The roles of mass extinction and biotic interaction in large-scale replacements: a reexamination using the fossil record of stromboidean gastropods

Paleobiology ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-452 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaustuv Roy
Keyword(s):  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
General Nature ◽  
Biotic Interaction ◽  
Geographic Scale ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
Extinction Rates

The macroevolutionary processes underlying large-scale biotic replacements are still poorly understood. Opinion remains divided regarding the roles of mass extinction, biotic interaction, and environmental perturbations in these replacement events. Previous attempts to test replacement hypotheses have largely focused on taxonomic diversity patterns. Taxonomic data alone, however, provide little insight about ecological interactions and hence other approaches are needed to understand mechanics of biotic replacements. Here I propose a conceptual model of replacement based on predation-mediated biotic interactions, and attempt a test using analysis of the Cenozoic replacement of the gastropod family Aporrhaidae by a closely related group, the Strombidae.Taxonomic, morphologic, and geographic data analyzed in this study all suggest a replacement of aporrhaids by strombids following the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. While most of the taxonomic replacement was associated with a mass extinction, some replacement also occurred during background times and was mediated by higher origination rates in strombids rather than by higher extinction rates in aporrhaids. Morphologically, the replacement was largely confined to the portion of the morphospace unaffected by the end-Cretaceous extinction. At a global scale, the geographic overlap between the two groups declined through the Cenozoic, reflecting increasing restriction of aporrhaids to colder, temperate waters while strombids flourished in the tropics. However, at a finer geographic scale a more mosaic pattern of replacement is evident and coincides with Eocene and Oligocene climatic fluctuations.The results of this study suggest that mass extinction, long-term biotic interaction, and environmental change can all play significant roles in biotic replacements. Since the relative importance of each factor would vary from one event to another, an understanding of the general nature of large-scale biotic replacements requires a knowledge of the relative intensities of each of these processes.

Geographic variation in turnover and recovery from the Late Ordovician mass extinction

Paleobiology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Z. Krug ◽  
Mark E. Patzkowsky
Keyword(s):  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Late Ordovician ◽  
Mass Extinctions ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Extinction Event ◽  
Global Extinction ◽  
Rate Of Recovery ◽  
Extinction Events

AbstractUnderstanding what drives global diversity requires knowledge of the processes that control diversity and turnover at a variety of geographic and temporal scales. This is of particular importance in the study of mass extinctions, which have disproportionate effects on the global ecosystem and have been shown to vary geographically in extinction magnitude and rate of recovery.Here, we analyze regional diversity and turnover patterns for the paleocontinents of Laurentia, Baltica, and Avalonia spanning the Late Ordovician mass extinction and Early Silurian recovery. Using a database of genus occurrences for inarticulate and articulate brachiopods, bivalves, anthozoans, and trilobites, we show that sampling-standardized diversity trends differ for the three regions. Diversity rebounded to pre-extinction levels within 5 Myr in the paleocontinent of Laurentia, compared with 15 Myr or longer for Baltica and Avalonia. This increased rate of recovery in Laurentia was due to both lower Late Ordovician extinction rates and higher Early Silurian origination rates relative to the other continents. Using brachiopod data, we dissected the Rhuddanian recovery into genus origination and invasion. This analysis revealed that standing diversity in the Rhuddanian consisted of a higher proportion of invading taxa in Laurentia than in either Baltica or Avalonia. Removing invading genera from diversity counts caused Rhuddanian diversity to fall in Laurentia. However, Laurentian diversity still rebounded to pre-extinction levels within 10 Myr of the extinction event, indicating that genus origination rates were also higher in Laurentia than in either Baltica or Avalonia. Though brachiopod diversity in Laurentia was lower than in the higher-latitude continents prior to the extinction, increased immigration and genus origination rates made it the most diverse continent following the extinction. Higher rates of origination in Laurentia may be explained by its large size, paleogeographic location, and vast epicontinental seas. It is possible that the tropical position of Laurentia buffered it somewhat from the intense climatic fluctuations associated with the extinction event, reducing extinction intensities and allowing for a more rapid rebound in this region. Hypotheses explaining the increased levels of invasion into Laurentia remain largely untested and require further scrutiny. Nevertheless, the Late Ordovician mass extinction joins the Late Permian and end-Cretaceous as global extinction events displaying an underlying spatial complexity.

