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Part III: Trends and Processes in the Paleontological Past
Pages 167-170

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From page 167...
... Erwin reports that the canonical mass extinctions differed with respect to their impacts on these various metrics. For example, the end-Permian extinction had major consequences for essentially all dimensions of global biodiversity whereas the endOrdovician extinction heavily impacted morphologic disparity but had low or medium effects on several other biodiversity measures.
From page 168...
... For example, he suggests that the Big Five are merely the upper end of a continuous spectrum of extinction intensities, such that it is "a matter of taste whether to speak of the Big Five, the Big Three, or just the Big One…." The analyses yield empirical estimates of typical recovery times from mass extinctions. Alroy concludes that the rebound from the ongoing mass extinction will probably take between 15 and 30 million years, if past mass extinction events are any guide.
From page 169...
... Based on the historical chronologies of biomass transitions in various parts of the world, Barnosky draws several biological implications, including how the current depletion of fossil fuels as an energy source may translate into near-future challenges for global biodiversity.


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