Year: 2020
Type: article
Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis
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.
Source: Science Advances
Institutions: University of Leeds, China University of Geosciences, State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, University of Bristol, Museo delle Scienze, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, University of Vienna, University of Padua, University of Ferrara, Queen's University Belfast, Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Bavarian Natural History Collections, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, National Research Council, Constructor University, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, University of Göttingen
Language: English
Subfield: Paleontology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
OpenAlex ID: W3044243879