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ECO3B: Managing Conservation > W3: L10 = Palaeontology [The Big 5 MEs] (Prof. Benoit) > Flashcards

W3: L10 = Palaeontology [The Big 5 MEs] (Prof. Benoit) Flashcards

1
Q

The Big 5 definitions? (3)

A
  • ME 1.
  • ME 2.
  • Mathematical definition.
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2
Q

ME 1?

A

= a fast, global, non-selective (affects all types of environments) increase in extinction rate (>50% of genera, >10% of families) over a short period o f time.

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3
Q

ME 2?

A

= based on the fossil record of hard-shelled marine invertebrates & protozoans.

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4
Q

The Big 5 mathematical definition?

A

= a series of mass extinctions so severe they stand out over the average extinction rate (background extinction noise).

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5
Q

The Big 5 mathematical definition attribute?

A

Extinction level is above the 95% confidence level on the regression of extinction intensity over …

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6
Q

Aspects touched on The Big 5? (3)

A
  • Division of geological stages.
  • Main causes of MEs.
  • List of the Big 5.
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7
Q

Division of geological stages attributes? (3)

A
  • Geological stages are defined based on extinctions/extinction events.
  • MEs mark the limits between the most important intervals of the Phanerozoic.
  • Extinction events are a tool for geologists as it helps them date rocks.
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8
Q

Geological stages? (2)

A
  • Periods.
  • Eras.
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9
Q

Geological stages attributes? (3)

A
  • Defined based on extinction events.
  • Have its own homogenous fauna.
  • Based on faunal turnover.
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10
Q

Most important intervals of the Phanerozoic (old to recent)? (3)

A
  • Palaeozoic.
  • Mesozoic.
  • Cenozoic.
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11
Q

Palaeozoic animals? (2)

A
  • Conodonts.
  • Trilobites.
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12
Q

Mesozoic animals? (2)

A
  • Dinosaurs.
  • Ammonites.
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13
Q

Cenozoic animals?

A

Mammals.

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14
Q

Main causes of MEs (the usual suspects)? (5)

A
  • Changes in O2 levels.
  • Eustatic variations.
  • Volcanic activity.
  • Meteorite impacts.
  • Spontaneous collapse of the ecosystem.
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15
Q

Changes in O2 levels attributes? (4)

A
  • Greenhouse effect.
  • Usually coincides with anoxia (lower O2).
  • Anoxia caused by algae.
  • CO2 & O2 participate in a constant feedback loop.
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16
Q

Eustatic variations?

A

= variations in sea levels.

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17
Q

Eustatic variations attributes? (2)

A
  • Reduction of coastal habitats (predicted using rocks).
  • Caused by continental drift.
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18
Q

Volcanic activity attributes? (3)?

A
  • Trapps.
  • Release poisonous gas, ashes & dust (causes global cooling).
  • Release lots of CO2 (causes global warming).
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19
Q

Meteorite impacts attributes? (3)

A
  • Sizeable meteorites can cause a nuclear winter, which then causes a global fire & collapse of the food chain.
  • Nuclear winter is the main cause for ME.
  • Not a major cause.
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20
Q

Spontaneous collapse of the ecosystem attribute?

A

With no particular reason.

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21
Q

List of the Big 5?

A

1) End-Ordovician.
2) End-Devonian.
3) End-Permian.
4) End-Triassic.
5) End-Cretaceous.

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22
Q

End-Ordovician is AKA?

A

Ordovician-Silurian extinction.

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23
Q

End-Ordovician extinction attributes? (7)

A
  • The oldest one (therefore, most difficult to study).
  • Documented in SA via the Cape Supergroup (contains soom shale).
  • 445 Mya.
  • 2nd most important ME.
  • Possible causes (2).
  • Why is it extremely debated?
  • Opens up to the Devonian.
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24
Q

Why was the End-Ordovician extinction the 2nd most ME? (5)

A
  • 60% of genera.
  • 27% of families.
  • 86% of species loss (estimated).
  • Affected mostly trilobites, orthocerid (replaced by fish), brachiopods, bivalves, echinoderms & corals.
  • No higher rank taxon becomes completely extinct.
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25
Q

Affected animals in End-Ordovician extinction? (6)

A
  • Trilobites.
  • Orchocerid.
  • Brachiopods.
  • Bivalves.
  • Echinoderms.
  • Corals.
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26
Q

Possible causes of End-Ordovician extinction? (2)

A
  • Hirnantian glaciation.
  • Supernova causing a gamma ray burst.
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27
Q

Hirnantian glaciation?

