Recovery tempo and pattern of marine ecosystems after the end-Permian mass extinction

High-precision timeline for Earth’s most severe extinction

“…This record represents a potentially characteristic δ 13 C (carb) topology for the end-Permian event, which will stimulate refined comparison with other Permian-Triassic sections, although the highly condensed nature of the Meishan section makes comparison with other sections difficult. The timing of the extinction and associated changes in environmental conditions are consistent with a very rapid biological response to environmental change followed by a complex recovery/restructuring period that took some 10 Ma for many species (38)(39)(40)(41) and established the ecosystems that would dominate the Mesozoic. Further integration of the extinction timescale with detailed chemostratigraphic, cyclostratigraphic, and paleobiological data should allow many more insights into the dynamics and timing of extinction and restructuring.…”

“…However, whether the temperature increase leads, is synchronous with, or postdates the extinction is not yet known with sufficient precision. Although recovery and diversification in Ammonoids began in the earliest Triassic, the broad effects of this short-lived extinction or ecological restructuring persist for 5-10 My after the main extinction interval, emphasizing the evolutionary irreversibility of the event (38)(39)(40)(41).…”

Discovery of an earliest Triassic, post-extinction foraminiferal assemblage above the Permian-Triassic boundary, Strandzha nappes, northwest Turkey.

“…We agree with pre vi ous stud ies that treated both Earlandia and Postcladella as di sas ter taxa (Hal lam and Wignall, 1997;Groves and AltÏner, 2005;Groves et al, , 2007Song et al, 2007Song et al, , 2009a and Diplosphaerina inaequalis (Derville), ?Rectostipulina quadrata Jenny-Deshusses, Arenovidalina and Glomospira sp. as Laz a rus taxa (Song et al, 2011). Both di sas ter and Laz a rus taxa de scribed here char ac ter ize the post-ex tinc tion foraminiferal as sem blage.…”

“…Early Tri as sic an i mal body fos sils and trace fos sils are small rel a tive to those in older and younger in ter vals. Size de creases sharply through the endPerm ian ex tinc tion event and Perm ian-Tri as sic boundary and the small est sizes are en coun tered in the ear liest Induan (Song et al, 2011). Ac cord ing to the study of Twitchett (2007), all an i mal groups suf fered a size reduc tion af ter the Late Perm ian ex tinc tion event and the body sizes of these an i mal groups re mained low when com pared to those of ear lier Perm ian or later Tri as sic times.…”

“…Based on pub lished data Groves and AltÏner, 2005;Song et al, 2011) the known strati graphic range of Arenovidalina chialingchiangensis (Ho) is from the Olenekian (Early Tri as sic) to Anisian (Mid dle Tri as sic).…”