scholarly journals Diatoms Are Selective Segregators in Global Ocean Planktonic Communities

mSystems ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Flora Vincent ◽  
Chris Bowler
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Microbial Association ◽  
Species Specific

ABSTRACT Diatoms are a major component of phytoplankton, believed to be responsible for around 20% of the annual primary production on Earth. As abundant and ubiquitous organisms, they are known to establish biotic interactions with many other members of plankton. Through analyses of cooccurrence networks derived from the Tara Oceans expedition that take into account both biotic and abiotic factors in shaping the spatial distributions of species, we show that only 13% of diatom pairwise associations are driven by environmental conditions; the vast majority are independent of abiotic factors. In contrast to most other plankton groups, on a global scale, diatoms display a much higher proportion of negative correlations with other organisms, particularly toward potential predators and parasites, suggesting that their biogeography is constrained by top-down pressure. Genus-level analyses indicate that abundant diatoms are not necessarily the most connected and that species-specific abundance distribution patterns lead to negative associations with other organisms. In order to move forward in the biological interpretation of cooccurrence networks, an open-access extensive literature survey of diatom biotic interactions was compiled, of which 18.5% were recovered in the computed network. This result reveals the extent of what likely remains to be discovered in the field of planktonic biotic interactions, even for one of the best-known organismal groups. IMPORTANCE Diatoms are key phytoplankton in the modern ocean that are involved in numerous biotic interactions, ranging from symbiosis to predation and viral infection, which have considerable effects on global biogeochemical cycles. However, despite recent large-scale studies of plankton, we are still lacking a comprehensive picture of the diversity of diatom biotic interactions in the marine microbial community. Through the ecological interpretation of both inferred microbial association networks and available knowledge on diatom interactions compiled in an open-access database, we propose an ecosystems approach for exploring diatom interactions in the ocean.

The response of insect faunas to glacial-interglacial climatic fluctuations

1994 ◽  
Vol 344 (1307) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Fossil Insects ◽  
Objective Data ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
Climatic Oscillations ◽  
The Past ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
The Face ◽  
History Of ◽  
Insect Fossils

The extinction of species of small invertebrates is difficult to recognize. However, in deposits that date from the past few million years, insect fossils are remarkably common and provide objective data on the history of the organisms that constitute the biotic communities of the present day. It might have been expected that the great climatic oscillations of the glacial-interglacial cycles should have caused widespread extinctions, if their effects on the large vertebrates is taken as our model. Yet the record of Quaternary fossil insects shows no high extinction rates during this period. Constancy of species and communities of species can be demonstrated to be the norm for at least the last million or so years (= generations). The enigma of how such constancy was sustained in the face of large-scale climatic fluctuations remains a puzzle though several possible solutions are suggested. These solutions carry implications for our estimates of present and future extinction rates.

scholarly journals Diatoms structure the plankton community based on selective segregation in the world’s ocean

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flora Vincent ◽  
Chris Bowler
Keyword(s):  
Open Access ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Distribution Patterns ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Microbial Association ◽  
Biological Interpretation ◽  
Species Specific

