A tale of two extinctions: converging end-Permian and end-Triassic scenarios

2015 ◽  
Vol 153 (2) ◽  
pp. 332-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
BAS VAN DE SCHOOTBRUGGE ◽  
PAUL B. WIGNALL
Keyword(s):  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Temperature Changes ◽  
Forest Dieback ◽  
Central Atlantic Magmatic Province ◽  
Igneous Provinces ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Central Atlantic ◽  
Mass Extinction Events ◽  
Cross Fertilization

AbstractThe end-Permian (c.252 Ma) and end-Triassic (c.201 Ma) mass-extinction events are commonly linked to the emplacement of the large igneous provinces of the Siberia Traps and Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, respectively. Accordingly, scenarios for both extinctions are increasingly convergent and cross-fertilization of ideas has become important. Here, we present a synthesis of extinction scenarios based on a critical assessment of the available palaeontological, sedimentological, geochemical and geophysical evidence. How similar were the extinction events, what gaps exist in our understanding and how can a comparison of the events enhance our understanding of each event individually? Our focus is on the most important proximate kill mechanisms including: climate change and atmospheric pollution; increased soil erosion, weathering and runoff; forest dieback and the spread of pathogens; and ocean temperature changes, anoxia and acidification. There is substantial evidence to suggest that very similar kill mechanisms acted upon late Permian as well as Late Triassic ecosystems, strengthening the hypothesis that the ultimate causes of the mass-extinction events were similar.

scholarly journals Modeling the consequences on late Triassic environment of intense pulse-like degassing during the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province using the GEOCLIM model

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 2075-2110 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Paris ◽  
Y. Donnadieu ◽  
V. Beaumont ◽  
F. Fluteau ◽  
Y. Goddéris
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Carbon Isotope ◽  
Carbon Isotopic Composition ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Carbonate Production ◽  
Carbon Isotopic ◽  
Central Atlantic Magmatic Province ◽  
Igneous Provinces ◽  
Central Atlantic ◽  
Sedimentary Carbon

Abstract. The Triassic-Jurassic boundary (TJB) is associated with one of the five largest mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic. A deep carbon cycle perturbation and a carbonate production crisis are observed during the late Triassic. The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), one of the most important large igneous provinces of the Phanerozoic, emplaced at the TJB. To understand the carbon cycle perturbations observed at the TJB, we investigate the consequences of CO2 degassing associated to the CAMP emplacement on atmospheric and oceanic carbon cycle. The CO2 input within the atmosphere due to volcanism has been modeled using a global biogeochemical cycle box model (COMBINE) coupled with a climate model (FOAM). Weathering fluxes and CO2 equilibrium are constrained by the Rhaetian paleogeography and different scenarios of the CAMP emplacement are modeled. The study focuses (1) on the geological record and the carbonate productions crisis and (2) on the sedimentary carbon isotope record. For point (1), comparison of different modeling scenarios shows that a Gaussian CO2 emission distribution over the duration of the main activity phase of the CAMP fails in reproducing any of the geological observations, mainly the carbonate production crisis observed in the late Rhaetian sediments. Contrastingly, intense degassing peaks lead to successive decrease in carbonate production as observed in the geological record. For point (2), the perturbations of carbon cycle due to the degassing of CO2 with a mantellic carbon isotopic composition of −5‰ do not reproduce the intensity of the observed carbon isotope excursions. This was achieved in our model by assuming a mantellic carbon isotopic composition of −20‰. Even if this hypothesis requires further investigations, such low values may be associated to degassing of carbon from pools of light isotopic carbon located at the transition zone (Cartigny, 2010), possibly linked to setting of large igneous provinces (LIP's). Breakdown of biological primary productivity can also partially account for the sedimentary carbon isotope excursions and for the observed increase of atmospheric pCO2.

scholarly journals Volcanic mercury and mutagenesis in land plants during the end-Triassic mass extinction

