Earth hit by 'mass extinction' 250m yrs ago

[Happy]

From ABC, November 24, 2006

Earth hit by 'mass extinction' 250m yrs ago


About 95 per cent of the Earth's marine species and 70 per cent of its land species were wiped out during a "mass extinction" about 250 million years ago, according to Australian and US researchers.
The phenomenon fundamentally changed which species survived in the world's oceans.
Experts at James Cook University in Townsville and The Field Museum in Chicago warned modern human-induced changes to the ecosystem could have a similar impact.
The experts told the latest edition of the journal Science how they came across the culling of species while examining figures on the numbers of marine life forms in communities over the past 540 million years.
Simple species that did not move or search for food were largely wiped out, they concluded, while more complex life forms such as crabs and snails that went looking for food took over.
The biological devastation occurred at the end of the Permian age about 250 million years ago, when the Earth was believed to have had only one continent, surrounded by a single ocean.
The researchers did not go into the cause of what they called a "mass extinction" but, using a new palaeobiology database, they gave what they say are the most exhaustive details ever assembled of the impact.
Peter Wagner, associate curator of fossil invertebrates at The Field Museum, was the lead author of the study, and worked with Matthew Kosnik of James Cook University.
"We think these are the first analyses of this type at this large scale," Mr Wagner said.
"They show that the end-Permian mass extinction permanently altered not just taxonomic diversity but also the prevailing marine ecosystem structure."
The experts say the results of the study could provide a warning on how we treat the ecosystem now.
"Studies by modern marine ecologists suggest that humans are reducing certain marine ecosystems to something reminiscent of 550 million years ago, prior to the explosion of animal diversity," Mr Wagner said.
"The asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs couldn't manage that."
- AFP

Several conclusions can be made.

One silly, but logical could be, that if extinction is going to hit our planet, we will not be so destructive to provide for remaining 10% or so.

Another silly one, it doesn’t matter that much as after last mass extinction planet repaired itself and provided habitants with plenty.

Last probably silly too, just looking at one segment of above quote, cited again below.

"Studies by modern marine ecologists suggest that humans are reducing certain marine ecosystems to something reminiscent of 550 million years ago, prior to the explosion of animal diversity," Mr Wagner said.

We can almost –expect- another explosion of diversity just around the corner.

There are other conclusions, more chilling and frightening.

 

[tech/a]

Being a dinosaur myself-----I remember it well.

I remember hearing DUCK!!! but later realised they were talking to me not about me.

 

[Happy]

One possibly positive aspect of such extinction, if not coupled with massive property damage, our Kris could have cheap place to move in if he’ll be one of the 10% survivors.

 

[sam76]

Being a dinosaur myself-----I remember it well.

I remember hearing DUCK!!! but later realised they were talking to me not about me.

Lol that's the same kind of humour my old man uses tech!

Except he uses it when I bring home a new g/friend.

 

[mit]

We can almost –expect- another explosion of diversity just around the corner.

There are other conclusions, more chilling and frightening.

Problem is that "around the corner" means millions of years to recover.

MIT