ABSTRACTDiatoms are a major component of phytoplankton, believed to be responsible for around 20% of the annual primary production on Earth. As abundant and ubiquitous organisms, they are known to establish biotic interactions with many other members of the plankton. Through analysis of co-occurrence networks derived from the Tara Oceans expedition that take into account the importance of both biotic and abiotic factors in shaping the spatial distributions of species, we show that only 13% of diatom pairwise associations are driven by environmental conditions, whereas the vast majority are independent of abiotic factors. In contrast to most other plankton groups, at a global scale diatoms display a much higher proportion of negative correlations with other organisms, particularly towards potential predators and parasites, suggesting that their biogeography is constrained by top down pressure. Genus level analyses indicate that abundant diatoms are not necessarily the most connected, and that species-specific abundance distribution patterns lead to negative associations with other organisms. In order to move forward in the biological interpretation of co-occurrence networks, an open access extensive literature survey of diatom biotic interactions was compiled, of which 18.5% were recovered in the computed network. This result reveals the extent of what likely remains to be discovered in the field of planktonic biotic interactions, even for one of the best known organismal groups.ImportanceDiatoms are key phytoplankton in the modern ocean involved in numerous biotic interactions, ranging from symbiosis to predation and viral infection, which have considerable effects on global biogeochemical cycles. However, despite recent large-scale studies of plankton, we are still lacking a comprehensive picture of the diversity of diatom biotic interactions in the marine microbial community. Through the ecological interpretation of both inferred microbial association networks and available knowledge on diatom interactions compiled in an open access database, we propose an eco-systems level understanding of diatom interactions in the ocean.

scholarly journals An enormous sulfur isotope excursion indicates marine anoxia during the end-Triassic mass extinction

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (37) ◽  
pp. eabb6704
Author(s):  
Tianchen He ◽  
Jacopo Dal Corso ◽  
Robert J. Newton ◽  
Paul B. Wignall ◽  
Benjamin J. W. Mills ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sulfur Isotope ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Methane Flux ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Carbonate Associated Sulfate ◽  
Water Oxygen

The role of ocean anoxia as a cause of the end-Triassic marine mass extinction is widely debated. Here, we present carbonate-associated sulfate δ34S data from sections spanning the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic transition, which document synchronous large positive excursions on a global scale occurring in ~50 thousand years. Biogeochemical modeling demonstrates that this S isotope perturbation is best explained by a fivefold increase in global pyrite burial, consistent with large-scale development of marine anoxia on the Panthalassa margin and northwest European shelf. This pyrite burial event coincides with the loss of Triassic taxa seen in the studied sections. Modeling results also indicate that the pre-event ocean sulfate concentration was low (<1 millimolar), a common feature of many Phanerozoic deoxygenation events. We propose that sulfate scarcity preconditions oceans for the development of anoxia during rapid warming events by increasing the benthic methane flux and the resulting bottom-water oxygen demand.

Geographic variation in turnover and recovery from the Late Ordovician mass extinction

Paleobiology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Z. Krug ◽  
Mark E. Patzkowsky
Keyword(s):  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Late Ordovician ◽  
Mass Extinctions ◽  
Climatic Fluctuations ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Extinction Event ◽  
Global Extinction ◽  
Rate Of Recovery ◽  
Extinction Events

AbstractUnderstanding what drives global diversity requires knowledge of the processes that control diversity and turnover at a variety of geographic and temporal scales. This is of particular importance in the study of mass extinctions, which have disproportionate effects on the global ecosystem and have been shown to vary geographically in extinction magnitude and rate of recovery.Here, we analyze regional diversity and turnover patterns for the paleocontinents of Laurentia, Baltica, and Avalonia spanning the Late Ordovician mass extinction and Early Silurian recovery. Using a database of genus occurrences for inarticulate and articulate brachiopods, bivalves, anthozoans, and trilobites, we show that sampling-standardized diversity trends differ for the three regions. Diversity rebounded to pre-extinction levels within 5 Myr in the paleocontinent of Laurentia, compared with 15 Myr or longer for Baltica and Avalonia. This increased rate of recovery in Laurentia was due to both lower Late Ordovician extinction rates and higher Early Silurian origination rates relative to the other continents. Using brachiopod data, we dissected the Rhuddanian recovery into genus origination and invasion. This analysis revealed that standing diversity in the Rhuddanian consisted of a higher proportion of invading taxa in Laurentia than in either Baltica or Avalonia. Removing invading genera from diversity counts caused Rhuddanian diversity to fall in Laurentia. However, Laurentian diversity still rebounded to pre-extinction levels within 10 Myr of the extinction event, indicating that genus origination rates were also higher in Laurentia than in either Baltica or Avalonia. Though brachiopod diversity in Laurentia was lower than in the higher-latitude continents prior to the extinction, increased immigration and genus origination rates made it the most diverse continent following the extinction. Higher rates of origination in Laurentia may be explained by its large size, paleogeographic location, and vast epicontinental seas. It is possible that the tropical position of Laurentia buffered it somewhat from the intense climatic fluctuations associated with the extinction event, reducing extinction intensities and allowing for a more rapid rebound in this region. Hypotheses explaining the increased levels of invasion into Laurentia remain largely untested and require further scrutiny. Nevertheless, the Late Ordovician mass extinction joins the Late Permian and end-Cretaceous as global extinction events displaying an underlying spatial complexity.