A

= global cooling causes marine regression & anoxia.

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28
Q

Why is the End-Ordovician extinction extremely debated? (2)

A
  • Does not meet what a ME is.
  • Lagged for 8-10 million years (took a lot of time to happen, therefore did not meet the “fast” criterion of an extinction event).
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29
Q

Opens up to the Devonian attributes? (3)

A
  • Fish diversified into jawless fish, cartilaginous fish, ray-finned fish & lobe-finned fish.
  • Armoured fish are currently extinct but flourished after the ME & was part of the post-extinction recovery.
  • The 1st amphibians existed.
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30
Q

Devonian?

A

= Age of fish & 1st amphibians.

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31
Q

Fish diversified into:…? (4)

A

1) Jaw-less fish.

2) Cartilaginous fish.

3) Ray-finned fish.

4) Lobe-finned fish.

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32
Q

Jaw-less fish is AKA?

A

Agnatha.

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33
Q

Cartilaginous fish is AKA?

A

Chondrichthyes.

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34
Q

Ray-finned fish is AKA?

A

Actinopterygii.

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35
Q

Lobe-finned fish is AKA?

A

Sarcopterigii.

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36
Q

Egs of 1st amphibians? (2)

A
  • Tutusias.
  • Umzantsia from Witpoort Formation (SA).
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37
Q

Thing to note about the Causes of MEs (usual suspects)?

A

The causes are not mutually exclusive.

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38
Q

End-Devonian extinction attributes? (5)

A
  • 365 Mya.
  • Frasnian-Famenian boundary.
  • 3rd most important ME.
  • Possible causes (3).
  • Opens up to the Carboniferous-Permian.
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39
Q

End-Devonian extinction is AKA?

A

Frasnian-Famenian extinction.

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40
Q

Why was the End-Devonian the 3rd most important ME? (6)

A
  • 57% genera extinct.
  • 20% families extinct.
  • 75% species loss (estimated).
  • Affected mostly coastal, reef-building species (corals & sponges).
  • 95% vertebrates (fish) become extinct.
  • Armoured fish are replaced by cartilaginous fish (sharks).
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41
Q

Possible causes? (3)

A
  • 2 anoxic events (2 layers of black shales).
  • Pangaea & orogenesis: global cooling, massive glaciation & droughts.
  • Rise of trees: increased erosion of silica, storage of CO2 & then glaciation.
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42
Q

Carboniferous-Permian?

A

= Age of Karoo (reptiles).

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43
Q

Orogenesis?

A

= build up of mountains.

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44
Q

Eg of glaciation?

A

Tillites & glacial pavements in Kimberley, SA.

45
Q

Eg of Rise of trees?

A

Archaeopteris.

46
Q

Archaeopteris attributes? (2)

A
  • 1st terrestrial organism to have roots that break down rocks to make soil.
  • 1st tree.
47
Q

Carboniferous-Permian attributes? (3)

A
  • Karoo supergroup (well documented in SA).
  • Classification of Karoo reptiles.
  • Shows us terrestrial species present during this time.
48
Q

Classification of reptiles? (3)

A
  • Synapsid.
  • Anapsid.
  • Diapsid.
49
Q

Synapsid?

A

=

50
Q

Anapsid?

A

=

51
Q

Diapsid?

A

=

52
Q

Eg of Synapsids?

A

Mammals.

53
Q

Egs of Anapsids? (2)

A
  • Tortoises.
  • Turtles.
54
Q

Egs of Diapsids? (5)

A
  • Crocodiles.
  • Birds.
  • Lizards.
  • Iguanas.
  • Snakes.
55
Q

Synapsids ancestor?

A

Mammal-like reptiles.

56
Q

Anapsids & Diapsids ancestor?

A

Reptiles.

57
Q

Animals affected in End-Devonian extinction? (2)

A
  • Corals.
  • Sponges.
58
Q

Red ore represents?

A

Rich in fossils.

59
Q

List of the 3 eras?

A
  • Palaeozoic.
  • Mesozoic.
  • Cenozoic.
60
Q

Palaeozoic?

A

= Age of Trilobites.

61
Q

Mesozoic?

A

= Age of dinosaurs & ammonites.

62
Q

Cenozoic?

A

= Age of mammals.