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. eaaw4018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofie Lindström ◽  
Hamed Sanei ◽  
Bas van de Schootbrugge ◽  
Gunver K. Pedersen ◽  
Charles E. Lesher ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Emissions ◽  
Northern Germany ◽  
The Past ◽  
Central Atlantic Magmatic Province ◽  
Igneous Provinces ◽  
Southern Scandinavia ◽  
Terrestrial Sediments ◽  
Major Factors ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Central Atlantic

During the past 600 million years of Earth history, four of five major extinction events were synchronous with volcanism in large igneous provinces. Despite improved temporal frameworks for these events, the mechanisms causing extinctions remain unclear. Volcanic emissions of greenhouse gases, SO2, and halocarbons are generally considered as major factors in the biotic crises, resulting in global warming, acid deposition, and ozone layer depletion. Here, we show that pulsed elevated concentrations of mercury in marine and terrestrial sediments across the Triassic-Jurassic boundary in southern Scandinavia and northern Germany correlate with intense volcanic activity in the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province. The increased levels of mercury—the most genotoxic element on Earth—also correlate with high occurrences of abnormal fern spores, indicating severe environmental stress and genetic disturbance in the parent plants. We conclude that this offers compelling evidence that emissions of toxic volcanogenic substances contributed to the end-Triassic biotic crisis.

Mass extinction patterns of marine invertebrate groups and some implications for a causal phenomenon

Paleobiology ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 227-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. McKinney
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Marine Invertebrate ◽  
Relative Increase ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Extinction Rate ◽  
Marine Fauna ◽  
Taxonomic Groups ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Mass Extinction Events

A nonparametric analysis of the extinction patterns of 10 major marine invertebrate groups at the five most profound mass extinction events leads to five observations: (1) At each event some taxonomic groups were affected much more than others. (2) There is little consistency among events in terms of which taxonomic groups were most or least affected; however, adaptive groupings do exhibit consistency: benthic, mobile organisms suffered significantly fewer extinctions than sessile suspension feeders, while the pelagic organisms apparently suffered the most. (3) There are no convincing patterns of interrelated extinctions among taxonomic groups. (4) No group exhibits a persistent tendency through time for a relative increase or decrease in their extinction rate at the events. (5) Some relationships are seen between the extinction patterns of three pairs of events; the Late Ordovician and Late Devonian events exhibit a significantly similar pattern (the same taxonomic groups suffered the most extinction in both cases) as do the Late Triassic and Late Cretaceous events. The Late Permian and Late Cretaceous events show a significantly inverse pattern (the most affected groups in the former were among the least affected in the latter). Upon examination, these observations, notably 1, 2, and 5, are consonant with current scenarios of the effects of catastrophic bolide impacts on marine fauna.

scholarly journals Two-pronged kill mechanism at the end-Triassic mass extinction

Geology ◽  
2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calum P. Fox ◽  
Jessica H. Whiteside ◽  
Paul E. Olsen ◽  
Xingqian Cui ◽  
Roger E. Summons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Central Atlantic Magmatic Province ◽  
Igneous Provinces ◽  
Extinction Event ◽  
Isotope Distributions ◽  
Permian Mass Extinction ◽  
Central Atlantic ◽  
Camp Activity

High-resolution biomarker and compound-specific isotope distributions coupled with the degradation of calcareous fossil remnants reveal that intensive euxinia and decalcification (acidification) driven by Central Atlantic magmatic province (CAMP) activity formed a two-pronged kill mechanism at the end-Triassic mass extinction. In a newly proposed extinction interval for the basal Blue Lias Formation (Bristol Channel Basin, UK), biomarker distributions reveal an episode of persistent photic zone euxinia (PZE) that extended further upward into the surface waters. In the same interval, shelly taxa almost completely disappear. Beginning in the basal paper shales of the Blue Lias Formation, a Lilliput assemblage is preserved consisting of only rare calcitic oysters (Liostrea) and ghost fossils of decalcified aragonitic bivalves. The stressors of PZE and decalcification parsimoniously explain the extinction event and inform possible combined causes of other biotic crises linked to emplacement of large igneous provinces, notably the end-Permian mass extinction, when PZE occurred on a broad and perhaps global scale.

