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When bivalves ruled the world
Date:8/31/2007

Ultra-slow rebound As she sorts through the rock record from just after the Permian-Triassic extinction, Fraiser also has unearthed evidence that explains why it took so long for life to recover. The answer appears to be more of the same: C02 levels remained high long after the initial die-off.

After other extinction events on Earth, life bounced back within 100,000 to a million years, she says. But with the Permian-Triassic extinction, we dont see a recovery for 5 million years. There is very low ecological complexity and diversity for all of that time.

Another intriguing aspect of this interval in Earths history, says Fraiser, is that, according to the rock record from the Triassic, it was bounded by two C02 events.

The first was the disappearance of coral reefs. That gap sounded the alarm, she says. Thats what indicated that C02 levels were elevated.

On the back end, large communities of bivalves prevailed in such large numbers that they formed their own reefs.

Fraisers charting of the C02 domino effect on Early Triassic marine life is valuable as scientists study climate change today, says UWM Geology Professor John Isbell.

The Earths system doesnt care where the C02 comes from, Isbell says. Its going to respond the same way.


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Contact: Margaret Fraiser
mfraiser@uwm.edu
414-229-3827
University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Source:Eurekalert

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