The marine biodiversity impact of the Late Miocene Mediterranean salinity crisis

• DOI: 10.1126/science.adp3703
• Publication Date: 2024-08-29T17:59:22Z
• Authors: Konstantina Agiadi; Niklas Hohmann; Elsa Gliozzi; Danae Thivaiou; Francesca R. Bose...; Marco Taviani; Giovanni Bianucci; Alberto Collareta; Laurent Londeix; Costanza Faranda; Francesca Bulian; Efterpi Koskeridou; Francesca Lozar; Alan Maria Mancini; Stefano Dominici; Pierre Moissette; Ildefonso Bajo Ca...; Enrico Borghi; George Iliopoulos; Assimina Antonarakou; George Kontakiotis; Evangelia Besiou; Stergios D. Zarko...; Mathias Harzhauser; Francisco Javier ...; Marta Coll; Iuliana Vasiliev; Angelo Camerlenghi; Daniel García-Cas...
• Keywords: Marine Biodiversity; Mediterranean Basin; Neogene

Massive salt accumulations, or giants, have formed in highly restricted marine basins throughout geological history, but their impact on biodiversity has been only patchily studied. The giant the Mediterranean Sea as a result of restriction its gateway to Atlantic during Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC) 5.97 5.33 million years ago. Here, we quantify changes associated with MSC based compilation fossil record. We conclude that 86 endemic species 2006 pre-MSC survived crisis, and present eastward-decreasing richness gradient was established after MSC.