• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Biology

Previously unknown extinction of marine megafauna discovered

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
June 26, 2017
in Biology
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

The disappearance of a large part of the terrestrial megafauna such as saber-toothed cat and the mammoth during the ice age is well known. Now, researchers at the University of Zurich and the Naturkunde Museum in Berlin have shown that a similar extinction event had taken place earlier, in the oceans.

New extinction event discovered

The international team investigated fossils of marine megafauna from the Pliocene and the Pleisto-cene epochs (5.3 million to around 9,700 years BC). "We were able to show that around a third of marine megafauna disappeared about three to two million years ago. Therefore, the marine mega-faunal communities that humans inherited were already altered and functioning at a diminished diver-sity", explains lead author Dr. Catalina Pimiento, who conducted the study at the Paleontological Insti-tute and Museum of the University of Zurich.

Above all, the newly discovered extinction event affected marine mammals, which lost 55 per cent of their diversity. As many as 43 per cent of sea turtle species were lost, along with 35 per cent of sea birds and 9 per cent of sharks. On the other hand, the following new forms of life were to develop during the subsequent Pleistocene epoch: Around a quarter of animal species, including the polar bear Ursus, the storm petrel Oceanodroma or the penguin Megadyptes, had not existed during the Pliocene. Overall, however, earlier levels of diversity could not be reached again.

Effects on functional diversity

In order to determine the consequences of this extinction, the research team concentrated on shallow coastal shelf zones, investigating the effects that the loss of entire functional entities had on coastal ecosystems. Functional entities are groups of animals not necessarily related, but that share similar characteristics in terms of the function they play on ecosystems. The finding: Seven functional entities were lost in coastal waters during the Pliocene.

Even though the loss of seven functional entities, and one third of the species is relatively modest, this led to an important erosion of functional diversity: 17 per cent of the total diversity of ecological functions in the ecosystem disappeared and 21 per cent changed. Previously common predators vanished, while new competitors emerged and marine animals were forced to adjust. In addition, the researchers found that at the time of the extinction, coastal habitats were significantly reduced due to violent sea levels fluctuations.

Large warm-blooded marine animals are more vulnerable to global environmental changes

The researchers propose that the sudden loss of the productive coastal habitats, together with oceanographic factors such as altered sea currents, greatly contributed to these extinctions. "Our models have demonstrated that warm-blooded animals in particular were more likely to become ex-tinct. For example, species of sea cows and baleen whales, as well as the giant shark Carcharocles megalodon disappeared", explains Dr. Pimiento. "This study shows that marine megafauna were far more vulnerable to global environmental changes in the recent geological past than had previously been assumed". The researcher also points to a present-day parallel: Nowadays, large marine spe-cies such as whales or seals are also highly vulnerable to human influences.

###

Literature:

Catalina Pimiento, John N. Griffin, Christopher F. Clements, Daniele Silvestro, Sara Varela, Mark D. Uhen and Carlos Jaramillo. The Pliocene marine megafauna extinction and its impact on functional diversity. June 26, 2017. Nature Ecology & Evolution. DOI: 10.1038/s41559-017-0223-6

Media Contact

Catalina Pimiento Hernandez
[email protected]
49-157-732-82992
@uzh_news

http://www.uzh.ch

http://www.media.uzh.ch/en.htmlttp://

Related Journal Article

http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41559-017-0223-6

############

Story Source: Materials provided by Scienmag

Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

blank

How Different ALK Fusion Variants Impact Lung Cancer Treatment Success

September 23, 2025
Tracking Motor Skills Across the Lifespan: Using Percentile Reference Curves in Practice

Tracking Motor Skills Across the Lifespan: Using Percentile Reference Curves in Practice

September 23, 2025

Chinese Scientists Uncover Neural Mechanisms Regulating Energy Expenditure in the Arcuate Hypothalamus

September 23, 2025

Revolutionizing Camel Husbandry with ICT Monitoring System

September 23, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    Physicists Develop Visible Time Crystal for the First Time

    69 shares
    Share 28 Tweet 17
  • Breakthrough in Computer Hardware Advances Solves Complex Optimization Challenges

    156 shares
    Share 62 Tweet 39
  • Tailored Gene-Editing Technology Emerges as a Promising Treatment for Fatal Pediatric Diseases

    50 shares
    Share 20 Tweet 13
  • Scientists Achieve Ambient-Temperature Light-Induced Heterolytic Hydrogen Dissociation

    49 shares
    Share 20 Tweet 12

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

AI Predicts Recovery in TBI Intensive Care Programs

Exploring the Potential of Drones as First Responders: A Feasibility Study in Northern Virginia

Sleep Duration Influences Screen Time’s Impact on Kids

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.