Evolution and the fossil record: patterns, rates, and processes

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 1053-1060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip D. Gingerich
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Evolutionary Rates ◽  
Short Intervals ◽  
Evolutionary Diversification ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Local Areas ◽  
Climatic Cooling ◽  
Intensive Sampling ◽  
Underlying Processes ◽  
Morphological Innovation

Mammals have an unusually good Cenozoic fossil record providing evidence of their evolutionary diversification. We view this record in hindsight, which biases our perception in many ways. Overall worldwide diversity appears to increase exponentially through time, while intensive sampling in local areas indicates that modern levels of diversity were achieved early in the Cenozoic. The evident significance of Pleistocene extinctions depends critically on how extinction rates are quantified. Our taxonomic hierarchy probably reflects the number of major faunal turnovers a group has survived rather than declining intensity of successive turnovers. Morphological innovation and taxonomic diversification appear following intervals of climatic cooling, suggesting that major features of evolution are extrinsically controlled. Favorable stratigraphic settings yield detailed records of gradual anagenesis and cladogenesis in mammals, with intermediates present as evidence of transition. The apparent dichotomy between high evolutionary rates measured by neontologists over short intervals of time and low evolutionary rates measured by paleontologists over long intervals of time disappears when rates are measured on intermediate scales of time. Microevolution and macroevolution are manifestations of common underlying processes expressed on different time scales.

scholarly journals Fossil biogeography: a new model to infer dispersal, extinction and sampling from palaeontological data

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1691) ◽  
pp. 20150225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Silvestro ◽  
Alexander Zizka ◽  
Christine D. Bacon ◽  
Borja Cascales-Miñana ◽  
Nicolas Salamin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Phylogenetic Trees ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Historical Biogeography ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Climatic Cooling ◽  
Fossil Data ◽  
Incomplete Sampling ◽  
Des Model

Methods in historical biogeography have revolutionized our ability to infer the evolution of ancestral geographical ranges from phylogenies of extant taxa, the rates of dispersals, and biotic connectivity among areas. However, extant taxa are likely to provide limited and potentially biased information about past biogeographic processes, due to extinction, asymmetrical dispersals and variable connectivity among areas. Fossil data hold considerable information about past distribution of lineages, but suffer from largely incomplete sampling. Here we present a new dispersal–extinction–sampling (DES) model, which estimates biogeographic parameters using fossil occurrences instead of phylogenetic trees. The model estimates dispersal and extinction rates while explicitly accounting for the incompleteness of the fossil record. Rates can vary between areas and through time, thus providing the opportunity to assess complex scenarios of biogeographic evolution. We implement the DES model in a Bayesian framework and demonstrate through simulations that it can accurately infer all the relevant parameters. We demonstrate the use of our model by analysing the Cenozoic fossil record of land plants and inferring dispersal and extinction rates across Eurasia and North America. Our results show that biogeographic range evolution is not a time-homogeneous process, as assumed in most phylogenetic analyses, but varies through time and between areas. In our empirical assessment, this is shown by the striking predominance of plant dispersals from Eurasia into North America during the Eocene climatic cooling, followed by a shift in the opposite direction, and finally, a balance in biotic interchange since the middle Miocene. We conclude by discussing the potential of fossil-based analyses to test biogeographic hypotheses and improve phylogenetic methods in historical biogeography.

Diversity and evolutionary rates of Cambro-Ordovician nautiloids

Paleobiology ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 216-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rex E. Crick
Keyword(s):  
North American ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Evolutionary Rates ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Time Intervals ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
History Of ◽  
Biological Aspects ◽  
Stratigraphic Ranges

The history of diversity, origination and extinction of Cambro-Ordovician nautiloid cephalopods is explored to determine if differences in evolutionary rates between nautiloid orders are sufficient to document significantly high or low rates of evolutionary turnover (taxotely of Raup and Marshall 1980). The stratigraphic ranges of 425 nautiloid genera are analyzed for this purpose.Evolutionary rates for five of the seven time intervals analyzed fall within frequency distributions of rates which are thought to be characteristic for a given time interval (horotelic distribution of Simpson 1944). Sufficient heterogeneity is present among extinction rates of Arenigian orders and origination rates of Caradocian orders to reject the null hypotheses of horotely in favor of taxotely. The orders Ellesmerocerida and Tarphycerida, each with a significantly high rate of extinction (P ≥ 0.99), and the Actinocerida, with a significantly low rate of extinction (P ≥ 0.99), were responsible for taxotely during the Arenigian. The Oncocerida and Discosorida, each with a significantly high rate of origination (P ≥ 0.99), were responsible for taxotely during the Caradocian. In each case, taxotely is attributable to the influence of North American endemics. This effect is believed to be more the result of real biological aspects of nautiloid evolution than an artifact of the fossil record.

