Collapse Of Reef Ecosystem Research Articles

Multi-proxy record of the mid-Maastrichtian event in the European Chalk Sea: Paleoceanographic implications

The Cretaceous provides us with an excellent case history of ocean-climate-biota system perturbations. Such perturbations occurred several times during the Cretaceous, such as oceanic anoxic events and the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, which have been the subject of an abundant literature. Other perturbations, such as the mid-Maastrichtian Event (MME) remain poorly understood. The MME was associated with global sea-level rise, changes in climate and deep-water circulation that were accompanied by biotic extinctions including ‘true inoceramids’ and the demise of the Caribbean-Tethyan rudist reef ecosystems. So far, the context and causes behind the MME remain poorly studied. We conducted high-resolution integrated biotic, petrological and geochemical studies in order to fill this knowledge gap. We studied, in particular, carbonate Nd and Os isotopes, whole-rock Hg, C and N content, C and N isotopes in organic matter, S isotopes in carbonate-associated sulfate, along with C and O isotopes in foraminifera from the European Chalk Sea: the Polanówka UW-1 core from Poland and the Stevns-1 core from Denmark. Our data showed that sea-level rise of ∼50–100 m lasted around ∼2 Ma and co-occurred with anomalously high mercury concentration in seawater. Along with previously published data, our results strongly suggest that the MME was driven by intense volcanic–tectonic activity, likely related to the production of vast oceanic plateaus (LIP, Large Igneous Province). The collapse of reef ecosystems could have been the consequence of LIP-related environmental stress factors, including climate warming, presumably caused by emission of greenhouse gases, modification of the oceanic circulation, oceanic acidification and/or toxic metal input. The disappearance of the foraminifer Stensioeina lineage on the European shelf was likely caused by the collapse of primary production triggered by sea-level rise and limited amount of nutrient input. Nd isotopes and foraminiferal assemblages attest for changes in sea-water circulation in the European Shelf and the increasing contribution of North Atlantic water masses.

Shallow marine ecosystem feedback to the Permian/Triassic mass extinction

Late Permian reefs developed widely on shallow marine carbonate platforms in South China but disappeared far below the main mass extinction level of the latest Permian. The collapse of reef ecosystem may be related to the enhanced volcanism at the end of Late Permian. Notably, some colony corals and reef-building sponges were found to occur near the mass extinction boundary, inferring the eclipse of reef ecosystem is ahead of the disappearance of reef-building organisms, and the triggers would be present long before the main mass extinction. As the primary producers, the calcareous algae are rich in platform limestones of Late Permian and played a very important role in maintaining the shallow benthic ecosystems. The calcareous algae were found to disappear synchronously with the great reduction of foraminifers, which were ecologically associated with these algae. The extinction of Late Permian calcareous algae greatly reduced the biodiversity of primary producers in the shallow marine environment and destroyed in part the structure and the base of the shallow marine ecosystems, which in turn cause the extinction of ecologically associated metazoan. Microbialites developed on carbonate platforms immediately after the end-Permian mass extinction, representing a simple and unique microbial ecosystem. Widespread occurrence of microbialites symbolized the deterioration of marine environmental conditions and the dramatic revolution of marine ecosystems. As the new primary producers instead of the extinguished calcareous algae, cyanobacteria in the microbialites were an important base of this peculiar ecosystem and contributed greatly to the survival of the remnant faunas after the mass extinction. Widespread occurrence of microbialites in shallow marine environment is suggested to be related to the elevated level of volcanism-induced greenhouse gases and enhanced evaporation and hypersaline condition in addition to the decrease of metazoan grazing pressure. The change from calcareous algae and reef ecosystem to the cyanobacteria-dominated microbial ecosystem documented in the shallow marine sequences in South china is the ecological feedback to the deterioration of the marine environmental conditions probably induced by volcanism.

Shallow-marine dysoxia across the Permian–Triassic boundary: Evidence from pyrite framboids in the microbialite in South China

The end-Permian mass extinction resulted in the collapse of reef ecosystems and the subsequent formation of microbialites in shallow carbonate platforms in South China. Large quantities of pyrite framboids are preserved in the microbialites but absent in the underlying skeletal limestone, indicating an abrupt shift in water-column redox conditions in association with the shallow-marine faunal mass extinction. Detailed study of size distributions of 1374 pyrite framboids found in 9 horizons in Laolongdong section in Chongqing Municipality, South China, were performed to evaluate this shift in paleo-redox condition of the shallow-marine environment. Pyrite framboids in the microbialite average 8.41 μm in size, comparable with those from modern sediments underlying dysoxic water columns. This infers that dysoxic waters in the latest Permian might have expanded to reach the shallow-marine environments in South China. Mean diameters of pyrite framboids from mudstones overlying the microbialite are 7.63 μm–7.68 μm, likely indicating continuing intensification of oxygen deficiency in the bottom waters. Microgastropods, ostracods and some foraminifers, which survived and flourished in the microbialite, almost disappeared during the mudstone deposition, possibly reflecting a consequence of oxygen depletion.

Upper Permian coral reef and colonial rugose corals in northwest Hunan, South China

The roles of Permian colonial corals in forming organic reefs have not been adequately assessed, although they are common fossils in the Permian strata. It is now known that colonial corals were important contributors to reef framework during the middle and late Permian such as those in South China, northeast Japan, Oman and Thailand. A coral reef occurs in Kanjia-ping, Cili County, Hunan, South China. It is formed by erect and unscathed colonies ofWaagenophyllum growing on top of one anotherin situ to form a baffle and framework. Paleontological data of the Cili coral reef indicates a middle to late Changhsing age (Late Permian), corresponding to thePalaeofusulina zone. The coral reef exposure extends along the inner platform margin striking in E-S direction for nearly 4 km laterally and generally 35 to 57 m thick. The Cili coral reef exhibits a lateral differentiation into three main reef facies; reef core facies, fore-reef facies, and marginal slope facies. The major reef-core facies is well exposed in Shenxian-wan and Guanyin-an sections where it rests on the marginal slope facies. Colonial corals are dispersed and preserved in non-living position easward. Sponges become major stabilizing organisms in the eastern part of Changhsing limestone outcrop in Kanjia-ping, but no read sponge reefs were formed. Coral reefs at Cili County in Human are different distinctly from calcisponge reefs in South China in their palaeogeography, lithofacies development, organic constitutuents, palaeoecology and diagenesis. The Cili coral reef also shows differences in age, depositional facies association, reef organisms and diagenesis from coral reefs in South Kitakami of Japan, Khorat Plateau of Thailand, and Saih Hatat of Oman. Although some sponge reefs and mounds can reach up to the unconformable Permian/Triassic boundary, coral reef at Kanjia-ping, Cili County, is the latest Permian reef known. This reef appears to had been formed in a palaeoenvironment that is different from that of the sponge reefs and provides an example of new and unique Permian reef type in South China, and could help us to: 1) understand the significance of colonial corals in Permian carbonate buildups; 2) evaluate the importance of coral community evolution prior to the collapse of reef ecosystems at the Permian/Triassic boundary; 3) better understand the effects of the biotic extinction events in Palaeotethys realm; 4) look for environmental factors that may have controlled reefs through time and space, and 5) provide valuable data for the study of Permian palaeoclimate and global evolutionary changes of Permian reefs and reef community.