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Geological Society, London, Special Publications; 1996; v. 102; p. 41-60;
DOI: 10.1144/GSL.SP.1996.001.01.03
© 1996 Geological Society of London

General

Models for biotic survival following mass extinction

Peter J. Harries1, Erle G. Kauffman2 & Thor A. Hansen3

1 Department of Geology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave, SCA 203, Tampa, FL 33620-5200, USA
2 Department of Geological Sciences, CB-250, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0250, USA
3 Department of Geology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225, USA

Mass extinction intervals are characterized by three dynamic processes: extinction, survival, and recovery. It has been assumed that the taxa surviving a mass extinction are composed predominantly of eurytopic groups and opportunistic/disaster species. However, high-resolution stratigraphic and palaeontological analyses of several mass extinction intervals show that the repopulation of the global ecosystem takes place among ecologically and genetically diverse and complex taxa and occurs far too rapidly to be solely attributed to rapid radiation from a few ecological generalists. We suggest a number of potential survival mechanisms or strategies (sensu Fryxell 1983) which have evolved in diverse taxa and which could have allowed them to survive mass extinction intervals. These mechanisms consist of: rapid evolution, preadaptation, neoteny/progenesis, protected and/or unperturbed habitat, refugia species, disaster species, opportunism, broad adaptive ranges, persistent trophic resources, widespread and rapid dispersion, dormancy, bacterial-chemosymbioses, skeletonization requirements, reproductive mechanisms, larval characteristics and chance. Because of the wide variety of potential survival mechanisms, the range of survivors may be far higher than previously hypothesized. This would account, in part, for the diversity and evolutionary state of Lazarus taxa and for the rapid re-establishment of some complex ecosystems following many mass extinction intervals, without calling on "explosive" radiation from generalist/opportunist stocks following a mass extinction interval.





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