Middle Jurassic Akchagylian upper Pliocene Calymmian Mesoproterozoic Albian Lower Cretaceous Cambrian Paleozoic Aldanian Lower Cambrian Campanian Upper Cretaceous Alexandrian Lower Silurian Capitanian Guadalupian Algonkian Proterozoic Caradocian Upper Ordovician Allerod upper Weichselian Carboniferous Paleozoic Altonian lower Miocene Carixian Lower Jurassic Ancylus Lake lower Holocene Carnian Upper Triassic Anglian Quaternary Carpentarian Paleoproterozoic Anisian Middle Triassic Castlecliffian Pleistocene Aphebian Paleoproterozoic Cayugan Upper Silurian Aptian Lower Cretaceous Cenomanian Upper Cretaceous Aquitanian lower Miocene *Cenozoic Aragonian Miocene Central Polish Glaciation Pleistocene Archean Precambrian Chadronian upper Eocene Arenigian Lower Ordovician Chalcolithic Cenozoic Argovian Upper Jurassic Champlainian Middle Ordovician Arikareean Tertiary Changhsingian Lopingian Ariyalur Stage Upper Cretaceous Chattian upper Oligocene Artinskian Cisuralian Chazyan Middle Ordovician Asbian Lower Carboniferous Chesterian Upper Mississippian Ashgillian Upper Ordovician Cimmerian Pliocene Asselian Cisuralian Cincinnatian Upper Ordovician Astian upper
    [Show full text]
  • GSSP) for Base of the Permian System
    11 by Vladimir I. Davydov1, Brian F. Glenister2, Claude Spinosa3, Scott M. Ritter4, V. V. Chernykh5, B. R. Wardlaw6, and W. S. Snyder3 Proposal of Aidaralash as Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for base of the Permian System 1. All Russian Geological Research Institiute (VSEGEI), St. Petersburg, Russia 2. University of Iowa 3. Permian Research Institute, Boise State University, Idaho 82735 4. Brigham Young University 5. Institute of Geology and Geochemistry, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Sverdlovsk, Russia 6. U.S. Geological Survey The base of the Permian System was originally defined of local letter-designated stages for the Permian are still being uti- (Murchison, 1841) in the Ural Mountains of Russia to lized (e.g. Archbold et al., 1993) despite the fact that the Urals inter- coincide with strata marking the initiation of evaporite national standard has served effectively as a Western Australian ref- deposition, now recognized as the Kungurian Stage. erence for over one-half century (e.g. Miller, 1932). Similarly, in Since that time, the base has been lowered repeatedly to China the base of the Permian became stabilized at the unconformity c c c cydcPdddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddTfc yPdddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddIfc cddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddc
    [Show full text]
  • Time-Calibrated Milankovitch Cycles for the Late Permian
    ARTICLE Received 31 Oct 2012 | Accepted 16 Aug 2013 | Published 13 Sep 2013 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms3452 OPEN Time-calibrated Milankovitch cycles for the late Permian Huaichun Wu1,2, Shihong Zhang1, Linda A. Hinnov3, Ganqing Jiang4, Qinglai Feng5, Haiyan Li1 & Tianshui Yang1 An important innovation in the geosciences is the astronomical time scale. The astronomical time scale is based on the Milankovitch-forced stratigraphy that has been calibrated to astronomical models of paleoclimate forcing; it is defined for much of Cenozoic–Mesozoic. For the Palaeozoic era, however, astronomical forcing has not been widely explored because of lack of high-precision geochronology or astronomical modelling. Here we report Milankovitch cycles from late Permian (Lopingian) strata at Meishan and Shangsi, South China, time calibrated by recent high-precision U–Pb dating. The evidence extends empirical knowledge of Earth’s astronomical parameters before 250 million years ago. Observed obliquity and precession terms support a 22-h length-of-day. The reconstructed astronomical time scale indicates a 7.793-million year duration for the Lopingian epoch, when strong 405-kyr cycles constrain astronomical modelling. This is the first significant advance in defining the Palaeozoic astronomical time scale, anchored to absolute time, bridging the Palaeozoic–Mesozoic transition. 1 State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China. 2 School of Ocean Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China. 3 Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, USA. 4 Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154, USA. 5 State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China.
    [Show full text]
  • Thresholds of Temperature Change for Mass Extinctions ✉ Haijun Song 1 , David B
    ARTICLE https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25019-2 OPEN Thresholds of temperature change for mass extinctions ✉ Haijun Song 1 , David B. Kemp1, Li Tian 1, Daoliang Chu 1, Huyue Song1 & Xu Dai1 Climate change is a critical factor affecting biodiversity. However, the quantitative relation- ship between temperature change and extinction is unclear. Here, we analyze magnitudes and rates of temperature change and extinction rates of marine fossils through the past 450 1234567890():,; million years (Myr). The results show that both the rate and magnitude of temperature change are significantly positively correlated with the extinction rate of marine animals. Major mass extinctions in the Phanerozoic can be linked to thresholds in climate change (warming or cooling) that equate to magnitudes >5.2 °C and rates >10 °C/Myr. The sig- nificant relationship between temperature change and extinction still exists when we exclude the five largest mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic. Our findings predict that a temperature increase of 5.2 °C above the pre-industrial level at present rates of increase would likely result in mass extinction comparable to that of the major Phanerozoic events, even without other, non-climatic anthropogenic impacts. 1 State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China. ✉ email: [email protected] NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | (2021) 12:4694 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25019-2 | www.nature.com/naturecommunications 1 ARTICLE NATURE COMMUNICATIONS | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25019-2 ive large-magnitude mass extinctions (the “Big Five”) have rate (n = 45, ρ = 0.59, P < 0.001 for ΔT, n = 45, ρ = 0.54, P < Foccurred during the past 450 million years (Myr)1, where 0.001 for R) (Supplementary Table 1), thus providing parallel the estimated extinction of marine animals for each event supporting evidence that the magnitude and rate of climate was over 75% at the species level2.
