Paleoclimate-induced stress on polar forested ecosystems prior to the Permian–Triassic mass extinction

Abstract The end Permian extinction (EPE) has been considered to be contemporaneous on land and in the oceans. However, re-examined floristic records and new radiometric ages from Gondwana indicate a nuanced terrestrial ecosystem response to EPE global change. Paleosol geochemistry and climate simulations indicate paleoclimate change likely caused the demise of the widespread glossopterid ecosystems on Gondwana. Here, we evaluate the climate response of plants to the EPE via dendrochronology to produce annual-resolution records of tree ring growth for a succession of Late Permian and early Middle Triassic fossil forests from Antarctica. Paleosol geochemistry provides a broader context paleoclimate history. The plant responses to this paleoclimate change were accompanied by enhanced stress during the latest Permian. These results suggest that paleoclimate change during the Late Permian exerted significant stress on high-latitude forests, consistent with the hypothesis that climate change was likely the primary driver of the extinction of the glossopterid ecosystems.

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Toxic mercury pulses into late Permian terrestrial and marine environments

Geology ◽

10.1130/g47295.1 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 48 (8) ◽

pp. 830-833 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Stephen E. Grasby ◽

Xiaojun Liu ◽

Runsheng Yin ◽

Richard E. Ernst ◽

Zhuoheng Chen

Keyword(s):

Trophic Levels ◽

Large Igneous Province ◽

Late Permian ◽

Volcanic Emissions ◽

Loading Rates ◽

Siberian Traps ◽

Igneous Province ◽

Permian Extinction ◽

Potential Impact ◽

Normal Background

Abstract Large spikes in mercury (Hg) concentration are observed globally at the latest Permian extinction (LPE) horizon that are thought to be related to enhanced volcanic emissions of the Siberian Traps large igneous province (LIP). While forming an effective chemostratigraphic marker, it remains unclear whether such enhanced volcanic Hg emissions could have generated toxic conditions that contributed to extinction processes. To address this, we examined the nature of enhanced Hg emissions from the Siberian Traps LIP and the potential impact it may have had on global ecosystems during the LPE. Model results for a LIP eruption predict that pulses of Hg emissions to the atmosphere would have been orders of magnitude greater than normal background conditions. When deposited into world environments, this would have generated a series of toxic shocks, each lasting >1000 yr. Such repeated Hg loading events would have had severe impact across marine trophic levels, as well as been toxic to terrestrial plant and animal life. Such high Hg loading rates may help explain the co-occurrence of marine and terrestrial extinctions.

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Simulation of Late Permian climate and biomes with an atmosphere-ocean model: comparisons with observations

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.1993.0118 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 341 (1297) ◽

pp. 327-340 ◽

Cited By ~ 61

Keyword(s):

Classification Scheme ◽

Climate Model ◽

Ocean Model ◽

Focal Points ◽

Late Permian ◽

Inland Lakes ◽

Climate Simulations ◽

Simulated Climate ◽

Simulated Distribution ◽

Hydrological Effects

A climate model is used to simulate the climate of the Late Permian. The climate model employs more detailed prescriptions of land-ocean boundaries, topography, and inland lakes and seas than were used in previous climate simulations of supercontinents with idealized land-ocean boundaries and no topography. The presence of mountains and plateaus and of inland seas and lakes produce large differences in the simulated climate compared to simulations that omit these features. Mountains and plateaus become focal points for enhanced precipitation and also help to intensify the monsoon circulations. Extensive inland seas and lakes exert a strong local damping of the seasonal range of temperature and also cause changes beyond the lakes region due to dynamical and hydrological effects. Using the climate-biome classification scheme of Walter, the simulated distribution of climates-biomes is compared to the observed distribution of Late Permian vegetation-biomes. Agreement is good in all but two areas.

