Dying in the Sun: Direct evidence for elevated UV-B radiation at the end-Permian mass extinction

Liu, Feng; Peng, Huiping; Marshall, John E.A.; Lomax, Barry H.; Bomfleur, Benjamin; Kent, Matthew S.; Fraser, Wesley T.; Jardine, Phillip E.

Abstract

Land plants can adjust the concentration of protective ultraviolet B (UV-B)-absorbing compounds (UACs) in the outer wall of their reproductive propagules in response to ambient UV-B flux. To infer changes in UV-B radiation flux at Earth's surface during the end-Permian mass extinction, we analyze UAC abundances in ca. 800 pollen grains from an independently dated Permian-Triassic boundary section in Tibet. Our data reveal an excursion in UACs that coincide with a spike in mercury concentration and a negative carbon-isotope excursion in the latest Permian deposits, suggesting a close temporal link between large-scale volcanic eruptions, global carbon and mercury cycle perturbations, and ozone layer disruption. Because enhanced UV-B radiation can exacerbate the environmental deterioration induced by massive magmatism, ozone depletion is considered a compelling ecological driver for the terrestrial mass extinction.

Citation

Liu, F., Peng, H., Marshall, J. E., Lomax, B. H., Bomfleur, B., Kent, M. S., Fraser, W. T., & Jardine, P. E. (2023). Dying in the Sun: Direct evidence for elevated UV-B radiation at the end-Permian mass extinction. Science Advances, 9(1), Article eabo6102. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abo6102

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 7, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Jan 6, 2023
• Publication Date: Jan 6, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jan 9, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 9, 2023
• Journal: Science Advances
• Electronic ISSN: 2375-2548
• Publisher: American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 9
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: eabo6102
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abo6102
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/15926160
• Publisher URL: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abo6102