Morphologic and taxonomic history of Paleozoic ammonoids in time and morphospace

Paleobiology ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. B. Saunders ◽  
Emily Greenfest-Allen ◽  
David M. Work ◽  
S. V. Nikolaeva
Keyword(s):  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Mass Extinctions ◽  
History Of ◽  
Morphologic Variation ◽  
Components Analysis ◽  
Extinction Events ◽  
Mass Extinction Events

Principal components analysis (PCA) of 21 shell parameters (geometry, sculpture, aperture shape, and suture complexity) in 597 L. Devonian to L. Triassic ammonoid genera (spanning ~166 Myr) shows that eight basic morphotypes appeared within ~20 Myr of the first appearance of ammonoids. With one exception, these morphotypes persisted throughout the Paleozoic, occurring in ~75% of the ~5-Myr time bins used in this study. Morphotypes were not exclusive to particular lineages. Their persistence was not just a product of phylogenetic constraints or longevity, and multiple iterations of the same morphotypes occurred at different times and in different groups. Although mass extinction events severely condensed the range of morphologic variation and taxonomic diversity, the effects were short lived and most extinct morphotypes were usually iterated within 5 Myr. The most important effect of mass extinctions on ammonoid evolutionary history seems to have been their role in large scale taxonomic turnovers; they effectively eliminated previously dominant orders at the Frasnian/Famennian (F/F) (Agoniatitida), the Devonian/Mississippian (D/M) (Clymeniida), and the Permian/Triassic (P/T) (Goniatitida and Prolecanitida) extinctions. Survivors varied from two (P/T) to four (D/M) and five genera (F/F). These events generated sharp reductions in morphologic disparity at the D/M (58%) and at the P/T (59%), but there was a net increase at the F/F (38%). There was no obvious survival bias for particular morphotypes, but 64% are interpreted to have beenNautilus-like nektobenthic. The recurrence of particular combinations of morphology and their strong independence of phylogeny are strong arguments for functional constraint. Intervals between mass extinctions seem to have been relatively static in terms of morphotype numbers, in contrast to numbers of genera. Significant decreases in genus diversity (54%) and morphologic disparity (33%) commenced in the mid-Permian (Wordian/Capitanian boundary), well before the final P/T event.

A kinetic model of Phanerozoic taxonomic diversity. III. Post-Paleozoic families and mass extinctions

Paleobiology ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. John Sepkoski
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Model ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Mass Extinctions ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Basic Model ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
Time Specific ◽  
Total Diversity

