Atkinson, JW, Wignall, PB orcid.org/0000-0003-0074-9129, Morton, JD et al. (1 more author) (2019) Body size changes in bivalves of the family Limidae in the aftermath of the end‐Triassic mass extinction: the Brobdingnag effect. Palaeontology, 62 (4). pp. 561-582. ISSN 0031-0239
Abstract
Reduction in body size of organisms following mass extinctions is well‐known and often ascribed to the Lilliput effect. This phenomenon is expressed as a temporary body size reduction within surviving species. Despite its wide usage the term is often loosely applied to any small post‐extinction taxa. Here we assess the size of bivalves of the family Limidae (Rafineque) prior to, and in the aftermath of, the end‐Triassic mass extinction event. Of the species studied only one occurs prior to the extinction event, though is too scarce to test for the Lilliput effect. Instead, newly evolved species originate at small body sizes and undergo a within‐species size increase, most dramatically demonstrated by Plagiostoma giganteum (Sowerby) which, over two million years, increases in size by 179%. This trend is seen in both field and museum collections. We term this within‐species size increase of newly originated species in the aftermath of mass extinction, the Brobdingnag effect, after the giants that were contemporary with the Lilliputians in Swift's Gulliver's Travels. The size increase results from greater longevity and faster growth rates. The cause of the effect is unclear, although it probably relates to improved environmental conditions. Oxygen‐poor conditions in the Early Jurassic are associated with populations of smaller body size caused by elevated juvenile mortality but these are local/regional effects that do not alter the long‐term, size increase. Although temperature‐size relationships exist for many organisms (Temperature‐Size Rule and Bergmann's Rule), the importance of this is unclear here because of a poorly known Early Jurassic temperature record.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Palaeontological Association. This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Atkinson, J. W., Wignall, P. B., Morton, J. D. and Aze, T. (2019), Body size changes in bivalves of the family Limidae in the aftermath of the end‐Triassic mass extinction: the Brobdingnag effect. Palaeontology, 62: 561-582 which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/pala.12415. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | body size; end‐Triassic mass extinction; Lilliput effect; Early Jurassic; Brobdingnag effect |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Earth Surface Science Institute (ESSI) (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Earth and Environment (Leeds) > Institute for Applied Geosciences (IAG) (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 14 Jan 2019 12:42 |
Last Modified: | 09 Jan 2020 01:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/pala.12415 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:140892 |