Volcanic phosphorus supply boosted Mesozoic terrestrial biotas in northern China

Date

2023

Authors

Ma, Chao
Tang, Yanjie
Mitchell, Ross N.
Li, Yongfei
Sun, Shouliang
Zhu, Jichang
Foley, Stephen
Wang, Min
Ye, Chenyang
Ying, Jifeng

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Elsevier B.V.

Abstract

The Mesozoic terrestrial Jehol Biota of northern China exceeds the biomass and biodiversity of contemporaneous Lagerstätten. From 135 to 120 Ma, biotic radiation may have responded to the peak destruction of the North China Craton. However, the direct mechanistic link between geological and biological evolution is unclear. Phosphorus (P), a bio-essential nutrient, can be supplied by weathering of volcanics in terrestrial ecosystems. The middle–late Mesozoic volcanic-sedimentary sequences of northern China are amazingly rich in terrestrial organisms. Here we demonstrate episodic increases in P delivery, biological productivity, and species abundance in these strata to reveal the coevolution of volcanism and terrestrial biotas. A massive P supply from the weathering of voluminous volcanic products of craton destruction thus supported a terrestrial environment conducive to the high prosperity of the Jehol Biota. During the nascent stage of craton destruction, such volcanic-biotic coupling can also account for the preceding Yanliao Biota with relatively fewer fossils.

Description

Keywords

Jehol Biota, Rapid bloom, Phosphorus delivery, Volcanism, Craton destruction

Citation

Source

Science Bulletin

Type

Journal article

Book Title

Entity type

Access Statement

License Rights

Restricted until

2099-12-31