Ecological ranking of Phanerozoic biodiversity crises: The Serpukhovian (early Carboniferous) crisis had a greater ecological impact than the end-Ordovician

Abstract

Research Article| February 01, 2012 Ecological ranking of Phanerozoic biodiversity crises: The Serpukhovian (early Carboniferous) crisis had a greater ecological impact than the end-Ordovician George R. McGhee, Jr; George R. McGhee, Jr 1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Wright-Rieman Laboratories, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08903, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Peter M. Sheehan; Peter M. Sheehan 2Department of Geology, Milwaukee Public Museum, 800 West Wells Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar David J. Bottjer; David J. Bottjer 3Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90089, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Mary L. Droser Mary L. Droser 4Department of Earth Sciences, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2012) 40 (2): 147–150. https://doi.org/10.1130/G32679.1 Article history received: 21 Jul 2011 rev-recd: 14 Sep 2011 accepted: 19 Sep 2011 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation George R. McGhee, Peter M. Sheehan, David J. Bottjer, Mary L. Droser; Ecological ranking of Phanerozoic biodiversity crises: The Serpukhovian (early Carboniferous) crisis had a greater ecological impact than the end-Ordovician. Geology 2012;; 40 (2): 147–150. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G32679.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract We propose a new ecological ranking of the major Phanerozoic biodiversity crises in which the Serpukhovian biodiversity crisis is ranked fifth in ecological impact, lesser than the Late Devonian but greater than the end-Ordovician, and the end-Ordovician mass extinction is ranked sixth. It is interesting that both the end-Ordovician mass extinction and the Serpukhovian biodiversity crisis were triggered by glaciations. Other than that common trigger, the two events were very different. Glaciation in the Ordovician triggered an enormous jump in the extinction rate of marine organisms and was taxonomically very severe, yet the ecological impact of those extinctions was minimal. Glaciation in the Serpukhovian triggered a precipitous drop in the speciation rate but only moderate diversity losses, yet the ecological impact of those diversity losses and ecosystem restructuring was an ecological level of magnitude larger than that seen in the end-Ordovician mass extinction. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.