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Wignall PB, Bond DPG. The great catastrophe: causes of the Permo-Triassic marine mass extinction. Natl Sci Rev 2024; 11:nwad273. [PMID: 38156041 PMCID: PMC10753410 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
The marine losses during the Permo-Triassic mass extinction were the worst ever experienced. All groups were badly affected, especially amongst the benthos (e.g. brachiopods, corals, bryozoans, foraminifers, ostracods). Planktonic populations underwent a fundamental change with eukaryotic algae being replaced by nitrogen-fixing bacteria, green-sulphur bacteria, sulphate-reducing bacteria and prasinophytes. Detailed studies of boundary sections, especially those in South China, have resolved the crisis to a ∼55 kyr interval straddling the Permo-Triassic boundary. Many of the losses occur at the beginning and end of this interval painting a picture of a two-phase extinction. Improved knowledge of the extinction has been supported by numerous geochemical studies that allow diverse proposed extinction mechanisms to be studied. A transition from oxygenated to anoxic-euxinic conditions is seen in most sections globally, although the intensity and timing shows regional variability. Decreased ocean ventilation coincides with rapidly rising temperatures and many extinction scenarios attribute the losses to both anoxia and high temperatures. Other kill mechanisms include ocean acidification for which there is conflicting support from geochemical proxies and, even less likely, siltation (burial under a massive influx of terrigenous sediment) which lacks substantive sedimentological evidence. The ultimate driver of the catastrophic changes at the end of the Permian was likely Siberian Trap eruptions and their associated carbon dioxide emissions with consequences such as warming, ocean stagnation and acidification. Volcanic winter episodes stemming from Siberian volcanism have also been linked to the crisis, but the short-term nature of these episodes (
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B Wignall
- School of Earth & Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - David P G Bond
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK
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2
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Song Y, Bowyer FT, Mills BJW, Merdith AS, Wignall PB, Peakall J, Zhang S, Wang X, Wang H, Canfield DE, Shields GA, Poulton SW. Dynamic redox and nutrient cycling response to climate forcing in the Mesoproterozoic ocean. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6640. [PMID: 37863885 PMCID: PMC10589307 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41901-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Controls on Mesoproterozoic ocean redox heterogeneity, and links to nutrient cycling and oxygenation feedbacks, remain poorly resolved. Here, we report ocean redox and phosphorus cycling across two high-resolution sections from the ~1.4 Ga Xiamaling Formation, North China Craton. In the lower section, fluctuations in trade wind intensity regulated the spatial extent of a ferruginous oxygen minimum zone, promoting phosphorus drawdown and persistent oligotrophic conditions. In the upper section, high but variable continental chemical weathering rates led to periodic fluctuations between highly and weakly euxinic conditions, promoting phosphorus recycling and persistent eutrophication. Biogeochemical modeling demonstrates how changes in geographical location relative to global atmospheric circulation cells could have driven these temporal changes in regional ocean biogeochemistry. Our approach suggests that much of the ocean redox heterogeneity apparent in the Mesoproterozoic record can be explained by climate forcing at individual locations, rather than specific events or step-changes in global oceanic redox conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yafang Song
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
| | - Fred T Bowyer
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3FE, UK
| | - Benjamin J W Mills
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Andrew S Merdith
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Paul B Wignall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Jeff Peakall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Shuichang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xiaomei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Huajian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Petroleum Geochemistry, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Donald E Canfield
- Nordcee, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, 5230, Denmark
| | - Graham A Shields
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Simon W Poulton
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
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3
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Wignall PB. Paleobiology: Anatomy of a mass extinction double whammy. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R233-R235. [PMID: 36977387 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/29/2023]
Abstract
The Permo-Triassic mass extinction has been resolved into two closely spaced crises that both saw enormous extinction losses. However, food web modelling suggests they were not ecologically equivalent, only the second destabilised communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B Wignall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
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4