63
Q

End-Permian extinction attributes? (9)

A
  • 252 Mya.
  • The Great Dying.
  • In the seas.
  • Separates 2 geological eras.
  • The most significant event since the origin of life.
  • Changed sediments; chemistry of seas; biodiversity.
  • On land.
  • Possible causes.
  • Immediately opens up to another ME (no stable recovery).
64
Q

End-Permian is AKA?

A

Permian-Triassic.

65
Q

Why is the End-Permian termed “The Great Dying”? (3)

A
  • 80% of genera extinct.
  • 50% of families extinct.
  • 95% of species loss (estimated).
66
Q

Impact of the End-Permian extinction in the seas? (4)

A
  • Eurypterids, trilobites, graptolites & most crinoids become extinct.
  • 96% brachiopods extinct & replaced by bivalves (molluscs).
  • 99% radiolarians (silica) replaced by foraminiferans (carbonate).
  • One echinoid genus survives (Miocidaris) [ancestor to all echinoids].
67
Q

Eurypterid?

A

= sea scorpions.

68
Q

Animals that went extinct in the seas during the End-Permian extinction? (4)

A
  • Eurypterids.
  • Trilobites.
  • Graptolites.
  • Most crinoids.
69
Q

Things to know about the Geological Time Scale in terms of colour? (3)

A
  • Colours represent sediment colour.
  • During End-Permian, change from silica (orange-brown) to carbonate (blue).
  • During End-Permian, colour indicates change of fauna from containing silica to those containing carbonate.
70
Q

Echinoids/Sea urchids explain?

A

Before the P-Tr, they were very diverse in spine-bearing plates & foot-bearing plates, but after P-Tr it has few (2 rows) of spine-bearing plates & foot-bearing plates (body plan was impacted by the P-Tr).

71
Q

Impact of End-Permian on land? (3)

A
  • Early reptiles & many amphibians become extinct.
  • Disaster taxon: Lystrosaurus (Lilliput effect).
  • Glossopteris extinct was replaced by Dicriodium.
72
Q

Possible causes of End-Permian? (7)

A
  • Siberian trapps (4 million km^3 of igneous rocks), then
  • Global warming due to greenhouse effect (volcanic CO2), then
  • Methane clathrate (4 times more potent greenhouse gas than CO2).
  • Pangaea (decreased coastal environment), then
  • Low sea level (extinction of shallow sea ecosystems), then
  • Aridification of inland areas, then
  • Invasive species emerged.
73
Q

Eg of Invasive species?

A

Inostrancevia from Russia replaced the indigenous carnivores of southern Africa.

74
Q

Record of the End-Permian extinction?

A

Beautifully recorded in South Africa geology in the Karoo (terrestrial environment) & in China (marine environment).

75
Q

End-Triassic extinction attributes? (4)?

A
  • 201 Mya.
  • Understudied, possibly as big as the Permian-Triassic event.
  • Possible causes (3).
  • Opens up to the Jurassic & Cretaceous.
76
Q

End-Triassic is AKA?

A

Triassic-Jurassic extinction.

77
Q

Why might the End-Triassic be understudied? (5)

A
  • 40% genera extinct.
  • 20% families extinct.
  • 80% of species loss (estimated).
  • Conodonts & orthocerid become extinct (leftovers).
  • Mammal-like reptiles (synapsids) become extinct, except a group of nocturnal insectivores.
78
Q

Animals that went extinct during the End-Triassic? (3)

A
  • Conodonts.
  • Orthocerid.
  • Synapsids.
79
Q

Possible causes of the End-Triassic? (3)

A

Unknown, but hypotheses were:

  • Kalahari meteorite.
  • Manicouagan-Saint Martin-Rochechouart-Obolon impact structures.
  • Central Atlantic & Karoo-Ferrar volcanisms.
80
Q

Manicouagan-Saint Martin-Rochechouart-Obolon impact structures countries breakdown? (3)

A
  • Manicouagan = Canada.
  • Saint Martin-Rochechouart = France.
  • Obolon = Ukraine.
81
Q

Central Atlantic & Karoo-Ferrar volcanisms location breakdown? (4)

A
  • Central Atlantic = Northern hemisphere.
  • Karoo-Ferrar = Southern hemisphere.
  • Karoo = South Africa.
  • Ferrar = South America.
82
Q

Note about the possible causes of the End-Triassic?

A

When taken individually, they don’t justify the extinction but when combined (with the same age), they create a good possibility as a cause.

83
Q

Jurassic & Cretaceous?

A

= Age of dinosaurs, flying and marine reptiles & ammonites.