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Comparative size evolution of marine clades from the Late Permian through Middle Triassic

Paleobiology ◽

10.1017/pab.2015.36 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 127-142 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Ellen K. Schaal ◽

Matthew E. Clapham ◽

Brianna L. Rego ◽

Steve C. Wang ◽

Jonathan L. Payne

Keyword(s):

Body Size ◽

Middle Triassic ◽

Size Reduction ◽

Late Triassic ◽

Early Triassic ◽

Large Species ◽

Late Permian ◽

Triassic Boundary ◽

Median Size ◽

Permian Extinction

AbstractThe small size of Early Triassic marine organisms has important implications for the ecological and environmental pressures operating during and after the end-Permian mass extinction. However, this “Lilliput Effect” has only been documented quantitatively in a few invertebrate clades. Moreover, the discovery of Early Triassic gastropod specimens larger than any previously known has called the extent and duration of the Early Triassic size reduction into question. Here, we document and compare Permian-Triassic body size trends globally in eight marine clades (gastropods, bivalves, calcitic and phosphatic brachiopods, ammonoids, ostracods, conodonts, and foraminiferans). Our database contains maximum size measurements for 11,224 specimens and 2,743 species spanning the Late Permian through the Middle to Late Triassic. The Permian/Triassic boundary (PTB) shows more size reduction among species than any other interval. For most higher taxa, maximum and median size among species decreased dramatically from the latest Permian (Changhsingian) to the earliest Triassic (Induan), and then increased during Olenekian (late Early Triassic) and Anisian (early Middle Triassic) time. During the Induan, the only higher taxon much larger than its long-term mean size was the ammonoids; they increased significantly in median size across the PTB, a response perhaps related to their comparatively rapid diversity recovery after the end-Permian extinction. The loss of large species in multiple clades across the PTB resulted from both selective extinction of larger species and evolution of surviving lineages toward smaller sizes. The within-lineage component of size decrease suggests that only part of the size decrease can be related to the end-Permian kill mechanism; in addition, Early Triassic environmental conditions or ecological pressures must have continued to favor small body size as well. After the end-Permian extinction, size decrease occurred across ecologically and physiologically disparate clades, but this size reduction was limited to the first part of the Early Triassic (Induan). Nektonic habitat or physiological buffering capacity may explain the contrast of Early Triassic size increase and diversification in ammonoids versus size reduction and slow recovery in benthic clades.

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Late Permian–early Middle Triassic back-arc basin development in West Qinling, China

Journal of Asian Earth Sciences ◽

10.1016/j.jseaes.2014.02.021 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 87 ◽

pp. 116-129 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Lin Li ◽

Qingren Meng ◽

Alex Pullen ◽

Carmala N. Garzione ◽

Guoli Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Middle Triassic ◽

Late Permian ◽

West Qinling ◽

Basin Development ◽

Back Arc ◽

Early Middle Triassic

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Pace, magnitude, and nature of terrestrial climate change through the end-Permian extinction in southeastern Gondwana

Geology ◽

10.1130/g48795.1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

T.D. Frank ◽

C.R. Fielding ◽

A.M.E. Winguth ◽

K. Savatic ◽

A. Tevyaw ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Surface ◽

Chemical Weathering ◽

Regional Climate ◽

Proxy Records ◽

Climate Simulations ◽

Southeastern Margin ◽

Terrestrial Environments ◽

Marine Realm ◽

Permian Extinction

Rapid climate change was a major contributor to the end-Permian extinction (EPE). Although well constrained for the marine realm, relatively few records document the pace, nature, and magnitude of climate change across the EPE in terrestrial environments. We generated proxy records for chemical weathering and land surface temperature from continental margin deposits of the high-latitude southeastern margin of Gondwana. Regional climate simulations provide additional context. Results show that Glossopteris forest-mire ecosystems collapsed during a pulse of intense chemical weathering and peak warmth, which capped ~1 m.y. of gradual warming and intensification of seasonality. Erosion resulting from loss of vegetation was short lived in the low-relief landscape. Earliest Triassic climate was ~10–14 °C warmer than the late Lopingian and landscapes were no longer persistently wet. Aridification, commonly linked to the EPE, developed gradually, facilitating the persistence of refugia for moisture-loving terrestrial groups.