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Lloyd CJ, Peakall J, Burns AD, Keevil GM, Dorrell RM, Wignall PB, Fletcher TM. Hydrodynamic efficiency in sharks: the combined role of riblets and denticles. Bioinspir Biomim 2021; 16:046008. [PMID: 33784651 DOI: 10.1088/1748-3190/abf3b1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the influence of smooth and ribletted shark skin on a turbulent boundary layer flow. Through laser Doppler anemometry (LDA) the role of riblets in combination with the shark skin denticle is established for the first time. Our results show that smooth denticles behave like a typical rough surface when exposed to an attached boundary layer. Drag is increased for the full range of tested dimensionless denticle widths,w+≈ 25-80, wherew+is the denticle width,w, scaled by the friction velocity,uτ, and the kinematic viscosity,ν. However, when riblets are added to the denticle crown we demonstrate there is a significant reduction in drag, relative to the smooth denticles. We obtain a modest maximum drag reduction of 2% for the ribletted denticles when compared to the flat plate, but when compared to the smooth denticles the difference in drag is in excess of 20% forw+≈ 80. This study enables a new conclusion that riblets have evolved as a mechanism to reduce or eliminate the skin friction increase due to the presence of scales (denticles). The combination of scales and riblets is hydrodynamically efficient in terms of skin-friction drag, while also acting to maintain flow attachment, and providing the other advantages associated with scales, e.g. anti-fouling, abrasion resistance, and defence against parasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlie J Lloyd
- Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Jeffrey Peakall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Alan D Burns
- School of Chemical and Process Engineering, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Gareth M Keevil
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Robert M Dorrell
- Energy and Environment Institute, University of Hull, United Kingdom
| | - Paul B Wignall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas M Fletcher
- School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, United Kingdom
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5
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He T, Dal Corso J, Newton RJ, Wignall PB, Mills BJW, Todaro S, Di Stefano P, Turner EC, Jamieson RA, Randazzo V, Rigo M, Jones RE, Dunhill AM. An enormous sulfur isotope excursion indicates marine anoxia during the end-Triassic mass extinction. Sci Adv 2020; 6:6/37/eabb6704. [PMID: 32917684 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb6704] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianchen He
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
| | - Jacopo Dal Corso
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Robert J Newton
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
| | - Paul B Wignall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | | | - Simona Todaro
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Pietro Di Stefano
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Emily C Turner
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | | | - Vincenzo Randazzo
- Department of Earth and Marine Sciences, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Manuel Rigo
- Department of Geosciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
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6
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Dal Corso J, Bernardi M, Sun Y, Song H, Seyfullah LJ, Preto N, Gianolla P, Ruffell A, Kustatscher E, Roghi G, Merico A, Hohn S, Schmidt AR, Marzoli A, Newton RJ, Wignall PB, Benton MJ. Extinction and dawn of the modern world in the Carnian (Late Triassic). Sci Adv 2020; 6:6/38/eaba0099. [PMID: 32938682 PMCID: PMC7494334 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aba0099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The Carnian Pluvial Episode (Late Triassic) was a time of global environmental changes and possibly substantial coeval volcanism. The extent of the biological turnover in marine and terrestrial ecosystems is not well understood. Here, we present a meta-analysis of fossil data that suggests a substantial reduction in generic and species richness and the disappearance of 33% of marine genera. This crisis triggered major radiations. In the sea, the rise of the first scleractinian reefs and rock-forming calcareous nannofossils points to substantial changes in ocean chemistry. On land, there were major diversifications and originations of conifers, insects, dinosaurs, crocodiles, lizards, turtles, and mammals. Although there is uncertainty on the precise age of some of the recorded biological changes, these observations indicate that the Carnian Pluvial Episode was linked to a major extinction event and might have been the trigger of the spectacular radiation of many key groups that dominate modern ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Dal Corso
- School of Earth and Environments, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences Wuhan, Wuhan, China
| | - Massimo Bernardi
- MUSE-Science Museum, 38122 Trento, Italy
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK
| | - Yadong Sun
- GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Haijun Song
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences Wuhan, Wuhan, China
| | - Leyla J Seyfullah
- Department of Palaeontology, University of Vienna, 1090 Wien, Austria
| | - Nereo Preto
- Department of Geosciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Piero Gianolla
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, University of Ferrara, 44100 Ferrara, Italy
| | - Alastair Ruffell
- School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, BT7 1NN, Northern Ireland, UK
| | - Evelyn Kustatscher
- Museum of Nature South Tyrol, 39100 Bozen/Bolzano, Italy
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Paleontology & Geobiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80333 München, Germany
- SNSB-Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, 80333 München, Germany
| | - Guido Roghi
- Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources (IGG-CNR), 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Agostino Merico
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), 28359 Bremen, Germany
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Sönke Hohn
- Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT), 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | | | - Andrea Marzoli
- Department of Geosciences, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Robert J Newton
- School of Earth and Environments, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Paul B Wignall
- School of Earth and Environments, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Michael J Benton
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1RJ, UK.