Fossil preservation and the stratigraphic ranges of taxa

Paleobiology ◽  
1996 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike Foote ◽  
David M. Raup
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Evolutionary Rates ◽  
Extinction Rate ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Original Distribution ◽  
Lower Ordovician ◽  
Stratigraphic Ranges ◽  
Fossil Preservation ◽  
Rule Out

The incompleteness of the fossil record hinders the inference of evolutionary rates and patterns. Here, we derive relationships among true taxonomic durations, preservation probability, and observed taxonomic ranges. We use these relationships to estimate original distributions of taxonomic durations, preservation probability, and completeness (proportion of taxa preserved), given only the observed ranges. No data on occurrences within the ranges of taxa are required. When preservation is random and the original distribution of durations is exponential, the inference of durations, preservability, and completeness is exact. However, reasonable approximations are possible given non-exponential duration distributions and temporal and taxonomic variation in preservability. Thus, the approaches we describe have great potential in studies of taphonomy, evolutionary rates and patterns, and genealogy.Analyses of Upper Cambrian-Lower Ordovician trilobite species, Paleozoic crinoid genera, Jurassic bivalve species, and Cenozoic mammal species yield the following results: (1) The preservation probability inferred from stratigraphic ranges alone agrees with that inferred from the analysis of stratigraphic gaps when data on the latter are available. (2) Whereas median durations based on simple tabulations of observed ranges are biased by stratigraphic resolution, our estimates of median duration, extinction rate, and completeness are not biased. (3) The shorter geologic ranges of mammalian species relative to those of bivalves cannot be attributed to a difference in preservation potential. However, we cannot rule out the contribution of taxonomic practice to this difference. (4) In the groups studied, completeness (proportion of species [trilobites, bivalves, mammals] or genera [crinoids] preserved) ranges from 60% to 90%. The higher estimates of completeness at smaller geographic scales support previous suggestions that the incompleteness of the fossil record reflects loss of fossiliferous rock more than failure of species to enter the fossil record in the first place.

3. Extinction in the past

2019 ◽  
pp. 33-50
Author(s):  
Paul B. Wignall
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
The Past ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
History Of ◽  
Extinction Events

Despite the less-than-perfect nature of the fossil record, it still provides a unique window on the history of life, and reveals that there have been dramatic fluctuations in extinction intensities since complex life evolved around 600 million years ago. ‘Extinction in the past’ considers Jack Sepkoski’s database compiled in the 1980s, and his series of highly informative charts showing both diversity and extinction rates since the start of the Cambrian Period 541 million years ago. The calculation of extinction rates and the improved dating of extinction events are discussed, along with the extinction trends that can be observed. Fossils also provide valuable evidence on the nature of selection during extinction.

On the statistical detection of cycles in extinctions in the marine fossil record

Paleobiology ◽  
1987 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
James F. Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Time Lags ◽  
Mass Extinctions ◽  
A Posteriori ◽  
Alternative Analysis ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Statistical Detection ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Parameter Estimation Techniques

Periodicity has recently been reported in the extinction rates of fossil marine families since the Permian. The analysis used appears particularly sensitive to parameter estimation techniques, particularly in the definition of mass extinctions. It also fails to incorporate autocorrelation in the fossil record into its null hypothesis and rests on an inappropriate a posteriori comparison to the null hypothesis. An alternative analysis, examining the time-lags between periods of high extinction rates, produces no evidence of a cycle.

scholarly journals Environmental drivers of crocodyliform extinction across the Jurassic/Cretaceous transition

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1826) ◽  
pp. 20152840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan P. Tennant ◽  
Philip D. Mannion ◽  
Paul Upchurch
Keyword(s):  
Early Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Comprehensive Analysis ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Likelihood Methods ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Maximum Likelihood Methods ◽  
Ecological Pressure ◽  
Biodiversity Decline