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SOUTH-WEST QUEENSLAND GAS — A RESOURCE FOR THE FUTURE

The APPEA Journal ◽

10.1071/aj86020 ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 245

Author(s):

J.L. Cosgrove

Keyword(s):

Natural Gas ◽

Success Rate ◽

Middle Triassic ◽

Low Risk ◽

Late Permian ◽

Early Permian ◽

South West ◽

Gas Potential ◽

Early Middle Triassic ◽

Very High

Natural gas has been discovered in 22 fields in the Central Eromanga and Cooper Basins of southwestern Queensland in the area comprised by ATP 259P. Proved, probable and possible reserves in excess of 36 × 109 m3 (1.27 TCF) are located in four discrete structural provinces. Fluvial sandstones of the Early Permian Patchawarra Formation and Late Permian Toolachee Formation contain the majority of the reserves. Minor amounts of gas are reservoired in the Early Permian Epsilon Formation, the Early-Middle Triassic Nappamerri Formation and the Early Jurassic Hutton Sandstone and Birkhead Formation. Considerable gas-liquids reserves are also found in these reservoirs.Existing reserves are located primarily in structural traps although lithofacies variations are widely recognised, particularly in the Patchawarra Formation, indicating both new play opportunities and difficulties in assessing the undiscovered gas potential of the permit. Additional gas potential is identified in flank areas of the more prominent structural axes such as the Jackson-Wackett-Innamincka Trend in fault-bounded, pinchout and sub-unconformity trapping configurations.More than 200 prospects and leads are identified with the potential to entrap approximately 51 × 109 m3 (1.80 TCF) of gas on an unrisked basis. When combined with reserves from established fields, the ultimate potential of the ATP is assessed as 87 × 109 m3 (8.10 TCF).Despite the very high success rate of previous exploration and appraisal programs, the ultimate gas potential of the Queensland portion of both the Cooper and Eromanga Basins has been only partially addressed. Exploration and appraisal programs providing future additions to proved and probable reserves are considered low risk and are dependent upon an agreement with the Queensland government that would enable the ATP holders to produce and sell gas interstate.

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The early Triassic rhynchosaur Mesosuchus browni and the interrelationships of basal archosauromorph reptiles

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.1998.0225 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 353 (1368) ◽

pp. 501-541 ◽

Cited By ~ 131

Author(s):

David W. Dilkes

Keyword(s):

Middle Triassic ◽

Sister Group ◽

Recent Common Ancestor ◽

Early Triassic ◽

Late Permian ◽

Assemblage Zone ◽

Stratigraphic Ranges ◽

Permian Mass Extinction ◽

Fossil Records ◽

Early Middle Triassic

Restudy of the unique diapsid reptile Mesosuchus browni Watson, from the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone (late Early Triassic to early Middle Triassic) of the Burgersdorp Formation (Tarkastad Subgroup; Beaufort Group) of South Africa, confirms that it is the most plesiomorphic known member of the Rhynchosauria. A new phylogenetic analysis of basal taxa of Archosauromorpha indicates that Choristodera falls outside of the Sauria, Prolacertiformes is a paraphyletic taxon with Prolacerta sharing a more recent common ancestor with Archosauriformes than with any other clade, Megalancosaurus and Drepanosaurus are sister taxa in the clade Drepanosauridae within Archosauromorpha, and are the sister group to the clade Tanystropheidae composed of Tanystropheus , Macrocnemus , and Langobardisaurus . Combination of the phylogenetic relationships of basal archosauromorphs and their known stratigraphic ranges reveals significant gaps in the fossil records of Late Permian and Triassic diapsids. Extensions of the temporal ranges of several lineages of diapsids into the Late Permian suggests that more groups of terrestrial reptiles survived the end-Permian mass extinction than thought previously.

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