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Two episodes of microbial change coupled with Permo/Triassic faunal mass extinction

Nature volume 434, pages 494–497 (2005)Cite this article

Abstract

Microbial expansion following faunal mass extinctions in Earth history can be studied by petrographic examination of microbialites (microbial crusts)1,2 or well-preserved organic-walled microbes3. However, where preservation is poor, quantification of microbial communities can be problematic. We have circumvented this problem by adopting a lipid biomarker-based approach to evaluate microbial community changes across the Permo/Triassic (P/Tr) boundary at Meishan in South China. We present here a biomarker stratigraphic record showing episodic microbial changes coupled with a high-resolution record of invertebrate mass extinction. Variation in the microbial community structure is characterized by the 2-methylhopane (2-MHP) index (a ratio of the abundance of cyanobacterial biomarkers to more general bacterial biomarkers). Two episodes of faunal mass extinction were each preceded by minima in the 2-MHP index, followed by strong maxima, likely reflecting microbial responses to the catastrophic events that caused the extinction and initiated ecosystem changes. Hence, both cyanobacterial biomarker and invertebrate fossil records provide evidence for two episodes of biotic crisis across the P/Tr boundary.

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Figure 1: Profiles of the lithology, 2-MHP indices, the ratio of 2-MHP to steranes (2-MHP/STN) and the extinction probability of marine invertebrates across the P/Tr boundary at the Meishan sections in Zhejiang, South China.
Figure 2: Plots showing the increase in 2-MHP indices (error bars, 2σ) within individual beds after the faunal mass extinctions 2 and 3, together with the Tmax values (numbers on right-hand side) indicating the maturity of the organic matter.

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Acknowledgements

We thank F. Yang, S. Wu, G. Zhu, J. Huang, Y. Yi and J. Yu for field assistance, L. Lu, D. Jiao and X. Huang for sample processing, and M. Benton for constructive comments on the manuscript. The authors thank I. D. Bull and R. Berstan for their technical assistance and the NERC for funding the Bristol node of the Life Sciences Mass Spectrometry Facility (http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/lsmsf/index.html). This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation (H. Y.), NCET programme of Ministry of Education of China (S. X.) and the Lab of Bio- and Environmental Geology in China University of Geosciences.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Organic Geochemistry Unit, Bristol Biogeochemistry Center, School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, Cantock's Close, Bristol, BS8 1TS, UK

    Shucheng Xie, Richard D. Pancost & Richard P. Evershed

  2. Faculty of Earth Science and State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, 430074, Wuhan, People's Republic of China

    Shucheng Xie & Hongfu Yin

  3. School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, 430074, Wuhan, People's Republic of China

    Hongmei Wang

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Correspondence to Richard D. Pancost.

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Supplementary information

Supplementary Table S1

This table shows some organic geochemical data from section B at Meishan. (DOC 77 kb)

Supplementary Table S2

This table shows the faunal species data at different horizons from Meishan sections, including the number of extinction species, survivors and originating species, and the calculated faunal extinction probability. (DOC 33 kb)

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Xie, S., Pancost, R., Yin, H. et al. Two episodes of microbial change coupled with Permo/Triassic faunal mass extinction. Nature 434, 494–497 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature03396

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