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7
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Song H, Huang S, Jia E, Dai X, Wignall PB, Dunhill AM. Flat latitudinal diversity gradient caused by the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:17578-17583. [PMID: 32631978 PMCID: PMC7395496 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1918953117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) is recognized as one of the most pervasive, global patterns of present-day biodiversity. However, the controlling mechanisms have proved difficult to identify because many potential drivers covary in space. The geological record presents a unique opportunity for understanding the mechanisms which drive the LDG by providing a direct window to deep-time biogeographic dynamics. Here we used a comprehensive database containing 52,318 occurrences of marine fossils to show that the shape of the LDG changed greatly during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction from showing a significant tropical peak to a flattened LDG. The flat LDG lasted for the entire Early Triassic (∼5 My) before reverting to a modern-like shape in the Middle Triassic. The environmental extremes that prevailed globally, especially the dramatic warming, likely induced selective extinction in low latitudes and accumulation of diversity in high latitudes through origination and poleward migration, which combined together account for the flat LDG of the Early Triassic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haijun Song
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, 430074 Wuhan, China;
| | - Shan Huang
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Center, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Enhao Jia
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, 430074 Wuhan, China
| | - Xu Dai
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, 430074 Wuhan, China
| | - Paul B Wignall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT Leeds, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander M Dunhill
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, LS2 9JT Leeds, United Kingdom
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8
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Allen BJ, Wignall PB, Hill DJ, Saupe EE, Dunhill AM. The latitudinal diversity gradient of tetrapods across the Permo-Triassic mass extinction and recovery interval. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201125. [PMID: 32546099 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The decline in species richness from the equator to the poles is referred to as the latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG). Higher equatorial diversity has been recognized for over 200 years, but the consistency of this pattern in deep time remains uncertain. Examination of spatial biodiversity patterns in the past across different global climate regimes and continental configurations can reveal how LDGs have varied over Earth history and potentially differentiate between suggested causal mechanisms. The Late Permian-Middle Triassic represents an ideal time interval for study, because it is characterized by large-scale volcanic episodes, extreme greenhouse temperatures and the most severe mass extinction event in Earth history. We examined terrestrial and marine tetrapod spatial biodiversity patterns using a database of global tetrapod occurrences. Terrestrial tetrapods exhibit a bimodal richness distribution throughout the Late Permian-Middle Triassic, with peaks in the northern low latitudes and southern mid-latitudes around 20-40° N and 60° S, respectively. Marine reptile fossils are known almost exclusively from the Northern Hemisphere in the Early and Middle Triassic, with highest diversity around 20° N. Reconstructed terrestrial LDGs contrast strongly with the generally unimodal gradients of today, potentially reflecting high global temperatures and prevailing Pangaean super-monsoonal climate system during the Permo-Triassic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethany J Allen
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Paul B Wignall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Daniel J Hill
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Erin E Saupe
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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9
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Dal Corso J, Mills BJW, Chu D, Newton RJ, Mather TA, Shu W, Wu Y, Tong J, Wignall PB. Permo-Triassic boundary carbon and mercury cycling linked to terrestrial ecosystem collapse. Nat Commun 2020; 11:2962. [PMID: 32528009 PMCID: PMC7289894 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16725-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Records suggest that the Permo-Triassic mass extinction (PTME) involved one of the most severe terrestrial ecosystem collapses of the Phanerozoic. However, it has proved difficult to constrain the extent of the primary productivity loss on land, hindering our understanding of the effects on global biogeochemistry. We build a new biogeochemical model that couples the global Hg and C cycles to evaluate the distinct terrestrial contribution to atmosphere-ocean biogeochemistry separated from coeval volcanic fluxes. We show that the large short-lived Hg spike, and nadirs in δ202Hg and δ13C values at the marine PTME are best explained by a sudden, massive pulse of terrestrial biomass oxidation, while volcanism remains an adequate explanation for the longer-term geochemical changes. Our modelling shows that a massive collapse of terrestrial ecosystems linked to volcanism-driven environmental change triggered significant biogeochemical changes, and cascaded organic matter, nutrients, Hg and other organically-bound species into the marine system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacopo Dal Corso
