Mid Pleistocene foraminiferal mass extinction coupled with phytoplankton evolution

Kender, Sev; McClymont, Erin L.; Elmore, Aurora C.; Emanuele, Dario; Leng, Melanie J.; Elderfield, Henry

Abstract

Understanding the interaction between climate and biotic evolution is crucial for deciphering the sensitivity of life. An enigmatic mass extinction occurred in the deep oceans during the Mid Pleistocene, with a loss of over 100 species (20%) of sea floor calcareous foraminifera. An evolutionarily conservative group, benthic foraminifera often comprise 450% of eukaryotebiomass on the deep-ocean floor. Here we test extinction hypotheses (temperature corrosiveness and productivity) in the Tasman Sea, using geochemistry and micropalaeontology and find evidence from several globally distributed sites that the extinction was caused by a change in phytoplankton food source. Coccolithophore evolution may have enhanced the seasonal ‘bloom’ nature of primary productivity and fundamentally shifted it towards a more intra-annually variable state at B0.8 Ma. Our results highlight intra-annual variability as a potential new consideration for Mid Pleistocene global biogeochemical climate models, and imply that deep-sea biota may be sensitive to future changes in productivity.

Citation

Kender, S., McClymont, E. L., Elmore, A. C., Emanuele, D., Leng, M. J., & Elderfield, H. (2016). Mid Pleistocene foraminiferal mass extinction coupled with phytoplankton evolution. Nature Communications, 7(1), Article 11970. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11970

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 17, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Jun 17, 2016
• Publication Date: Jun 17, 2016
• Deposit Date: Jul 7, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 7, 2016
• Journal: Nature Communications
• Electronic ISSN: 2041-1723
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 7
• Issue: 1
• Article Number: 11970
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11970
• Keywords: Earth sciences, Climate science, Ecology, Oceanography
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/794622
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ncomms11970
• Contract Date: Jul 7, 2016