Can atmospheric composition influence plant fossil preservation potential via changes in leaf mass per area? A new hypothesis based on simulated palaeoatmosphere experiments.

Bacon, Karen L.; Haworth, Matthew; Conroy, Emer; McElwain, Jennifer C.

doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2015.12.006

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 100 publications

(21 reference statements)

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“…Similarly, a recent study investigating the effects of simulated palaeoatmospheres on non‐angiosperm plant growth (Bacon et al . ) found that one of the six species studied, Nageia nagi , had a lower C:N ratio and higher % N for plants grown under 1500 ppm CO 2, compared to those grown under ambient CO 2 concentrations. These findings are consistent with our results and together these examples indicate that a reduction in leaf % N is not a universal consequence of growth under elevated CO 2 , at least for gymnosperms, but may be taxon‐specific.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Bacon et al . () found a considerably lower mean % N for G. biloba of 0.68 for plants grown under ambient conditions (380 ppm CO 2 and 20.9% O 2 ) and 0.21 for plants grown under 1500 ppm CO 2 , with corresponding C:N ratios of 73 and 242.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…However, an important caveat when interpreting nitrogen data from both our study and those cited, is that all were based on growth experiments of relatively short duration: 35 days for Decherd (); 53 days for Roth & Lindroth (); 3 months for our understory plants; 6 months for our canopy plants; and 18 months for Bacon et al . () (K. Bacon, pers. comm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diets of giants: the nutritional value of sauropod diet during the Mesozoic

et al. 2018

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A major uncertainty in estimating energy budgets and population densities of extinct animals is the carrying capacity of their ecosystems, constrained by net primary productivity (NPP) and its digestible energy content. The hypothesis that increases in NPP due to elevated atmospheric CO 2 contributed to the unparalleled size of the sauropods has recently been rejected, based on modern studies on herbivorous insects that imply a general, negative correlation of diet quality and increasing CO 2. However, the nutritional value of plants grown under elevated CO 2 levels might be very different for vertebrate megaherbivores than for insects. Here we show plant species‐specific responses in metabolizable energy and nitrogen content, equivalent to a two‐fold variation in daily food intake estimates for a typical sauropod, for dinosaur food plant analogues grown under CO 2 concentrations spanning estimates for Mesozoic atmospheric concentrations. Our results potentially rebut the hypothesis that constraints on sauropod diet quality were driven by Mesozoic CO 2 concentration.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diets of giants: the nutritional value of sauropod diet during the Mesozoic

et al. 2018

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“…The publication by Bacon et al (2016) contributes to the ongoing scientific debate regarding the interpretation and understanding of preservational biases in the fossil record. More specifically, the relation between CO 2 levels in the atmosphere and leaf mass (thickness) as this has a bearing on the fossilization potential.…”

Section: The Triassicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mesozoic ecosystems – climate and biotas

Vajda

Pole

Sha

2016

Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

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“…The fossil record is clearly imperfect, with certain plants and animals more likely to become fossils than others because of their abundance, habitat, life form and chemical composition as well as how they were actually preserved (e.g. Bacon et al, 2015; Benton and Harper, 2009; Benton et al, 2000; Gastaldo, 2001; Greenwood, 1991; Kidwell, 2001; McNamara et al, 2012; Spicer, 1989). Shallow marine invertebrates, for example, have a much more complete fossil record (Alroy et al, 2008; Jablonski, 1991) than small mammals such as bats and rodents (Plotnick et al, 2016).…”

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confidence: 99%

Could a potential Anthropocene mass extinction define a new geological period?

Bacon

Swindles

2016

The Anthropocene Review

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A key aspect of the current debate about the Anthropocene focuses on defining a new geological epoch. Features of the Anthropocene include a biodiversity crisis with the potential to reach ‘mass extinction’ status alongside increasing global CO2 and temperature. Previous geological boundaries associated with mass extinctions, rises in atmospheric CO2 and rises in global temperature are more usually associated with transitions between geological periods. The current rapid increase in species extinctions suggest that a new mass extinction event is most likely imminent in the near-term future. Although CO2 levels are currently low in comparison with the rest of the Phanerozoic, they are rising rapidly along with global temperatures. This suggests that defining the Anthropocene as a new geological period, rather than a new epoch, may be more consistent with previous geological boundaries in the Phanerozoic.

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Can atmospheric composition influence plant fossil preservation potential via changes in leaf mass per area? A new hypothesis based on simulated palaeoatmosphere experiments.

Cited by 13 publications

References 100 publications

Diets of giants: the nutritional value of sauropod diet during the Mesozoic

Diets of giants: the nutritional value of sauropod diet during the Mesozoic

Mesozoic ecosystems – climate and biotas

Could a potential Anthropocene mass extinction define a new geological period?

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