Life Finds a Way: Remarkable Sea Life Recovery Post Mass Extinction

By Sofía Flores Pina, UHM MOP Student

A discovery of fossils in Guizhou China has discredited the commonly accepted and longstanding theory of evolution in complex organisms following mass extinction. Prior to this discovery, it was largely maintained that Earth was primarily inhabited by simple species for 5-10 million years before theemergenceof complex ecosystems. But 252 million years ago, thePermian-Triassic extinction event, also referred to as TheGreat Dying, terminated over 90 percent of theEarth?s species. This event

?...serve[d] as a model for studying biodiversity loss on our planet today,?said Academy Curator of Geology Dr. Peter Roopnarine. However, a host of well-preserved fossils from 250.8 million years ago boasts great biodiversity.

Scientists speculatethe Permian-Triassic extinction event occurred as a result of increased volcanic activity and a subsequent spikein atmospheric carbon dioxide. Ocean deoxygenation, ocean acidification, and overall increasein global temperatures ensued, creating conditions similar to anthropogenic climatechange. Despitethese detrimental effects, lifequickly recovered.

Using radiometric dating, rocks in thearea surrounding the discovery weredated, offering unheard of results. A team of international scientists found that thespecimens in theGuizhou region evolved much quicker than was previously thought. A process once believed to takeat thevery least 5 million years, occurred in a mere1.2 million years. Taking into consideration how soon after the event theseorganisms lived, ?the diversity is remarkable,?says palaeontologist Guang Shi of the University of Wollongong in Australia. In theyears between 2015 and 2019, China University of Geosciences palaeontologist Xu Dai and his team collected morethan 1,000 fossils in theGuiyang biota. Thefossils collected comprisea wholepyramid of food-web tiers ranging from singlecelled organisms to apex predators. Whilethis display of recovery is yet to beexplained in full, it?s a remarkabletestament to theintelligenceand resiliency of life.