Alien Biospheres: Part 14 - Mass Extinctions
Biblaridion・2 minutes read
Campfire is an online tool for writing and worldbuilding with modules for organizing project details and collaboration, offering most features for free or at a low cost. Mass extinctions on an alien planet will impact biodiversity, with various species facing extinction due to habitat changes and environmental disruptions.
Insights
- Campfire is an online platform aiding in worldbuilding and storytelling organization, offering free functionality with specific project modules available for a nominal fee.
- Mass extinctions are triggered by natural events like continental movement and volcanism, impacting biodiversity and leading to the decline of various species.
- Post-extinction, surviving clades will evolve unique adaptations, establishing new life dynasties with reduced competition and adaptive radiation opportunities.
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Recent questions
What is Campfire and its main features?
Campfire is an online writing and worldbuilding application that helps users organize project details in one place. Campfire Write offers modules for cataloguing various aspects of a world, while the Explore page allows collaboration with other users. The Learn page provides tutorials and guidance on worldbuilding and storytelling topics. Users can access most functionality for free, with specific project modules available for a low cost.
How do mass extinctions occur and what are their effects?
Mass extinctions happen when extinction rates exceed speciation rates, often associated with increased volcanism leading to climate disruptions. The first stage of a mass extinction event can be triggered by continental movement, resulting in global cooling followed by rapid global warming. These events impact plant diversity, with specialized species being most vulnerable to extinction. Arboreal animals and large-bodied clades are particularly affected by changing climates, leading to a decline in biodiversity.
What are the impacts of mass extinctions on marine ecosystems?
Mass extinctions lead to reduced food sources, ocean acidification, and changes in currents, resulting in biodiversity loss in oceanic ecosystems. Marine species like thalattotheres and filter-feeders are vulnerable to extinction due to changes in resource distribution. Methane clathrates in ocean depths dissolve, releasing methane into the atmosphere and contributing to global warming. The extinction event can lead to the demise of many species, with some unable to recover due to loss of diversity or habitat.
How do different animal clades adapt during mass extinctions?
Mass extinctions lead to a reduction in body size across animal clades, endangering larger animals. Various herbivores like neobrachids, ceratobrachids, and corythobrachids disappear due to habitat changes. Large predators like onychodonts and deinognathans struggle to find food and maintain their size. Birds, pterosaurs, and island species are vulnerable to extinction due to limited resources and environmental disturbance. Surviving clades post-extinction have the opportunity to establish a new dynasty of life due to reduced competition and adaptive radiation on a global scale.
How do different animal clades evolve post-extinction?
Post-extinction, surviving animal clades evolve unique structures and adaptations for survival. Rhamphodonts evolve mouthparts for chewing and processing food, leading to the emergence of distropheognathans like flagelliferans and hadronychids. Acrocheirids evolve into herbivores with adaptations like a caecum, leading to the emergence of procaecoforms like oligopods and megantroforms. Xenopsids diversify and occupy various ecological niches, with groups like chelaphorans, pachychelaphorans, and stenopsids developing specialized structures for feeding and defense. Teleopsids adapt to cold climates and become large herbivores, while dictyorhynchids become the largest animals on the planet.