Micropaleontological Evidence for Marine Ecosystem Recovery Following Extinction Events

Marine extinction events have repeatedly reshaped Earth’s biosphere, disrupting ecological structure, reducing biodiversity, and altering biogeochemical cycles. Micropaleontological records provide some of the most continuous and sensitive archives of these disturbances and subsequent recovery phases. This study synthesizes evidence from foraminifera, radiolarians, conodonts, calcareous nannoplankton, and ostracods to evaluate patterns of marine ecosystem recovery following major extinction intervals, including the end-Permian, end-Triassic, and end-Cretaceous events. High-resolution microfossil assemblage data reveal consistent recovery stages characterized by initial opportunistic taxa dominance, reduced morphological complexity, and low species diversity. These “disaster assemblages” are typically followed by gradual diversification, increased ecological partitioning, and the reestablishment of complex trophic structures. Quantitative analyses of diversity indices, morphogroup distributions, and functional traits indicate that full ecological stabilization often lagged significantly behind taxonomic recovery.