A three-phase kinetic model with time-specific perturbations is used to describe large-scale patterns in the diversification of Phanerozoic marine families. The basic model assumes that the Cambrian, Paleozoic, and Modern evolutionary faunas each diversified logistically as a consequence of early exponential growth and of later slowing of growth as the ecosystems became filled; it also assumes interaction among the evolutionary faunas such that expansion of the combined diversities of all three faunas above any single fauna's equilibrium caused that fauna's diversity to begin to decline. This basic model adequately describes the diversification of the evolutionary faunas through the Paleozoic Era as well as the asymmetrical rise and fall of background extinction rates through the entire Phanerozoic. Declines in diversity and changes in faunal dominance associated with mass extinctions can be accommodated in the model with short-term accelerations in extinction rates or declines in equilibria. Such accelerations, or perturbations, cause diversity to decline exponentially and then to rebound sigmoidally following release. The amount of decline is dependent on the magnitude and duration of the perturbation, the timing of the perturbation with respect to the diversification of the system, and the system's initial per-taxon rates of diversification and turnover. When applied to the three-phase model, such perturbations describe the changes in diversity and faunal dominance during and after major mass extinctions, the long-term rise in total diversity following the Late Permian and Norian mass extinctions, and the peculiar diversification and then decline of the remnants of the Paleozoic fauna during the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Eras. The good fit of this model to data on Phanerozoic familial diversity suggests that many of the large-scale patterns of diversification seen in the marine fossil record of animal families are simple consequences of nonlinear interrelationships among a small number of parameters that are intrinsic to the evolutionary faunas and are largely (but not completely) invariant through time.

scholarly journals Mammal diversity will take millions of years to recover from the current biodiversity crisis

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (44) ◽  
pp. 11262-11267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Davis ◽  
Søren Faurby ◽  
Jens-Christian Svenning
Keyword(s):  
Time Scale ◽  
Mass Extinction ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Phylogenetic Diversity ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Biodiversity Crisis ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Sixth Mass Extinction ◽  
Mammal Diversity

The incipient sixth mass extinction that started in the Late Pleistocene has already erased over 300 mammal species and, with them, more than 2.5 billion y of unique evolutionary history. At the global scale, this lost phylogenetic diversity (PD) can only be restored with time as lineages evolve and create new evolutionary history. Given the increasing rate of extinctions however, can mammals evolve fast enough to recover their lost PD on a human time scale? We use a birth–death tree framework to show that even if extinction rates slow to preanthropogenic background levels, recovery of lost PD will likely take millions of years. These findings emphasize the severity of the potential sixth mass extinction and the need to avoid the loss of unique evolutionary history now.

scholarly journals A Biodiversity Composition Map of California Derived from Environmental DNA Metabarcoding and Earth Observation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meixi Lin ◽  
Ariel Levi Simons ◽  
Emily E. Curd ◽  
Ryan J. Harrigan ◽  
Fabian D. Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Environmental Filtering ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Environmental Dna ◽  
General Characteristic ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
System Level ◽  
Lowland Forest

AbstractUnique ecosystems globally are under threat from ongoing anthropogenic environmental change. Effective conservation management requires more thorough biodiversity surveys that can reveal system-level patterns and that can be applied rapidly across space and time. We offer a way to use environmental DNA, community science and remote sensing together as methods to reduce the discrepancy between the magnitude of change and historical approaches to measure it. Taking advantages of modern ecological models, we integrate environmental DNA and Earth observations to evaluate regional biodiversity patterns for a snapshot of time, and provide critical community-level characterization. We collected 278 samples in Spring 2017 from coastal, shrub and lowland forest sites in California, a large-scale biodiversity hotspot. We applied gradient forest to model 915 family occurrences and community composition together with environmental variables and multi-scalar habitat classifications to produce a statewide biodiversity-based map. 16,118 taxonomic entries recovered were associated with environmental variables to test their predictive strength on alpha, beta, and zeta diversity. Local habitat classification was diagnostic of community composition, illuminating a characteristic of biodiversity hotspots. Using gradient forest models, environmental variables predicted 35% of the variance in eDNA patterns at the family level, with elevation, sand percentage, and greenness (NDVI32) as the top predictors. This predictive power was higher than we found in published literature at global scale. In addition to this indication of substantial environmental filtering, we also found a positive relationship between environmentally predicted families and their numbers of biotic interactions. In aggregate, these analyses showed that strong eDNA community-environment correlation is a general characteristic of temperate ecosystems, and may explain why communities easily destabilize under disturbances. Our study provides the first example of integrating citizen science based eDNA with biodiversity mapping across the tree of life, with promises to produce large scale, high resolution assessments that promote a more comprehensive and predictive understanding of the factors that influence biodiversity and enhance its maintenance.

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