84
Q

Animals in Jurassic & Cretaceous? (4)

A
  • Dinosaurs.
  • Flying reptiles.
  • Marine reptiles.
  • Ammonites.
85
Q

Eg of flying reptile?

A

Pterosaurs.

86
Q

South African animal during the Cretaceous?

A

Nqwebasaurus.

87
Q

South African animals during the Jurassic? (2)

A
  • Syntarsus.
  • Heterodontosaurus.
88
Q

Is a dinosaur always big?

A

No.

89
Q

Do dinosaurs always end by -saurus?

A

No.

90
Q

Are dinosaurs any extinct species?

A

No.

91
Q

Dinosaur?

A

= the only reptile that does not sprawl/crawl, it has skin with dry scales & its legs are straight under the body (erect).

92
Q

Things to note about dinosaurs? (3)

A
  • Chickens are dinosaurs.
  • Everything descended from a dinosaur is a dinosaur.
  • Birds are descended from dinosaurs.
93
Q

Egs of Birds being descended from dinosaurs? (3)

A
  • Dinosaur footprints in Lesotho (Jurassic).
  • Foot of a modern emu (resembles dinosaur footprints in Lesotho).
  • Microraptor (Cretaceous of China).
94
Q

End-Cretaceous extinction event attributes? (8)

A
  • 66mya.
  • Most studied of all mass extinctions (most recent).
  • On land.
  • In the seas.
  • Possible causes (3).
  • Opens up to the Cenozoic.
  • Diversification accelerated by the break of Pangaea.
  • Each mammalian clade is attached to a continent because Pangaea breaks up during the Cretaceous (vicariant evolution).
95
Q

End-Cretaceous is AKA? (3)

A
  • Cretaceous-Paleogene.
  • K-T.
  • K-Pg.
  • K = Cretaceous, T = Tertiary & Pg = Paleogene.
96
Q

General impact of the End-Cretaceous extinction event? (4)

A
  • 50% genera extinct.
  • 17% families extinct.
  • 75% species loss (estimated).
  • Only half of diversity made it through this extinction.
97
Q

Effect of the End-Cretaceous on land? (3)

A
  • Pterosauria, Mosasauria, Ichthyosauria & Plesiosauria.
  • All dinosaurs become extinct (except birds).
  • Amphibians & crocodiles are surprisingly not affected!
98
Q

Egs of organisms affected? (3)

A
  • Pterosaurs.
  • Dinosaurs.
  • Marine reptiles.
99
Q

Effect of the End-Cretaceous in the seas? (3)

A
  • 70% of foraminiferans become extinct.
  • Ammonites & belemnites become completely extinct.
  • Diversification of whales & sharks (meganodon) from terrestrial organisms (Wolff’s law).
100
Q

Possible causes? (3)

A
  • Meteorite (Tektite + choked quartz + iridium).
  • Deccan trapps.
  • Marine regression, global cooling.
101
Q

Explain Meteorite (Tektite + choked quartz + iridium) as a possible cause? (2)

A
  • Chixculub crate in Mexico was seen using a magnetic gravity anomal map via the sinkholes that were created due to the meteorite’s impact.
  • Impact spherules (tektite), fractures on quartz (choked quartz) & mineral found in outer space only (iridium) were spread all over the world.
102
Q

Eg of Meteorite (Tektite + choked quartz + iridium)?

A

Dinosaur in Tanis, USA proves that it was burned by meteorite & buried by a tsunami afterwards.

103
Q

Explain Deccan trapps? (2)

A
  • 1 million km^3 of igneous rocks.
  • Greenhouse effect.
104
Q

Explain Marine regression & global cooling?

A

These could be smaller possible causes.

105
Q

Possible causes of the End-Cretaceous extinction event?

A

Causes could not cause the extinction single-handedly but when combined together, may have a larger impact.

106
Q

Cenozoic?

A

= Age of (placental) mammals.

107
Q

Placental mammals of the Cenozoic attributes? (5)

A
  • Small.
  • Nocturnal.
  • Insectivorous.
  • Diversification & recovery of plant communities (ferns, palms, legumes) & placental mammal communities (increase in body size, fast recovery & fast diversification).
  • Originated at Cretaceous but diversified after the extinctions.
108
Q

Concluding remarks? (3)

A
  • First domination = synapsids (mammals) & sauropsids (birds).
  • Then archosaurs & dinosaurs diversify & dominate.
  • Then reptiles appear.

ECO3B: Managing Conservation (34 decks)

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