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Niche conservatism and ecological change during the Late Devonian mass extinction - PubMed

  • ️Sun Jan 01 2023

Niche conservatism and ecological change during the Late Devonian mass extinction

Sarah K Brisson et al. Proc Biol Sci. 2023.

Abstract

Studies of the fossil record can inform our understanding of not only the causes of mass extinctions, but also their effects on biodiversity, ecology and evolution. Here, we examine regional-scale ecological changes resulting from a Late Devonian mass extinction event using brachiopod fossil assemblages from the Appalachian Basin. About half of the species went extinct, but were largely replaced by new immigrant taxa. Both before and after the extinction, the primary gradient in faunal composition was correlated with onshore-offshore position, with a second gradient attributed to frequency of disturbance. Survivors of the extinction displayed a strong degree of niche conservatism along these gradients. Despite these indicators of ecological stability, the pre- and post-extinction faunas were quite distinct at the order level, with atrypids and strophomenids largely replaced by productids, whose spiny shells may have provided greater resistance to disturbance and/or predation. Thus, extinction survivors persisted in similar ecological niches despite environmental perturbations and considerable change in the taxonomic and ecological composition of the regional species pool.

Keywords: Appalachian Basin; Kellwasser events; brachiopod; ecological gradient; palaeoecology.

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Conflict of interest statement

We declare we have no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.

(a) Map of field area in western New York and northern Pennsylvania. The blue line denotes the Pipe Creek Formation (first extinction pulse) and the red line marks the base of the Dunkirk Formation (slightly above the second extinction pulse). Measured sections at Dansville, NY (DAN), Big Creek, NY (BCP), Cameron, NY (CAM) and Tioga, PA (TGB) are marked by yellow circles. Modified from [30] and [31]. (b) Generalized stratigraphic column through the Frasnian–Famennian transition in shallow marine environments in New York and north-central Pennsylvania. The two extinction intervals are highlighted in red. Modified from [30]. (c) Field photo of the second extinction pulse at the Mills Mills locality, Wiscoy Creek, New York. (d) Field photo of the Pipe Creek Formation (first extinction pulse) and adjacent formations exposed at the Tioga B locality (TGB), Tioga, Pennsylvania.

Figure 2.
Figure 2.

nMDS plots of samples from the pre-extinction Wiscoy Formation and the post-extinction Canaseraga Formation. In all plots, the x-axis is interpreted as representing onshore–offshore position and the y-axis is interpreted as representing frequency of disturbance. (a) nMDS scores for the Wiscoy Formation samples. Points are coloured by locality and general facies (sandy member versus muddy member). (b) nMDS scores for the Canaseraga Formation samples. (c) nMDS species plot for the Wiscoy Formation. Species that went extinct in the first extinction pulse are marked by open circles and species that survived the first extinction pulse by filled circles. Point colour indicates taxonomic order. (d) nMDS species plot for the Canaseraga Formation. Species that survived the LKW are denoted by filled squares and new species are denoted by open squares. Point colour indicates order.

Figure 3.
Figure 3.

Comparison of each surviving species' preferred environment before and after the extinction based on nMDS scores. Normal distribution curves graphically represent the preferred environment (nMDS1 or nMDS2 species score) and the environmental distribution (standard deviation weighted by proportional abundance) of each surviving species before and after the extinction. These are constructed with equal area under the curve, with amplitude not seen as meaningful for this analysis. (a) Comparison of nMDS1 scores (onshore–offshore position). The positive correlation (r2 = 0.57) indicates that surviving species generally maintain their relative positions along the onshore–offshore gradient. (b) Comparison of nMDS2 scores (substrate disturbance/stability). The positive correlation (r2 = 0.72) indicates that surviving species maintained their general relative position on the substrate disturbance gradient.

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