Rapid and intense CO2 emissions into the atmosphere: Examples from the end-Triassic extinction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfredo Capriolo ◽  
Benjamin Mills ◽  
Robert Newton ◽  
Jacopo Dal Corso ◽  
Alexander Dunhill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Biogeochemical Model ◽  
Earth Planet ◽  
Central Atlantic Magmatic Province ◽  
Igneous Provinces ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Central Atlantic ◽  
The Impact

<p>The coincidence between mass extinction events and the emplacement of Large Igneous Provinces (LIPs) in the Phanerozoic geological record points to the magmatic CO<sub>2</sub> degassing as the potential trigger of rapid global-scale climatic and environmental changes. The Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) is one of the Earth’s hugest LIPs, and is coincident with the end-Triassic extinction, at ca. 201.5 Ma. Such LIPs emplacement and associated magmatic CO<sub>2</sub> degassing have traditionally been interpreted as occurring over periods much longer than those of anthropogenic CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, however our improving understanding of LIPs activity is reducing these timescales, with the latest estimates indicating CAMP magmatic pulses lasting approximately a few centuries each and characterized by high eruption rates [1; 2]. We employed a biogeochemical model to investigate the effects on ocean-atmosphere system and climate of these CAMP magmatic pulses, and to test whether such rapid and intense magmatic CO<sub>2</sub> degassing is consistent with the climatic, geochemical and palaeontological record of the end-Triassic. Hence, we compared the modern anthropogenic emissions (since the Industrial Revolution) with the pulsed magmatic degassing during CAMP emplacement, in order to evaluate the impact of rapid and intense events on climate and environment changes.</p><p> </p><p>[1] Knight <em>et al.</em> (2004), <em>Earth Planet. Sci. Lett.</em> <strong>228</strong>, 143-160. [2] Marzoli <em>et al.</em> (2019), <em>J. Petrol.</em> <strong>60</strong>, 945-996.</p>

scholarly journals Widespread elevated iridium in Upper Triassic–Lower Jurassic strata of the Newark Supergroup: implications for use as an extinction marker

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence H. Tanner ◽  
Frank T. Kyte ◽  
John H. Puffer
Keyword(s):  
Global Fallout ◽  
Hydrothermal Activity ◽  
Lower Jurassic ◽  
Organometallic Complexes ◽  
Flood Basalts ◽  
Central Atlantic Magmatic Province ◽  
Newark Supergroup ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Central Atlantic ◽  
Mass Extinction Events

Abstract Anomalous levels of iridium in sedimentary strata are associated with mass extinction events caused by impact events. In the case of the end-Triassic extinction event, the anomalies as well as the extinctions are linked to the eruption of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP) flood basalts. We report new data on concentrations of iridium in continental strata of the Fundy, Deerfield, Hartford and Newark basins, both above and below the oldest CAMP flows in these basins, that demonstrate that these anomalies are more common than previously known. We conclude that the enrichments were at least in some instances likely derived locally by concentration due to leaching directly from the lavas into sediments proximal to the CAMP flows due to post-eruptive hydrothermal activity. In other instances, the enrichments likely record the global fallout of aerosols and/or ash particles during the eruptions of the CAMP basalts. The common association of the highest levels of enrichment with organic matter suggests either redox control or stabilization by formation of organometallic complexes following post-eruptive redistribution. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering the distribution and magnitude of iridium anomalies in considering the source of the iridium and possible extinction mechanisms.

