Breeding Young as a Survival Strategy during Earth's Greatest Mass Extinction.
Breeding Young as a Survival Strategy during Earth's Greatest Mass Extinction.
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DOI：
10.1038/srep24053
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发表时间：
2016-04-05
影响因子：
4.6
通讯作者：
Ruta M
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Botha-Brink J;Codron D;Huttenlocker AK;Angielczyk KD;Ruta M
关于大规模灭绝对古代生态系统的影响的研究集中在类群多样性、形态差异、丰度、行为和资源可获得性方面的变化，作为群体生存的关键决定因素。至关重要的是，尽管生活史特征对种群生存能力的关键作用，但尚未调查这些特征对陆地大灭绝期间生存的贡献。我们使用骨骼微结构和体型数据来研究在显生界历史上最灾难性的危机--二叠纪-三叠纪大灭绝(PTME)之前和之后，哺乳动物治疗前身的生活史策略变化的古生态意义。我们的结果与灭绝后物种的发育被截断、预期寿命缩短、死亡率上升和灭绝风险增加是一致的。生态动力学的各种模拟表明，更早的繁殖开始导致世代时间缩短，可以解释治疗药物在不可预测的、资源有限的早三叠世环境中的持久性，并有助于解释观察到的一些灾害分类群(如Lystrosaurus)的体型分布。我们的研究解释了哺乳动物祖先在PTME后的差异生存，并为量化其他脊椎动物在重大生物危机期间的生存策略提供了一个方法学框架。
Studies of the effects of mass extinctions on ancient ecosystems have focused on changes in taxic diversity, morphological disparity, abundance, behaviour and resource availability as key determinants of group survival. Crucially, the contribution of life history traits to survival during terrestrial mass extinctions has not been investigated, despite the critical role of such traits for population viability. We use bone microstructure and body size data to investigate the palaeoecological implications of changes in life history strategies in the therapsid forerunners of mammals before and after the Permo-Triassic Mass Extinction (PTME), the most catastrophic crisis in Phanerozoic history. Our results are consistent with truncated development, shortened life expectancies, elevated mortality rates and higher extinction risks amongst post-extinction species. Various simulations of ecological dynamics indicate that an earlier onset of reproduction leading to shortened generation times could explain the persistence of therapsids in the unpredictable, resource-limited Early Triassic environments, and help explain observed body size distributions of some disaster taxa (e.g., Lystrosaurus). Our study accounts for differential survival in mammal ancestors after the PTME and provides a methodological framework for quantifying survival strategies in other vertebrates during major biotic crises.