- School of Earth and Environments, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK. .,State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
| | - Benjamin J W Mills
- School of Earth and Environments, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.
| | - Daoliang Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Robert J Newton
- School of Earth and Environments, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Tamsin A Mather
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3AN, UK
| | - Wenchao Shu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Yuyang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Jinnan Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Paul B Wignall
- School of Earth and Environments, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
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10
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Smolarek-Lach J, Marynowski L, Trela W, Wignall PB. Mercury Spikes Indicate a Volcanic Trigger for the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction Event: An Example from a Deep Shelf of the Peri-Baltic Region. Sci Rep 2019; 9:3139. [PMID: 30816186 PMCID: PMC6395715 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39333-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Late Ordovician mass extinction (LOME) was the second largest Phanerozoic crisis, but its cause remains elusive. Several triggering mechanisms have been proposed over the years, including bioevolutionary events, oceanographic changes, and geotectonic processes. Here, we report the presence of Hg spikes in the Zbrza PIG-1 borehole from the Upper Ordovician deep shelf sections of the peri-Baltic region. A strong positive anomaly in the lower late Katian (Hg/TOC = 2537.3 ppb/wt%) was noted. No correlation between Hg and TOC (R2 = 0.07) was distinguished in the Hirnantian, although several positive anomalies were found. Because the Hg/Mo ratio showed trends very similar to those of Hg/TOC, it seems likely that TOC values reflect the redox conditions. In order to evaluate the role of anoxia in levels of Hg enrichment several redox indicators were measured. These showed that the elevated mercury values in the Hirnantian are not caused by anoxia/euxinia because euxinic biomarkers (maleimides and aryl isoprenoids) are present in very low abundance and pyrite framboids are absent. In total, positive Hg/TOC anomalies occur in the lower late Katian, at the Katian - Hirnantian boundary, and in the late Hirnantian. The lack of a strong Hg/TOC correlation, Ni enrichments, and the absence of ‘anoxic indicators’ (no biomarkers, no framboids, low Mo concentration) at these levels, supports the interpretation that Hg enrichment is due to enhanced environmental loading. We conclude that our Hg and Hg/TOC values were associated with volcanic pulses which triggered the massive environmental changes resulting in the Late Ordovician mass extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leszek Marynowski
- Faculty of Earth Sciences, University of Silesia, Sosnowiec, 41-200, Poland
| | - Wiesław Trela
- Polish Geological Institute ‒ National Research Institute, Kielce, 25-953, Poland
| | - Paul B Wignall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
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11
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Song H, Wignall PB, Dunhill AM. Decoupled taxonomic and ecological recoveries from the Permo-Triassic extinction. Sci Adv 2018; 4:eaat5091. [PMID: 30324133 PMCID: PMC6179380 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat5091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
The Permian-Triassic mass extinction was the worst crisis faced by life; it killed >90% of marine species in less than 0.1 million years (Ma). However, knowledge of its macroecological impact over prolonged time scales is limited. We show that marine ecosystems dominated by non-motile animals shifted to ones dominated by nektonic groups after the extinction. In Triassic oceans, animals at high trophic levels recovered faster than those at lower levels. The top-down rebuilding of marine ecosystems was still underway in the latest Triassic, ~50 Ma after the extinction, and contrasts with the ~5-Ma recovery required for taxonomic diversity. The decoupling between taxonomic and ecological recoveries suggests that a process of vacant niche filling before reaching the maximum environmental carrying capacity is independent of ecosystem structure building.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haijun Song
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Science, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
- Corresponding author.
