Prelude of benthic community collapse during the end-Permian mass extinction in siliciclastic offshore sub-basin: Brachiopod evidence from South China

Diverse earliest Triassic ostracod fauna of the non-microbialite-bearing shallow marine carbonates of the Yangou section, South China

“…; and see Twichett ), a body size increase across the second extinction phase has been noted in brachiopods (Wu et al . ) and ostracods (this study), and further, such high‐resolution studies are required to decipher these unique biotic response dynamics in mass extinctions.…”

“…Such dynamics have also been applied to explain the synchronous brachiopod size increase in deeper settings by Wu et al . (). Additionally, temporary environmental improvements during the H. parvus Zone (details below) also contributed to this assemblage replacement and the associated size increase.…”

“…8A). Possible reasons could be either or both: (1) body size had been reduced to a very low level in the LPME by severe environmental devastation, and the following environmental oxygenation contributed to rapid reoccupation and size increase , a body size increase across the second extinction phase has been noted in brachiopods (Wu et al 2018) and ostracods (this study), and further, such high-resolution studies are required to decipher these unique biotic response dynamics in mass extinctions. Size variations of ostracods might be biased by the dominance of adults/juveniles (Forel et al 2015a), but the results cannot be further tested for the problematic ontogenetic models we noted above.…”

“…However, the transient ostracod size increase we observe in the Hindeodus parvus Zone did not result from rapid ecosystem recovery, but the domination by Hollinella suggests they were opportunistic assemblages rather than recovered Mesozoic assemblages (Crasquin et al 2007b). Such dynamics have also been applied to explain the synchronous brachiopod size increase in deeper settings by Wu et al (2018). Additionally, temporary environmental improvements during the H. parvus Zone (details below) also contributed to this assemblage replacement and the associated size increase.…”

Changhsingian brachiopod communities along a marine depth gradient in South China and their ecological significance in the end-Permian mass extinction

“…So far, many reports of structural changes in marine ecosystems referring to the EPME have been devoted to the aftermath and the subsequent reconstruction in the Triassic (Schubert & Bottjer 1995; Twitchett & Wignall 1996; Twichett 1999; Payne et al 2006; Dineen et al 2014, 2015; Foster & Twitchett 2014; Chen et al 2015; Petsios & Bottjer 2016; Foster et al 2017), and only a few publications have focused on the Changhsingian (prior to EPME; Yin et al 1995; Chen et al 2010; Zhang et al 2017; Wu et al 2018b). Recently, Zhang et al (2017) and Wu et al (2018b) documented the early signals (including body‐size reduction, dominance shift) of marine benthic ecosystem collapse in the Changhsingian (below Clarkina yini conodont zone), which occurred in brachiopod communities from the shallow‐water clastic shelf and deep‐water basin of South China. This highlights an ecological crisis (rather than a diversity crisis or extinction) in the Changhsingian brachiopod community, with potential implications for extinction selection trends in the EPME.…”