Mass extinctions drove increased global faunal cosmopolitanism on the supercontinent Pangaea

Abstract

Mass extinctions have profoundly impacted the evolution of life through not only reducing taxonomic diversity but also reshaping ecosystems and biogeographic patterns. In particular, they are considered to have driven increased biogeographic cosmopolitanism, but quantitative tests of this hypothesis are rare and have not explicitly incorporated information on evolutionary relationships. Here we quantify faunal cosmopolitanism using a phylogenetic network approach for 891 terrestrial vertebrate species spanning the late Permian through Early Jurassic. This key interval witnessed the Permian–Triassic and Triassic–Jurassic mass extinctions, the onset of fragmentation of the supercontinent Pangaea, and the origins of dinosaurs and many modern vertebrate groups. Our results recover significant increases in global faunal cosmopolitanism following both mass extinctions, driven mainly by new, widespread taxa, leading to homogenous ‘disaster faunas’. Cosmopolitanism subsequently declines in post-recovery communities. These shared patterns in both biotic crises suggest that mass extinctions have predictable influences on animal distribution and may shed light on biodiversity loss in extant ecosystems.

Accounting for differences in species frequency distributions when calculating beta diversity in the fossil record

“…This contradicts the results obtained by Button et al. (), who suggested a more homogenous fauna at this time. While it is possible that the differences are due to the different scale of the analyses (global vs. regional), another possibility is that the results of Button et al.…”

“…However, Button et al. (), employing a method accounting for the phylogenetic non‐independence of the taxa in each locality, inferred increased cosmopolitanism following the extinction. In these studies, the faunas being compared were tetrapod‐bearing basins or bioregions, and so the Karoo was treated as a single entity.…”

“…While it is possible that the differences are due to the different scale of the analyses (global vs. regional), another possibility is that the results of Button et al. () were influenced by the increased unevenness of the tetrapod faunas following the extinction and the prevalence of disaster taxa like Lystrosaurus (Fröbisch, ; Wignall, ). Unfortunately, due to the lack of abundance data in the Button et al.…”

Vertebrate assemblages from the north-central Main Karoo Basin, South Africa, and their implications for mid-Permian biogeography

“…; Button et al . ). It has been suggested that mid‐Permian faunas were more endemic than their Late Permian successors, with little overlap of genera or species between known Guadalupian tetrapod‐bearing basins compared to the relative biogeographical cosmopolitanism seen in the Lopingian (Angielczyk et al .…”

Endocranial anatomy and life habits of the Early Triassic archosauriform Proterosuchus fergusi

“…The basal archosauriform group Proterosuchidae, characterized by an enigmatic downturned premaxilla that overhangs the anterior margin of the lower jaw, is often referred to as a ‘disaster’ clade that thrived for a geologically short interval following the end‐Permian extinction (Ezcurra ; Button et al . ). The clade attained a near cosmopolitan distribution, with specimens found in China, India, and South Africa (Ezcurra et al .…”