Question

Difficulty: MediumIdentifying Hypotheses and Beliefs

### Late Ordovician Mass Extinction Models

The Late Ordovician Mass Extinction (LOME), which occurred approximately 444444 million years ago, resulted in the loss of about 85%85\% of marine species. Scientists have proposed different models to explain the primary cause of this extinction event.

**Model 11 (Glaciation/Cooling Model)**
This model proposes that the growth of the Gondwanan ice sheet triggered the extinction. The accumulation of ice locked up global water, leading to a rapid eustatic sea-level fall of over 100 meters100\text{ meters}. This regression drained shallow, warm epicontinental seas, which hosted the vast majority of marine life. Furthermore, global temperatures plunged, and the cooling of tropical waters eliminated species adapted to warm climates. In this view, habitat loss due to sea-level drop and direct thermal stress from cooling were the sole triggers of the first extinction pulse.

**Model 22 (Anoxia/Volcanism Model)**
This model proposes that large-scale volcanic eruptions from a large igneous province triggered the extinction. The eruptions released massive amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2CO_2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2SO_2) into the atmosphere, causing short-term acid rain followed by long-term global warming due to the greenhouse effect. Warming reduced the solubility of oxygen in seawater, and increased weathering washed nutrients into the oceans, causing widespread marine anoxia (oxygen depletion). Acidification of the oceans further prevented calcifying organisms from building shells. In this view, oxygen starvation (anoxia) and ocean acidification were the primary causes of the mass extinction.

A geologist compiles several hypotheses regarding the environmental conditions and mechanisms that drove the Late Ordovician Mass Extinction. Match each hypothesis to the model (Model 11, Model 22, or both) that supports it.

  • Marine species died out because the ocean water lost its dissolved oxygen content, preventing respiration.Model 22 only
  • Marine species died out because the drying up of shallow continental shelves destroyed their physical habitats.Model 11 only
  • Marine species died out due to changes in ocean chemistry and climate that occurred at the end of the Ordovician period.Both Model 11 and Model 22

Answer

The hypothesis attributing extinction to dissolved oxygen loss matches Model 22 only. The hypothesis attributing extinction to the drying up of shallow continental shelves matches Model 11 only. The hypothesis attributing extinction to changes in ocean chemistry and climate matches both Model 11 and Model 22.
The hypothesis regarding oxygen depletion matches Model 22 because Model 22 proposes that greenhouse warming reduced oxygen solubility, leading to marine anoxia. The shelf habitat loss hypothesis matches Model 11 because Model 11 describes ice growth locking up water and draining shallow epicontinental seas. The hypothesis regarding climate and ocean chemistry changes matches both models because they both rely on shifts in global climate (cooling vs. warming) and resulting marine changes (sea-level drop vs. anoxia and acidification) to explain the extinction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the hypothesis concerning dissolved oxygen loss and compare it to the models.
Dissolved oxygen loss corresponds to marine anoxia. Model 22 explicitly proposes that global warming caused marine anoxia (oxygen depletion), which suffocated benthic communities. Model 11 does not mention dissolved oxygen or anoxia.
This establishes that the first hypothesis is supported by Model 22 only.
2
Analyze the hypothesis concerning the drying up of shallow continental shelves and compare it to the models.
Drying up of shelves corresponds to sea-level fall. Model 11 proposes that glaciation caused a sea-level drop of over 100 meters100\text{ meters} that drained epicontinental seas and destroyed habitats. Model 22 does not involve sea-level regression.
This establishes that the second hypothesis is supported by Model 11 only.
3
Analyze the hypothesis concerning changes in ocean chemistry and climate and compare it to the models.
Both models describe global climate shifts (cooling in Model 11 vs. warming in Model 22) and significant changes in ocean chemistry (salinity/temperature shifts in Model 11 vs. acidification/anoxia in Model 22) driving the extinction.
This establishes that the third hypothesis is supported by both Model 11 and Model 22.

Key Concept

Identifying Hypotheses and Beliefs
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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