How severe is the modern biotic crisis? ---- A comparison of global change and biotic crisis between Permian-Triassic transition and modern times

doi:10.1007/s11707-011-0160-7

Front Earth Sci

2011, Vol. 5

Issue (1) : 1-13 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-011-0160-7

FEATURE ARTICLE

How severe is the modern biotic crisis? ---- A comparison of global change and biotic crisis between Permian-Triassic transition and modern times

Hongfu YIN(

), Weihong HE, Shucheng XIE

Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology of Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430073, China

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Abstract

A comparison of the modern condition with the Permian-Triassic Boundary (PTB) times was made to estimate how severe the modern biotic crisis is. About the global changes, the two periods are correlative in carbon dioxide concentration and carbon isotope negative excursion, UV strengthening, temperature increase, ocean acidification, and weathering enhancement. The following tendencies of biotic crises are also correlative: acceleration of extinction rates accompanied by parabolic curve of extinction with a turning interval representing the critical crisis; decline of the three main ecosystems: reefs, tropical rain forests and marine phytoplankton. It is also interesting to note that certain leading organism in both periods undergo accelerated evolution during the crisis. The comparison shows that the modern crisis is about at the turning point from decline to decimation. The extinction curve is now parabolic, and the extinction rate has been accelerated, but the decimation is not yet in real. This is also justified by the modern situation of the three main ecosystems. Modern biotic decline may worsen into decimation and mass extinction but may also get better and recover to ordinary evolution. Since human activities are the main cause of the deterioration of environments and organisms, mankind should be responsible and able to strive for the recovery of the crisis. For the future of mankind, Homo sapiens may become extinct, i.e., disappear without leaving descendants, or evolve into a new and more advanced species, i.e., disappear but leave descendants. For a better future, mankind should be conscious of the facing danger and act as a whole to save biodiversity and harmonize with the environments.

Keywords comparison global change biotic crisis Permian-Triassic Boundary (PTB) modern times

Corresponding Author(s): YIN Hongfu,Email:hfyin@cug.edu.cn

Issue Date: 05 March 2011

Cite this article:

Hongfu YIN,Weihong HE,Shucheng XIE. How severe is the modern biotic crisis? ---- A comparison of global change and biotic crisis between Permian-Triassic transition and modern times[J]. Front Earth Sci, 2011, 5(1): 1-13.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-011-0160-7
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2011/V5/I1/1

Tab.1 Diversities of Permian-Triassic marine invertebrate genera in South China (modified from )

Fig.1 Broken-line graph of animal extinction. Solid broken lines (1600–1990) are from Groombridge (); dotted line is based on indication from Butchart et al. ()

Tab.2 Number of extinct species and genera and their extinction rates of PTB time in South China (modified after )

Fig.2 Comparison of extinction curves between the PTB extinction (A, invertebrates) and modern extinction (B, solid line-animals, dotted-all organisms) (modified after )

Tab.3 Preliminary estimation of forest area and forest cleared situation in Asia, Africa, and Latin America ()

Tab.4 Numbers of erosional species and their erosional rate in forest areas of Asia, Africa, and Latin America

Fig.3 Rate of erosional species in Asian forests (based on ). Based on data from Table 4, transverse bars: annual rate of erosional species in each time interval; dotted line: general tendency of erosional rate

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