| | - Paul B. Wignall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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12
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Song H, Jiang G, Poulton SW, Wignall PB, Tong J, Song H, An Z, Chu D, Tian L, She Z, Wang C. The onset of widespread marine red beds and the evolution of ferruginous oceans. Nat Commun 2017; 8:399. [PMID: 28855507 PMCID: PMC5577183 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-00502-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2017] [Accepted: 07/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Banded iron formations were a prevalent feature of marine sedimentation ~3.8–1.8 billion years ago and they provide key evidence for ferruginous oceans. The disappearance of banded iron formations at ~1.8 billion years ago was traditionally taken as evidence for the demise of ferruginous oceans, but recent geochemical studies show that ferruginous conditions persisted throughout the later Precambrian, and were even a feature of Phanerozoic ocean anoxic events. Here, to reconcile these observations, we track the evolution of oceanic Fe-concentrations by considering the temporal record of banded iron formations and marine red beds. We find that marine red beds are a prominent feature of the sedimentary record since the middle Ediacaran (~580 million years ago). Geochemical analyses and thermodynamic modelling reveal that marine red beds formed when deep-ocean Fe-concentrations were > 4 nM. By contrast, banded iron formations formed when Fe-concentrations were much higher (> 50 μM). Thus, the first widespread development of marine red beds constrains the timing of deep-ocean oxygenation. The evolution of oceanic redox state in the past is poorly known. Here, the authors present a temporal record of banded iron formations and marine red beds, which indicate deep-ocean oxygenation occurred in the middle Ediacaran, coinciding with the onset of widespread marine red beds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haijun Song
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Science, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China.
| | - Ganqing Jiang
- Department of Geoscience, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, NV, 89154-4010, USA
| | - Simon W Poulton
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Paul B Wignall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Jinnan Tong
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Science, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Huyue Song
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Science, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Zhihui An
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Science, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Daoliang Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Science, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Li Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Science, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Zhenbing She
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, School of Earth Science, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China
| | - Chengshan Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China
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Witts JD, Whittle RJ, Wignall PB, Crame JA, Francis JE, Newton RJ, Bowman VC. Macrofossil evidence for a rapid and severe Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction in Antarctica. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11738. [PMID: 27226414 PMCID: PMC4894978 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2015] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Debate continues about the nature of the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event. An abrupt crisis triggered by a bolide impact contrasts with ideas of a more gradual extinction involving flood volcanism or climatic changes. Evidence from high latitudes has also been used to suggest that the severity of the extinction decreased from low latitudes towards the poles. Here we present a record of the K-Pg extinction based on extensive assemblages of marine macrofossils (primarily new data from benthic molluscs) from a highly expanded Cretaceous-Paleogene succession: the López de Bertodano Formation of Seymour Island, Antarctica. We show that the extinction was rapid and severe in Antarctica, with no significant biotic decline during the latest Cretaceous, contrary to previous studies. These data are consistent with a catastrophic driver for the extinction, such as bolide impact, rather than a significant contribution from Deccan Traps volcanism during the late Maastrichtian.