Mass extinctions alter extinction and origination dynamics with respect to body size

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1960) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro M. Monarrez ◽  
Noel A. Heim ◽  
Jonathan L. Payne
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Marine Animal ◽  
Mass Extinctions ◽  
Extinction Selectivity ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Mass Extinction Events ◽  
Marine Biosphere

Whether mass extinctions and their associated recoveries represent an intensification of background extinction and origination dynamics versus a separate macroevolutionary regime remains a central debate in evolutionary biology. The previous focus has been on extinction, but origination dynamics may be equally or more important for long-term evolutionary outcomes. The evolution of animal body size is an ideal process to test for differences in macroevolutionary regimes, as body size is easily determined, comparable across distantly related taxa and scales with organismal traits. Here, we test for shifts in selectivity between background intervals and the ‘Big Five’ mass extinction events using capture–mark–recapture models. Our body-size data cover 10 203 fossil marine animal genera spanning 10 Linnaean classes with occurrences ranging from Early Ordovician to Late Pleistocene (485–1 Ma). Most classes exhibit differences in both origination and extinction selectivity between background intervals and mass extinctions, with the direction of selectivity varying among classes and overall exhibiting stronger selectivity during origination after mass extinction than extinction during the mass extinction. Thus, not only do mass extinction events shift the marine biosphere into a new macroevolutionary regime, the dynamics of recovery from mass extinction also appear to play an underappreciated role in shaping the biosphere in their aftermath.

scholarly journals Nature's Design's: The Biology of Survival

2019 ◽  
Vol 301 ◽  
pp. 00023
Author(s):  
Pam Mantri ◽  
John Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Evolutionary Design ◽  
Bacterial Flagellum ◽  
Biotic Crisis ◽  
Rotary Engine ◽  
Systems Perspective ◽  
Complex Adaptive ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Mass Extinction Events

Life has existed on earth for at least 3.95 billion years. All along, the flame of life has been successfully passed on from generation to generation, and species to species across an immense temporal span. This includes at least five mass-extinction events that wiped out over 70% of all species in each such biotic crisis. Against such immense odds, life has learned to thrive despite repeat assaults. And the ingenuity embedded within natures designs has been an integral part of this inspiring story. For example, the ancient bacterial flagellum is powered by the Mot Complex which is part of a perfectly circular nanoscale rotary engine. It is obvious that nature came upon the wheel much before human arrival (i.e., at least as far back as 2.7 billion years). Many are the design lessons that may be gleaned from studying nature. This paper looks at the immense evolutionary design-laboratory that nature evolves its designs within, and frames it along side an Axiomatic/Complex-Adaptive/Stigmergic Systems perspective.

Incumbent replacement: evidence for long-term evolutionary progress

Paleobiology ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 202-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael L. Rosenzweig ◽  
Robert D. McCord
Keyword(s):  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Extinction Rate ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Evolutionary Progress ◽  
The North ◽  
Pure Chance ◽  
S Curve ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Mass Extinction Events

Evolutionary progress is a trend that relaxes trade-off rules. It begins with the evolution of a key adaptation. It continues with the spread of the key adaptation as the clade that contains it replaces some older clade that lacks it. Key adaptations are those that allow for improvement in at least one organismal function at a reduced fitness cost in other functions.Replacement almost certainly involves more than pure chance. It may not often involve competitive extinction. Instead, species from the new clade produce new species to replace already extinct species from the old clade. The key adaptation gives them a higher competitive speciation rate than old-clade sources of replacement. The process, termed incumbent replacement, proceeds at a rate limited by extinction rate. Thus, replacement often seems linked to mass extinction events.The incumbent-replacement hypothesis explains what we know about the replacement of straight-neck turtles (Amphichelydia) by those that can flex their necks and protect their heads in their shells. This replacement occurred four or five times in different biotic provinces. It happened as long ago as the Cretaceous in Eurasia, and as recently as the Pleistocene in mainland Australia. It was accomplished in Gondwanaland by turtles flexing their necks sideways (Pleurodira), and in the north by those flexing their necks into an S-curve (Cryptodira). As is typical of replacements, amphichelydian replacement took millions of years to accomplish wherever it occurred, and much of it in North America took place in a burst associated with and immediately subsequent to a mass extinction.

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