See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: Recoveries from Mass Extinction: Patterns, Processes, and Comparisons II
Abstract:
I tested this hypothesis for the K/T event, using the stratigraphic ranges of 80 planktonic foraminifera species preserved in 18 deep sea cores. If species survived this crisis by pyrrhic victory, then not only should the surviving species show initially higher abundances or more widespread ranges than victims, they should also have experienced high rates of extirpation. Preliminary results show that survivors did in fact suffer heavy losses, on par with the losses of victims from the same region. For example, 73% of species from core 1211B in the western Pacific Ocean became extinct while 67% of the surviving species were extirpated from the region. Similarly, species from core 750A from the Southern Ocean experienced 18% extinction and 9% extirpation. Overall, there was a good correlation between extinction rate and the extirpation rate, suggesting that no species was intrinsically superior to any other in hard-hit areas. Rather, survival was by pyrrhic victory.
See more from this Division: Topical Sessions
See more from this Session: Recoveries from Mass Extinction: Patterns, Processes, and Comparisons II