Resilience of infaunal ecosystems during the Early Triassic greenhouse Earth

• DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abo0597
• Publication Date: 2022-06-29T17:51:14Z
• Authors: Xueqian Feng; Zhong-Qiang Chen; Michael J. Benton; Chunmei Su; David J. Bottjer; Alison T. Cribb; Ziheng Li; Laishi Zhao; Guangyou Zhu; Yuangeng Huang; Zhen Guo
• Keywords: Early Triassic; Detritivore

The Permian-Triassic mass extinction severely depleted biodiversity, primarily observed in the body fossil of well-skeletonized animals. Understanding how whole ecosystems were affected and rebuilt following crisis requires evidence from both skeletonized soft-bodied animals; best comprehensive information on animals comes ichnofossils. We analyzed abundant trace fossils 26 sections across boundary China report key metrics ichnodiversity, ichnodisparity, ecospace utilization, ecosystem engineering. find that infaunal ecologic structure was well established early Smithian. Decoupling diversity between deposit feeders suspension carbonate ramp-platform settings implies an effect trophic group amensalism could have delayed recovery nonmotile, suspension-feeding epifauna Early Triassic. This differential reaction to variable environmental controls thus played a substantial but heretofore little appreciated evolutionary role overall hot Triassic ocean.