Recovery of lacustrine ecosystems after the end-Permian mass extinction

Zhao, Xiangdong; Zheng, Daran; Xie, Guiqing; Jenkyns, Hugh C.; Guan, Chengguo; Fang, Yanan; He, Jianguo; Yuan, Xiaoqi; Xue, Ning; Wang, He; Li, Sha; Jarzembowski, Edmund A.; Zhang, Haichun; Wang, Bo

doi:10.1130/g47502.1

Cited by 39 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…However, connectance of the HSJ community did not change much, because increased species richness offset the influence of increased L/S. Threshold values achieved pre-extinction levels in the Middle Triassic LKLMY community, representing the full recovery of community stability after the P-Tr extinction ( figure 5; electronic supplementary material, figure S5), which coincides with the final recovery of marine ecosystems [48], and possibly the Middle Triassic recovery of the Karoo Basin ecosystem [47] and the lacustrine ecosystems in the Ordos Basin, North China [49].…”

Section: Discussion (A) Community Structure and Dynamics Over The Permentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological dynamics of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems across three mid-Phanerozoic mass extinctions from northwest China

et al. 2021

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The Earth has been beset by many crises during its history, and yet comparing the ecological impacts of these mass extinctions has been difficult. Key questions concern the kinds of species that go extinct and survive, how communities rebuild in the post-extinction recovery phase, and especially how the scaling of events affects these processes. Here, we explore ecological impacts of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems in three mass extinctions through the mid-Phanerozoic, a span of 121 million years (295–174 Ma). This critical duration encompasses the largest mass extinction of all time, the Permian–Triassic (P–Tr) and is flanked by two smaller crises, the Guadalupian–Lopingian (G–L) and Triassic–Jurassic (T–J) mass extinctions. Palaeocommunity dynamics modelling of 14 terrestrial and freshwater communities through a long sedimentary succession from the lower Permian to the lower Jurassic in northern Xinjiang, northwest China, shows that the P–Tr mass extinction differed from the other two in two ways: (i) ecological recovery from this extinction was prolonged and the three post-extinction communities in the Early Triassic showed low stability and highly variable and unpredictable responses to perturbation primarily following the huge losses of species, guilds and trophic space; and (ii) the G–L and T–J extinctions were each preceded by low-stability communities, but post-extinction recovery was rapid. Our results confirm the uniqueness of the P–Tr mass extinction and shed light on the trophic structure and ecological dynamics of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems across the three mid-Phanerozoic extinctions, and how complex communities respond to environmental stress and how communities recovered after the crisis. Comparisons with the coeval communities from the Karoo Basin, South Africa show that geographically and compositionally different communities of terrestrial ecosystems were affected in much the same way by the P–Tr extinction.

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Section: Discussion (A) Community Structure and Dynamics Over The Permentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological dynamics of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems across three mid-Phanerozoic mass extinctions from northwest China

et al. 2021

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“…Geological and geographical map (modified after Qiu et al, 2015; Zhao et al, 2020). (a) Simplified geological map of the Ordos Basin and its adjacent regions, I, Yimeng uplift zone; II, West margin thrust belts; III, Tianhuan depression; IV, Yishan slope; V, Jinxi flexure belts; VI, Weibei uplift zone; (b) location of the Ordos Basin in northwest China; and (c) location of the Bawangzhuang section, zoomed from the red inset in (b)…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similarly, thick organic‐rich shales are also developed in the Middle Triassic Tongchuan Formation, which immediately underlies the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation. The earliest known appearance of a Mesozoic‐type of tropical, multi‐levelled lacustrine ecosystem after the end‐Permian mass extinction is reported from these shales (Zhao et al, 2020). Up till now, studies of the depositional environment of the Tongchuan shales have been lacking, although it is of significance for understanding the formation and preservation of organic‐rich shales and lacustrine fossils (Yuan et al, 2019; Zhao et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depositional environment of Middle Triassic organic‐rich shales in the Ordos Basin, Northwest China

