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SUMMARY:Volcanic mercury and plant mutagenesis during the end-Permian mass
  extinction - Niall W. Paterson\, CASP
DTSTART:20200213T130000Z
DTEND:20200213T140000Z
UID:TALK138490@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Thomas Aubry
DESCRIPTION:Mass extinction events are characterised by rapid and catastro
 phic decreases in biodiversity on a global scale. The investigation of the
 se events is vital for understanding the resilience of ecosystems to extre
 me abiotic stresses\, including climate change and environmental toxicity.
  Such studies may therefore help to predict the outcomes of analogous cris
 es in the modern world. At the end of the Permian Period (251.9 Ma)\, the 
 emplacement of the Siberian Traps large igneous province triggered a phase
  of rapid climatic warming and oceanic acidification. This culminated in t
 he largest mass extinction in Earth’s history\, with the loss of up to 9
 5% of marine species over a 61 ± 48 ky timespan. However\, the impact of 
 the end-Permian extinction (EPE) on terrestrial ecosystems\, particularly 
 plant communities\, remains poorly understood. Here we show that elevated 
 concentrations of volcanogenic mercury across the Permian–Triassic bound
 ary correlate with high abundances of aberrant spores and pollen grains. W
 e interpret this to reflect severe environmental stress and mutagenesis in
  the parent plants\, and propose that biomagnification of mercury may have
  been a significant yet unrecognised driver for the EPE.   
LOCATION:Small Lecture Theatre\, Department of Geography
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