What Do Carbon Isotope Ratios Tell us About Mass Extinctions?
Testing the carbon isotope ratios of ancient strata or fossils can be helpful in accessing the climate conditions and biological productivity at the time these were laid down. The use of carbon isotope in this way is based on the principle that photosynthetic organisms, such as algae, preferentially uptake the lighter and more common carbon-12 while leaving behind the heavier carbon-13. During a mass extinction, there is less preferential uptake of carbon-12, and this is reflected in the sediments. Analysis of carbon isotope ratios is common in accessing the impact of mass extinctions, though the exact relationship of carbon isotope ratios to productivity isn’t completely understood. Analysis of these isotopes seem to suggest that life underwent five large extinctions in the last half-billion years, though three of these were notably more significant than the other two. All these mass extinctions were corroborated by abrupt decreases in biodiversity in the fossil record. Variations in
Testing the carbon isotope ratios of ancient strata or fossils can be helpful in accessing the climate conditions and biological productivity at the time these were laid down. The use of carbon isotope in this way is based on the principle that photosynthetic organisms, such as algae, preferentially uptake the lighter and more common carbon-12 while leaving behind the heavier carbon-13. During a mass extinction, there is less preferential uptake of carbon-12, and this is reflected in the sediments. Analysis of carbon isotope ratios is common in accessing the impact of mass extinctions, though the exact relationship of carbon isotope ratios to productivity isn’t completely understood. Analysis of these isotopes seem to suggest that life underwent five large extinctions in the last half-billion years, though three of these were notably more significant than the other two. All these mass extinctions were corroborated by abrupt decreases in biodiversity in the fossil record. Variations in
