Response of siliceous marine organisms to the Permian-Triassic climate crisis based on new findings from central Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Abstract

AbstractSiliceous marine ecosystems play a critical role on the Earth’s climate system through its influence on organic carbon burial and rates of marine authigenic clay formation (i.e. reverse weathering). The ecological demise of silicifying organisms associated with the Permian-Triassic mass extinction is postulated to have elevated rates of marine authigenic clay formation, resulting in a prolonged greenhouse climate during the Early Triassic. Yet, our understanding of the response of siliceous marine organisms during this critical interval is poor. Whilst radiolarians experienced the strongest diversity loss in their evolutionary history and perhaps also the greatest population decline of silica-secreting organisms during this event, only a small number of Griesbachian (post-extinction) localities that record siliceous organisms are known. Here, we report newly discovered latest Changhsingian to early Griesbachian (Clarkina meishanensis-Hindeodus parvusZone) radiolarians and siliceous sponge spicules from Svalbard. This fauna documents the survival of a low-diversity radiolarian assemblage alongside stem-group hexactinellid sponges making this the first described account of post-extinction silica-secreting organisms from the Permian/Triassic boundary in a shallow marine shelf environment and a mid-northern palaeolatitudinal setting. Our findings indicate that latitudinal diversity gradients for silica-secreting organisms following the mass extinction were significantly altered, and that silica productivity was restricted to high latitude and deep water thermal refugia. This result has potential to further shape our understanding of changes to marine porewater and seawater dissolved silica levels and in turn rates of reverse weathering, with implications for our understanding of carbon cycle dynamics during this interval. This also suggests that the export of organic carbon to the deep ocean was not as severely impacted at non-equatorial latitudes.Key PointsWe document the first occurrence of siliceous sponge spicules and radiolarians (biogenic silica) from a mid-northern paleolatitude following the mass extinction eventHoldover radiolarian species show poleward range shiftsThe ecological composition and the restriction to shallow water oxygenated facies suggests a shallow mid-latitude refuge for siliceous marine organismsThis result has potential to further shape our understanding of changes to marine dissolved silica levels and in turn rates of reverse weathering, with implications for our understanding of Permian-Triassic carbon cycle dynamics.