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SUMMARY:Mass extinctions and community structure through the Phanerozoic -
  Alexander Dunhill\; University of Leeds\, UK
DTSTART:20240305T160000Z
DTEND:20240305T170000Z
UID:TALK205636@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Emily Mitchell
DESCRIPTION:Our planet has suffered repeated mass extinctions that have sh
 aped the evolutionary history of biodiversity through time. Although curre
 nt state-of-the-art research has given us a thorough understanding of the 
 causes and consequences of mass extinction events\, existing research ofte
 n ignores the role of ecosystem structure in providing resilience to envir
 onmental change. Ecological theory states that primary extinctions\, which
  are a function of stress type or organism sensitivity\, can lead to casca
 ding secondary extinctions where species perish because they are unable to
  meet energetic requirements from available prey. Extinction selectivity s
 tudies always assume extinctions are primary despite ecological theory hin
 ting that many victims of mass extinctions are unlikely to have become ext
 inct as a direct effect of abiotic stress\, but probably did so in respons
 e to cascading secondary effects. Furthermore\, less attention has been gi
 ven to the periods of ecosystem recovery in the aftermath of mass extincti
 on events and thus the nature and timing of ecological recovery following 
 biotic crises is poorly understood. In this seminar\, I will detail the cu
 tting-edge advancements in ecological modelling that the DeepBio@Leeds gro
 up are applying to the fossil record in order to better understand how com
 munities respond to biotic crises and how they recover in the aftermath of
  these cataclysmic events.
LOCATION:Part II Lecture Theatre\, Department of Zoology
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