et al. 2021

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The Middle Triassic Tongchuan Formation in the Ordos Basin of northwestern China is a typical lacustrine deposit. A major component of this formation is thick layers of organic‐rich shales that are probably a potential hydrocarbon source and preserve the earliest known Mesozoic‐type lacustrine ecosystem. The exact depositional environment of the shales in the Tongchuan Formation, however, remains unknown. To address this question, we carried out high‐resolution carbon (δ13Corg) and sulphur (δ34Spy) isotope analysis as well as undertook total organic carbon (TOC)/pyrite contents and pyrite morphology investigation, and framboidal pyrite size measurements in shales of the Bawangzhuang section of the southern Ordos Basin. Remarkably high TOC (23 ± 9%) and pyrite (7 ± 3%) contents were obtained from the shales, which indicate a large amount of organic carbon and pyrite burial during shale deposition. Framboids are the dominant pyrite morphology in the pyrite crystals and show large and variable mean diameters (7.0 ± 1.7 μm to 14.3 ± 6.8 μm) across the section, indicating oxic–dysoxic bottom water during shale deposition. δ13Corg and δ34Spy revealed narrow and less variable values, ranging from −31.8‰ to −28.1‰, and −4.1‰ to 4.9‰, respectively. The δ13Corg values suggest balanced and consistent carbon cycles. Integrated with pyrite content and morphological patterns, consistent δ34Spy values probably demonstrate a relatively open environment for the formation of sedimentary pyrite, and thus a shallow chemocline that was quite close to the water‐to‐sediment interface during shale deposition. Overall, the organic‐rich shales of the Tongchuan Formation were probably deposited under oxic–dysoxic bottom‐water conditions. Shallow chemocline depth combined with moderately high sedimentation rate and high primary productivity may have played crucial roles in the deposition and formation of the organic‐rich shales in the Tongchuan Formation. The shallow chemocline also facilitates the fossil preservation in a lacustrine environment.

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“…The end-Permian mass extinction (Virgili 2008) halted coal formation worldwide for approximately 10 Ma. This is widely believed to result from the chain reaction caused by eruption of Siberian igneous provinces (Diessel 2010; Zhao et al 2020). The coal seams appeared again in the Late Triassic with high inertinite abundance.…”

Section: Late Triassic-early Jurassicmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Large areas of the ocean experienced hypoxia prior to the Permian-Triassic boundary and caused some species to disappear before the major extinction at the Permian-Triassic boundary (Huey and Ward 2005). A large amount of CO 2 was released into atmosphere by the explosions in Siberian large igneous provinces, which subsequently led to decrease in the pO 2 (Zhao et al 2020). However, the terrestrial plants caused rise in pO 2 in the atmosphere significantly (Rimmer et al 2015).…”

Section: Late Triassic-early Jurassicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characteristics and evolution of inertinite abundance and atmospheric pO2 during China’s coal-forming periods

et al. 2021

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Coal, especially the inertinite in it, is highly sensitive to climate changes, showing an obvious response to paleoclimate conditions, in particular, to paleo-oxygen concentration (pO2). In this study, the inertinite abundance data of typical coal-forming periods in China were systematically collected and analyzed. Its characteristics and control factors were studied, and its evolution was established. Based on inertinite abundance data, pO2 evolution curves of various coal-forming periods in China were established, which fluctuated between 15% and 30% during the entire Phanerozoic. The inertinite abundance in coal deposits during Paleozoic in China was basically consistent with that of other areas of the world, while it was quite different globally from the Mesozoic to the Cenozoic. The results show that the inertinite abundance in coal deposits is controlled by pO2 and other factors including climatic zones, plant differentiation, sedimentary environments, and tectonic activities. The inertinite abundance in coal deposits in China during the Jurassic was high, suggesting dry paleoclimate of inland China.

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Recovery of lacustrine ecosystems after the end-Permian mass extinction

Cited by 39 publications

References 26 publications

Ecological dynamics of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems across three mid-Phanerozoic mass extinctions from northwest China

Ecological dynamics of terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems across three mid-Phanerozoic mass extinctions from northwest China

Depositional environment of Middle Triassic organic‐rich shales in the Ordos Basin, Northwest China

Characteristics and evolution of inertinite abundance and atmospheric pO2 during China’s coal-forming periods

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