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Affiliation(s)
- James D. Witts
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Rowan J. Whittle
- British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OET, UK
| | - Paul B. Wignall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - J. Alistair Crame
- British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OET, UK
| | - Jane E. Francis
- British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OET, UK
| | - Robert J. Newton
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Vanessa C. Bowman
- British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 OET, UK
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Sun Y, Joachimski MM, Wignall PB, Yan C, Chen Y, Jiang H, Wang L, Lai X. Response to comment on "lethally hot temperatures during the Early Triassic greenhouse". Science 2013; 339:1033. [PMID: 23449581 DOI: 10.1126/science.1233090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Goudemand et al. replot a subset of our well-constrained data using a new Early Triassic biostratigraphic scheme based on a lower-resolution ammonoid zonation scheme and hypothetical ammonoid-conodont correlation to produce a less distinct seawater temperature history. We dispute their unsubstantiated correlation and, consequently, their allegations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yadong Sun
- State Key laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, P.R. China
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Wignall PB, Sun Y, Bond DPG, Izon G, Newton RJ, Védrine S, Widdowson M, Ali JR, Lai X, Jiang H, Cope H, Bottrell SH. Volcanism, Mass Extinction, and Carbon Isotope Fluctuations in the Middle Permian of China. Science 2009; 324:1179-82. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1171956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 239] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul B. Wignall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Yadong Sun
- Faculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - David P. G. Bond
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Gareth Izon
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Robert J. Newton
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Stéphanie Védrine
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Mike Widdowson
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Jason R. Ali
- Department of Earth Sciences, Pokfulam Road, University of Hong Kong
| | - Xulong Lai
- Faculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Haishui Jiang
- Faculty of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Helen Cope
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Strathclyde, Wolfson Building, 106 Rottenrow, Glasgow G4 0NW, UK
| | - Simon H. Bottrell
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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17
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Abstract
Dramatic global warming, triggered by release of methane from clathrates, has been postulated to have occurred during the early Toarcian age in the Early Jurassic period. Kemp et al. claim that this methane was released at three points, as recorded by three sharp excursions of delta13C(org) of up to 3 per thousand magnitude. But they discount another explanation for the excursions: namely that some, perhaps all, of the rapid excursions could be a local signature of a euxinic basin caused by recycling of isotopically light carbon from the lower water column. This idea has been proposed previously (see ref. 3, for example) and is supported by the lack evidence for negative delta13C excursions in coeval belemnite rostra. Kemp et al. dismiss this alternative, claiming that each abrupt shift would have required the recycling of about double the amount of organic carbon that is currently present in the modern ocean; however, their measurements are not from an ocean but from a restricted, epicontinental seaway and so would not require whole-ocean mixing to achieve the excursions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B Wignall
- School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
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Bond D, Wignall PB. Chapter 9Evidence for late devonian (kellwasser) anoxic events in the great basin, western united states. Developments in Palaeontology and Stratigraphy 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/s0920-5446(05)80009-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Wignall PB, Twitchett RJ. Response: Late Permian Extinctions. Science 1996; 274:1552a. [PMID: 17817003 DOI: 10.1126/science.274.5292.1552a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Wignall PB, Twitchett RJ. Response
: Late Permian Extinctions. Science 1996. [DOI: 10.1126/science.274.5292.1552-a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul B. Wignall
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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Abstract
Data on rocks from Spitsbergen and the equatorial sections of Italy and Slovenia indicate that the world's oceans became anoxic at both low and high paleolatitudes in the Late Permian. Such conditions may have been responsible for the mass extinction at this time. This event affected a wide range of shelf depths and extended into shallow water well above the storm wave base.
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Affiliation(s)
- PB Wignall
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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Wignall PB. Extinction: Bad genes or bad luck? Trends Ecol Evol 1992. [DOI: 10.1016/0169-5347(92)90058-j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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