Phanerozoic trends in the global diversity of marine invertebrates.
It has previously been thought that there was a steep Cretaceous and Cenozoic radiation of marine invertebrates. This pattern can be replicated with a new data set of fossil occurrences representing 3.5 million specimens, but only when older analytical protocols are used. Moreover, analyses that employ sampling standardization and more robust counting methods show a modest rise in diversity with no clear trend after the mid-Cretaceous. Globally, locally, and at both high and low latitudes, diversity was less than twice as high in the Neogene as in the mid-Paleozoic. The ratio of global to local richness has changed little, and a latitudinal diversity gradient was present in the early Paleozoic.
Alroy
John
J
National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California-Santa Barbara, 735 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101, USA. alroy@nceas.ucsb.edu
Aberhan
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David J
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Michael
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Franz T
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Harries
Peter J
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Austin J W
AJ
Holland
Steven M
SM
Ivany
Linda C
LC
Kiessling
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Kosnik
Matthew A
MA
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Charles R
CR
McGowan
Alistair J
AJ
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Arnold I
AI
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TD
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Mark E
ME
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Shanan E
SE
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Loïc
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Wagner
Peter J
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Borkow
Philip S
PS
Brenneis
Benjamin
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Clapham
Matthew E
ME
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Chad A
CA
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Victoria L
VL
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Andrew Z
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Karen M
KM
Leckey
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Nürnberg
Sabine
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Powers
Catherine M
CM
Sessa
Jocelyn A
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D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D005075:Biological Evolution; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004777:Environment; D005580:Fossils; D005843:Geography; D019015:Geologic Sediments; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000145:classification; D010163:Paleontology / Q000379:methods; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012623:Seawater; D013997:Time Factors