Nannoplankton Extinction and Origination across the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum

The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ∼55 million years ago) was an interval of global warming and ocean acidification attributed to rapid release and oxidation of buried carbon. We show that the onset of the PETM coincided with a prominent increase in the origination and extinction of calcare...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2006-12, Vol.314 (5806), p.1770-1773
Main Authors: Gibbs, Samantha J., Bown, Paul R., Sessa, Jocelyn A., Bralower, Timothy J., Wilson, Paul A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmosphere
Biodiversity
Biological Evolution
Biological taxonomies
Calcification, Physiologic
Carbon
Carbon Dioxide
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Ecosystem
Environment
Evolution
Exact sciences and technology
Extinct species
Extinction
Extinction, Biological
Fossils
Geologic Sediments
Geological time
Geology
Global warming
Invertebrate paleontology
Marine
Musical intervals
New Jersey
Oceans
Oceans and Seas
Oxidation
Pacific Ocean
Paleoecology
Paleontology
Phytoplankton - classification
Plankton
Plankton - classification
Rivers
Species
Species diversity
Species extinction
Stratigraphy
Taxa
Temperature
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Summary:The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM, ∼55 million years ago) was an interval of global warming and ocean acidification attributed to rapid release and oxidation of buried carbon. We show that the onset of the PETM coincided with a prominent increase in the origination and extinction of calcareous phytoplankton. Yet major perturbation of the surface-water saturation state across the PETM was not detrimental to the survival of most calcareous nannoplankton taxa and did not impart a calcification or ecological bias to the pattern of evolutionary turnover. Instead, the rate of environmental change appears to have driven turnover, preferentially affecting rare taxa living close to their viable limits.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1133902