    [Show full text]
  • Chapter 5. Paleozoic Invertebrate Paleontology of Grand Canyon National Park
    Chapter 5. Paleozoic Invertebrate Paleontology of Grand Canyon National Park By Linda Sue Lassiter1, Justin S. Tweet2, Frederick A. Sundberg3, John R. Foster4, and P. J. Bergman5 1Northern Arizona University Department of Biological Sciences Flagstaff, Arizona 2National Park Service 9149 79th Street S. Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016 3Museum of Northern Arizona Research Associate Flagstaff, Arizona 4Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum Vernal, Utah 5Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona Introduction As impressive as the Grand Canyon is to any observer from the rim, the river, or even from space, these cliffs and slopes are much more than an array of colors above the serpentine majesty of the Colorado River. The erosive forces of the Colorado River and feeder streams took millions of years to carve more than 290 million years of Paleozoic Era rocks. These exposures of Paleozoic Era sediments constitute 85% of the almost 5,000 km2 (1,903 mi2) of the Grand Canyon National Park (GRCA) and reveal important chronologic information on marine paleoecologies of the past. This expanse of both spatial and temporal coverage is unrivaled anywhere else on our planet. While many visitors stand on the rim and peer down into the abyss of the carved canyon depths, few realize that they are also staring at the history of life from almost 520 million years ago (Ma) where the Paleozoic rocks cover the great unconformity (Karlstrom et al. 2018) to 270 Ma at the top (Sorauf and Billingsley 1991). The Paleozoic rocks visible from the South Rim Visitors Center, are mostly from marine and some fluvial sediment deposits (Figure 5-1).
    [Show full text]
  • SCIENCE CHINA End-Guadalupian Mass Extinction and Negative Carbon Isotope Excursion at Xiaojiaba, Guangyuan, Sichuan
    SCIENCE CHINA Earth Sciences • RESEARCH PAPER • September 2012 Vol.55 No.9: 1480–1488 doi: 10.1007/s11430-012-4406-3 End-Guadalupian mass extinction and negative carbon isotope excursion at Xiaojiaba, Guangyuan, Sichuan WEI HengYe1,2*, CHEN DaiZhao1, YU Hao1,2 & WANG JianGuo1 1Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources Research, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Science, Beijing 100029, China; 2Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China Received April 21, 2011; accepted October 20, 2011; published online April 12, 2012 The end-Paleozoic biotic crisis is characterized by two-phase mass extinctions; the first strike, resulting in a large decline of sessile benthos in shallow marine environments, occurred at the end-Guadalupian time. In order to explore the mechanism of organisms’ demise, detailed analyses of depositional facies, fossil record, and carbonate carbon isotopic variations were carried out on a Maokou-Wujiaping boundary succession in northwestern Sichuan, SW China. Our data reveal a negative carbon iso- topic excursion across the boundary; the gradual excursion with relatively low amplitude (2.15‰) favors a long-term influx of isotopically light 12C sourced by the Emeishan basalt trap, rather than by rapid releasing of gas hydrate. The temporal coinci- dence of the beginning of accelerated negative carbon isotopic excursion with onsets of sea-level fall and massive biotic de- mise suggests a cause-effect link between them. Intensive volcanic activity of the Emeishan trap and sea-level fall could have resulted in detrimental environmental stresses and habitat loss for organisms, particularly for those benthic dwellers, leading to their subsequent massive extinction.
    [Show full text]
  • High-Resolution Δ Ccarb Chemostratigraphy from Latest Guadalupian Through Earliest Triassic in South China and Iran Vladimir Davydov Boise State University
    Boise State University ScholarWorks Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations Department of Geosciences 8-1-2013 13 High-Resolution δ Ccarb Chemostratigraphy from Latest Guadalupian Through Earliest Triassic in South China and Iran Vladimir Davydov Boise State University NOTICE: This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Earth and Planetary Science Letters. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 375 (1 Aug 2013). DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2013.05.020. This is an author-produced, peer-reviewed version of this article. The final, definitive version of this document can be found online at Earth and Planetary Science Letters, published by Elsevier. Copyright restrictions may apply. DOI: 10.1016/j.epsl.2013.05.020. 13 High-resolution δ ccarb chemostratigraphy from latest Guadalupian through earliest Triassic in south China and Iran Shu-zhong Shen* Jonathon L. Payne State Key Laboratory of Paleobiology and Department of Geological and Environmental Stratigraphy Sciences Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Stanford University 39 East Beijing Road Stanford, CA94305, USA Nanjing 210008, China Vladimir I. Davydov Chang-qun Cao Department of Geosciences State Key Laboratory of Paleobiology
    [Show full text]