title: Metal-induced malformations in early Palaeozoic plankton are harbingers of mass extinction.
abstract: Glacial episodes have been linked to Ordovician-Silurian extinction events, but cooling itself may not be solely responsible for these extinctions. Teratological (malformed) assemblages of fossil plankton that correlate precisely with the extinction events can help identify alternate drivers of extinction. Here we show that metal poisoning may have caused these aberrant morphologies during a late Silurian (Pridoli) event. Malformations coincide with a dramatic increase of metals (Fe, Mo, Pb, Mn and As) in the fossils and their host rocks. Metallic toxins are known to cause a teratological response in modern organisms, which is now routinely used as a proxy to assess oceanic metal contamination. Similarly, our study identifies metal-induced teratology as a deep-time, palaeobiological monitor of palaeo-ocean chemistry. The redox-sensitive character of enriched metals supports emerging 'oceanic anoxic event' models. Our data suggest that spreading anoxia and redox cycling of harmful metals was a contributing kill mechanism during these devastating Ordovician-Silurian palaeobiological events.
authors: Unité Evolution, Ecologie et Paléontologie-UMR 8198, CNRS/Université de Lille-Sciences et Technologies, Avenue Paul Langevin, bâtiment SN5, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.|Department of Geology and Soil Sciences (WE13), Ghent University, Krijgslaan 281/S8, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.
authors: Thijs R A
authors: TRA
authors: Vandenbroucke
authors: U.S. Geological Survey, Central Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225, USA.
authors: Poul
authors: P
authors: Emsbo
authors: Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Fachgruppe Paläoumwelt, Loewenichstrasse 28, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany.
authors: Axel
authors: A
authors: Munnecke
authors: IMMCL Chevreul, Université de Lille-Sciences et Technologies, Cité Scientifique, bâtiment C3, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
authors: Nicolas
authors: N
authors: Nuns
authors: LASIR-UMR 8516, CNRS/Université de Lille-Sciences et Technologies, Cité Scientifique, bâtiment C5, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
authors: Ludovic
authors: L
authors: Duponchel
authors: Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences-UMR 8187, CNRS/Université de Lille-Sciences et Technologies, Avenue Paul Langevin, bâtiment SN5, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
authors: Kevin
authors: K
authors: Lepot
authors: Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences-UMR 8187, CNRS/Université de Lille-Sciences et Technologies, Avenue Paul Langevin, bâtiment SN5, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
authors: Melesio
authors: M
authors: Quijada
authors: Géosciences Rennes-UMR 6118, CNRS/Université de Rennes 1, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes, France.
authors: Florentin
authors: F
authors: Paris
authors: Unité Evolution, Ecologie et Paléontologie-UMR 8198, CNRS/Université de Lille-Sciences et Technologies, Avenue Paul Langevin, bâtiment SN5, 59655 Villeneuve d'Ascq, France.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Servais
authors: Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Fachgruppe Paläoumwelt, Loewenichstrasse 28, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany.|Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Research on Evolution and Biodiversity at the Humboldt University Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
authors: Wolfgang
authors: W
authors: Kiessling
mesh_terms: D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced; D001151:Arsenic / Q000633:toxicity; D000013:Congenital Abnormalities; D053476:Extinction, Biological; D005580:Fossils; D000075322:Heavy Metal Poisoning; D007501:Iron / Q000633:toxicity; D007854:Lead / Q000633:toxicity; D008002:Libya; D008345:Manganese / Q000633:toxicity; D008670:Metals / Q000633:toxicity*; D008982:Molybdenum / Q000633:toxicity; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010933:Plankton; D011041:Poisoning; D018629:Spectrometry, Mass, Secondary Ion; D013723:Teratogens / Q000633:toxicity*; D018600:Teratology
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D013723:Teratogens; D007854:Lead; D008345:Manganese; D008982:Molybdenum; D007501:Iron; D001151:Arsenic