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Related Experiment Videos

Environment and evolution through the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum.

Philip D Gingerich1

  • 1Museum of Paleontology and Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079, USA. gingeric@umich.edu

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|May 16, 2006
PubMed
Summary
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The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) spurred mammal diversification. This global warming event influenced the evolution of Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla, and Primates (APP taxa) around 55 million years ago.

Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Climate Science

Background:

  • The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) was a period of rapid global warming and carbon release approximately 55 million years ago.
  • The earliest fossil evidence for modern mammal orders Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla, and Primates (APP taxa) appears at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary.
  • The appearance of APP taxa across northern continents coincides with the PETM, suggesting a link between environmental change and mammalian evolution.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the impact of global environmental events, specifically the PETM, on mammalian evolution.
  • To highlight the importance of considering past climate change when modeling the history of life.
  • To discuss the relevance of the PETM for understanding current global greenhouse warming.

Main Methods:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Review of fossil record data for APP taxa.
  • Analysis of paleoclimatic and paleoceanographic evidence for the PETM.
  • Synthesis of evolutionary and climate change research.

Main Results:

  • The diversification and dispersal of APP taxa are strongly correlated with the onset of the PETM.
  • Global environmental shifts during the PETM significantly influenced evolutionary trajectories.
  • The PETM serves as a crucial case study for the effects of rapid climate change on life.

Conclusions:

  • Global environmental events like the PETM are critical drivers of evolutionary change and must be integrated into models of life's history.
  • Understanding the PETM provides insights into the potential consequences of modern anthropogenic global warming.
  • The fossil record demonstrates the profound impact of climate change on mammalian evolution.