Mass Global Extinction Phase

A Mass Global Extinction Phase is a earth phase that causes dramatic reduction in earth biodiversity through widespread species extinction across multiple taxonomic groups over an extended geological timeframe.

• AKA: Biotic Crisis Phase, Biodiversity Collapse Phase, Extinction Cycle Phase.
• Context:
  • It can typically result from various mass global extinction causal factors, including mass global extinction climatic conditions, changes in mass global extinction sea levels, mass global extinction asteroid impacts, mass global extinction volcanic eruptions, and the evolution of new mass global extinction competitive species.
  • It can typically involve the complete eradication of certain mass global extinction vulnerable species, leading to significant shifts in the composition of mass global extinction ecosystems.
  • It can typically be followed by periods of mass global extinction evolutionary radiation, where the number of mass global extinction surviving species diversifies rapidly to fill mass global extinction vacated niches.
  • It can typically function as an evolutionary filter that selects for mass global extinction resistant traits and eliminates mass global extinction susceptible lineages.
  • It can typically reshape global biodiversity patterns through the differential survival of mass global extinction resistant species.
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  • It can often involve dramatic shifts in mass global extinction atmospheric composition that exceed the adaptation capacity of many mass global extinction affected species.
  • It can often create new evolutionary opportunity for previously marginalized mass global extinction species groups after dominant mass global extinction competitors disappear.
  • It can often be identified in the geological record through distinct mass global extinction fossil boundary layers showing abrupt changes in mass global extinction species diversity.
  • It can often reset ecosystem development by eliminating mass global extinction keystone species and forcing the establishment of new mass global extinction ecological equilibriums.
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  • It can range from being a Brief Mass Global Extinction Phase to being a Prolonged Mass Global Extinction Phase, depending on its mass global extinction temporal duration.
  • It can range from being a Regional Mass Global Extinction Phase to being a Planetary Mass Global Extinction Phase, depending on its mass global extinction geographical scope.
  • It can range from being a Selective Mass Global Extinction Phase to being a Comprehensive Mass Global Extinction Phase, depending on its mass global extinction taxonomic breadth.
  • ...
  • It can encompass both shorter-term Mass Extinction Events and longer-term Mass Extinction Periods in a continuous mass global extinction temporal spectrum.
  • It can establish new evolutionary trajectory for surviving lineages through the elimination of mass global extinction competitor species.
  • It can accelerate evolutionary processes by rapidly removing evolutionary constraints and opening new mass global extinction ecological niches.
  • It can serve as a natural evolutionary experiment demonstrating the resilience and adaptability of different mass global extinction species types under extreme mass global extinction environmental stress.
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• Examples:
  • Mass Global Extinction Phase Temporal Categories, such as:
    • Rapid Mass Global Extinction Phases, such as:
      • Mass Extinction Events, characterized by rapid biodiversity loss over geologically brief timeframes.
        • Cretaceous-Paleogene Mass Extinction Event (~66 Mya), which led to the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs through mass global extinction asteroid impact.
        • Triassic-Jurassic Mass Extinction Event (~182 Mya), that led to the dominance of the dinosaurs in the Jurassic period through mass global extinction competitive advantage.
        • Permian-Triassic Mass Extinction Event (~252 Ma), which eradicated ~96% of all marine species and ~70% of terrestrial vertebrate species through mass global extinction volcanic activity.
        • Ordovician-Silurian Mass Extinction Event (~443 Mya), where almost 60% of marine life was wiped out due to mass global extinction climate fluctuations.
    • Extended Mass Global Extinction Phases, such as:
      • Mass Extinction Periods, characterized by sustained biodiversity decline over extended geological intervals.
        • Great Oxygenation Period Mass Extinction Period (~2.4 Bya), an extinction period and biological transition event commenced by the appearance of photosynthesizing life forms that altered atmospheric oxygen levels.
        • End-Devonian Mass Extinction Period (~360-350 Mya), a prolonged series of extinction pulses rather than a single event.
        • End-Triassic Mass Extinction Period (~201 Mya), occurring over several million years as atmospheric carbon dioxide increased.
  • Mass Global Extinction Phase Causal Categories, such as:
    • Astronomical Mass Global Extinction Phases, triggered by extraterrestrial impacts or cosmic events.
    • Geological Mass Global Extinction Phases, caused by volcanic eruptions, tectonic activity, or sea level changes.
    • Atmospheric Mass Global Extinction Phases, resulting from major atmospheric composition shifts.
    • Biological Mass Global Extinction Phases, driven by the evolution of new disruptive species or pathogens.
    • Anthropogenic Mass Global Extinction Phases, stemming from human activity and environmental impact.
  • Mass Global Extinction Phase Severity Categories, such as:
    • Major Mass Global Extinction Phases, eliminating over 75% of existing species.
    • Moderate Mass Global Extinction Phases, eliminating between 40-75% of existing species.
    • Minor Mass Global Extinction Phases, eliminating between 20-40% of existing species.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Local Extinction Events, which affect regional biodiversity but lack the scale to significantly alter global biodiversity patterns or create mass global extinction conditions.
  • Background Extinction Process, which represents normal species turnover measured by a background extinction rate rather than episodic mass global extinction biodiversity collapse.
  • Evolutionary Radiation Phases, such as the Cambrian Explosion, which represent rapid biodiversity increases rather than mass global extinction biodiversity losses through evolutionary diversification.
  • Speciation Events, which typically increase biodiversity levels through the development of new species variants rather than decreasing them through mass global extinction.
  • Gradual Environmental Change Processes, which allow sufficient time for species adaptation without creating mass global extinction conditions.
• See: Mass Extinction Event, Mass Extinction Period, Extinction Event, Paleontology, Geologic Time Scale, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Geological Period, Speciation, Biomass (Ecology), Microbial, Biosphere, Fossil Record, Alpha Taxonomy, Family (Biology), Invertebrate, Vertebrate, Evolutionary Bottleneck, Natural Selection, Adaptive Radiation.

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