Rainforest collapse triggered Carboniferous tetrapod diversification in Euramerica

Sarda Sahney, Mike Benton, Howard J. Falcon-Lang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Abrupt collapse of the tropical rainforest biome (Coal Forests) drove rapid diversification of Carboniferous tetrapods (amphibians and reptiles) in Euramerica. This finding is based on analysis of global and alpha diversity databases in a precise geologic context. From Visean to Moscovian time, both diversity measures steadily increased, but following rainforest collapse in earliest Kasimovian time (ca. 305 Ma), tetrapod extinction rate peaked, alpha diversity imploded, and endemism developed for the first time. Analysis of ecological diversity shows that rainforest collapse was also accompanied by acquisition of new feeding strategies (predators, herbivores), consistent with tetrapod adaptation to the effects of habitat fragmentation and resource restriction. Effects on amphibians were particularly devastating, while amniotes ('reptiles') fared better, being ecologically adapted to the drier conditions that followed. Our results demonstrate, for the first time, that Coal Forest fragmentation influenced profoundly the ecology and evolution of terrestrial fauna in tropical Euramerica, and illustrate the tight coupling that existed between vegetation, climate, and trophic webs.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1079-1082
Number of pages4
JournalGeology
Volume38
Issue number12
Early online date12 Nov 2010
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2010

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