Research pieces ancient ecosystems together to reveal new details about the end-Triassic mass extinction
Startling new insights into the catastrophic impact of one of the most devastating events in Earth's history have been revealed by a team led by researchers with the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. More ...
About 200 million years ago, Earth experienced its fourth major mass extinction event. Triggered by a dramatic rise in greenhouse gases due to volcanic activity, the event led to rapid global warming and a significant shift in the planet's biosphere, ending the Triassic period and launching the Jurassic. Many scientists now believe Earth is in the midst of another mass extinction, driven in large part by similar climate changes.
Earth scientists at USC Dornsife took a unique approach to analyzing the impact of this extinction event on both ocean and land ecosystems, using a novel "ecospace framework" method that categorizes animals beyond just their species. It accounts for ecological roles and behaviors—from flying or swimming predators to grazing herbivores and from ocean seafloor invertebrates to soil-dwelling animals on land.
"We wanted to understand not just who survived and who didn't, but how the roles that different species played in the ecosystem changed," said David Bottjer, professor of Earth sciences, biological sciences and environmental studies at USC Dornsife and a study senior author. "This approach helps us see the broader, interconnected ecological picture."
The study, a collaboration between students and faculty at USC Dornsife and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, was published in Proceedings of Royal Society B.
Skeleton of the early dinosaur Coelophysis bauri from the Late Triassic. The protracted restructuring of Early Jurassic terrestrial ecosystems coincided with the diversification of dinosaurs. Credit: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Reconstruction of a Late Triassic ecosystem from Ghost Ranch, New Mexico. Published specimens and species preserved at Ghost Ranch were incorporated into the research team's global ecological dataset. Credit: Viktor O. Leshyk/Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County