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The Permian Mass Extinction

The Permian Mass Extinction. What causes extinctions?. Competition from other organisms Everything needs some space to live. If there isn’t enough habitat/food/etc, one species must adapt, move, or die out. Changes in the physical environment Climate change Animals must adapt or die out.

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The Permian Mass Extinction

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  1. The Permian Mass Extinction

  2. What causes extinctions? • Competition from other organisms • Everything needs some space to live. • If there isn’t enough habitat/food/etc, one species must adapt, move, or die out. • Changes in the physical environment • Climate change • Animals must adapt or die out. • Chance events • Meteorite impacts, forest fires, tsunamis, etc.

  3. Terrestrial life in the Permian • More continental area than any previous time in Earth’s history. • Wide variety of terrestrial animals: • insects, amphibians, reptiles, and therapsids (mammal-like reptiles), etc. • Wide variety of land plants: • gymnosperms (seed plants), and conifers (pine trees), etc.

  4. Marine life in the Permian • Marine life was extremely abundant: • Common groups included the brachiopods, ammonids (squid-like animals), gastropods (sanils), bony fish, and sharks, etc. • Coral and trilobites were also present, but were less common than in earlier times.

  5. BUT…life was in for some trouble • Approximately 246 million years ago, the largest mass extinction in the history of the Earth began. • 90 - 95 % of all marine species went extinct. • Many land species went extinct as well.

  6. What species were affected? • Marine animals that went extinct: • all trilobites, rugose (horn) and tabulate coral, and many others. • Marine animals that were dramatically affected but did not go extinct: • bryozoans, brachiopods, ammonids (squid), sharks, fish, echinoderms (star-fish, etc), and many more. • Why?

  7. Glaciation Extinction Theory #1 • Temperature cools across whole planet • Ice accumulates on continents • Lowers sea level  continental shelf is exposed • Makes living environment difficult and creates competition for living space.

  8. Glaciation Extinction Theory #2 • Ice accumulates on continents. • During cool climate periods, the interior of continents are often dryer. • This causes drastic climate fluctuations. • Makes survival difficult for many animals as a result of a change in the environment .

  9. Super-Continent Formation Extinction Theory • Before the end of the Permian, there were numerous continents and large areas of continental shelf.

  10. Devonian

  11. Carboniferous

  12. Permian

  13. ...Super-continent theory, continued • As the continents come together, the total shelf area decreases. • This creates competition for living space, especially in the coastal marine environment.

  14. Volcanic Eruption Extinction Theory • Large volcanic eruptions in “Siberia” • Large volumes of sulfate gases were released • Silica-rich lava = explosive eruptions = lots of dust • Gas and dust would lower atmospheric temperature • Environmental change

  15. Which theory is correct? • Maybe all of them. • Maybe none of them. • They all deal with climate changes and changes in the total area that animals could live. • Most likely...a combination of all of them.

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