The mercury pollution and global warming that resulted from massive volcanism drove the end-Triassic mass-extinction and stressed plants for millions of years. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Examples of severely malformed and teratologic spores from Schandelah-1, and other locations . Fern spores . Credit: Sofie Lindström and Bas van de SchootbruggeAn international team of scientists from the Netherlands, China, Denmark, Britain, and the Czech Republic analyzed sediments from Northern Germany, which span the uppermost Triassic to lowerperiod. They found a significant number of malformed fern spores, which indicated severe stress among ferns dating back 201 million years.
The study shows that ferns replaced trees across vast regions in response to extreme environmental changes, such as heat stress and increased monsoonal rains. Despite widespread deforestation, ferns thrived and adapted, displaying a unique tolerance to mercury. However, the ferns were subjected to recurring stress from mercury pollution for up to 2 million years after the extinction event, affecting their spore development.