Extinction cascades, community collapse, and recovery across a Mesozoic hyperthermal event

• DOI: 10.1101/2022.06.13.495894
• Publication Date: 2022-06-13T17:45:19Z
• Authors: Alexander M. Dunhill; Karolina Zarzyczny; Jack O. Shaw; Jed W. Atkinson; Crispin T.S. Little; Andrew P. Beckerman
• Keywords: Extinction (optical mineralogy)

Biotic interactions and community structure are seldom examined in mass extinction studies but must be considered if we to truly understand recovery dynamics at the ecosystem scale. Here, model shallow marine food web across Toarcian event Cleveland Basin, UK using a trait-based inferential modelling framework. First, subjected our pre-extinction cascade simulations order identify nature of selectivity dynamics. Second, tracked pattern duration function following event. In agreement with postulated scenarios, found that primary extinctions targeted towards infaunal epifaunal benthic guilds reproduced empirical post-extinction community. These results consistent geochemical lithological evidence an anoxia/dysoxia kill mechanism for this Structural functional metrics show caused switch from diverse, stable high levels redundancy less more densely connected, generalists. Ecological appears have lagged behind biodiversity, most only beginning return ∼7 million years after This protracted supports theory delayed even face seemingly recovering taxonomic diversity.