Analysis of fossils by a team of researchers reveals that complex ecosystems existed long before what was previously estimated by experts.
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Fossils dating back 250 million years showing a complex ocean ecosystem have been analyzed by international scientists, including some from UQAM and McGill University.
“Fossils from the Guizhou region reveal an oceanic ecosystem with various species that form a food chain,” explains UQAM researcher, formerly of McGill University, Morgann Perrot. Our team has discovered 12 classes of organisms, and even fossilized feces, which give us clues regarding the diet of these ancient animals.
Scientists believed that the Permian-Triassic mass extinction, which caused the disappearance of 80% of animal species around 252 million years ago, had created unsustainable conditions for this kind of ecosystem in water, says McGill University in a press release.
They were of the opinion that it would have taken at least 5 to 10 million years for ecosystems to re-develop following such an extinction.
This assumption is called into question due to the complexity of ocean ecosystems set in stone that would have existed only a million years following the extinction.
These specimens would therefore have evolved more rapidly than previously thought possible.
“All of this has consequences for our understanding of the speed at which life can respond to extreme crises,” continues the researcher. It also involves reassessing our knowledge of ocean conditions at that time.”