Crocodyliforms have a much richer evolutionary history than represented by their extant descendants, including several independent marine and terrestrial radiations during the Mesozoic. However, heterogeneous sampling of their fossil record has obscured their macroevolutionary dynamics, and obfuscated attempts to reconcile external drivers of these patterns. Here, we present a comprehensive analysis of crocodyliform biodiversity through the Jurassic/Cretaceous (J/K) transition using subsampling and phylogenetic approaches and apply maximum-likelihood methods to fit models of extrinsic variables to assess what mediated these patterns. A combination of fluctuations in sea-level and episodic perturbations to the carbon and sulfur cycles was primarily responsible for both a marine and non-marine crocodyliform biodiversity decline through the J/K boundary, primarily documented in Europe. This was tracked by high extinction rates at the boundary and suppressed origination rates throughout the Early Cretaceous. The diversification of Eusuchia and Notosuchia likely emanated from the easing of ecological pressure resulting from the biodiversity decline, which also culminated in the extinction of the marine thalattosuchians in the late Early Cretaceous. Through application of rigorous techniques for estimating biodiversity, our results demonstrate that it is possible to tease apart the complex array of controls on diversification patterns in major archosaur clades.

Taxonomic survivorship curves and Van Valen's Law

Paleobiology ◽  
1975 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Raup
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Extinction Rate ◽  
Survivorship Analysis ◽  
Survivorship Curve ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Higher Taxa ◽  
Total Life ◽  
Adaptive Zone

As Van Valen has demonstrated, the taxonomic survivorship curve is a valuable means of investigating extinction rates in the fossil record. He suggested that within an adaptive zone, related taxa display stochastically constant and equal extinction rates. Such a condition is evidenced by straight survivorship curves for species and higher taxa. Van Valen's methods of survivorship analysis can be improved upon and several suggestions are presented. With proper manipulation of data, it is possible to pool the information from extinct and living taxa to produce a single survivorship curve and therefore a single estimate of extinction rate. If extinction rate is constant at the species level (producing a straight survivorship curve), higher taxa in the same group should be expected to have convex survivorship curves. The constancy of extinction rates (here termed Van Valen's Law) can and should be tested rigorously. Several methods are available, of which the Total Life method of Epstein is particularly effective.

scholarly journals Using more than the oldest fossils: Dating Osmundaceae by three Bayesian clock approaches

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guido Grimm ◽  
Pashalia Kapli ◽  
Benjamin Bomfleur ◽  
Stephen McLoughlin ◽  
Susanne S Renner
Keyword(s):  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Genetic Distances ◽  
Total Evidence ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Sister Clade ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Dating Methods ◽  
Divergence Dates

A major concern in molecular clock dating is how to use information from the fossil record to calibrate genetic distances from DNA sequences. Here we apply three Bayesian dating methods that differ in how calibration is achieved--"node dating" (ND) in BEAST, "total evidence" (TE) dating in MrBayes, and the "fossilized birth-death" (FBD) in FDPPDiv--to infer divergence times in the Osmundaceae or royal ferns. Osmundaceae have 13 species in four genera, two mainly in the Northern Hemisphere and two in South Africa and Australasia; they are the sister clade to the remaining leptosporangiate ferns. Their fossil record consists of at least 150 species in ~17 genera and three extinct families. For ND, we used the five oldest fossils, while for TE and FBD dating, which do not require forcing fossils to nodes and thus can use more fossils, we included up to 36 rhizome and frond compression/impression fossils, which for TE dating were scored for 33 morphological characters. We also subsampled 10%, 25%, and 50% of the 36 fossils to assess model sensitivity. FBD-derived divergence dates were generally greater than ages inferred from ND dating; two of seven TE-derived ages agreed with FBD-obtained ages, the others were much younger or much older than ND or FBD ages. We favour the FBD-derived ages because they best match the Osmundales fossil record (including Triassic fossils not used in our study). Under the preferred model, the clade encompassing extant Osmundaceae (and many fossils) dates to the latest Palaeozoic to Early Triassic; divergences of the extant species occurred during the Neogene. Under the assumption of constant speciation and extinction rates, FBD yielded 0.0299 (0.0099--0.0549) and 0.0240 (0.0039--0.0495) for these rates, whereas neontological data yielded 0.0314 and 0.0339. However, FBD estimates of speciation and extinction are sensitive to violations in the assumption of continuous fossil sampling, therefore these estimates should be treated with caution.

scholarly journals Ecological opportunity and the rise and fall of crocodylomorph evolutionary innovation

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1947) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas L. Stubbs ◽  
Stephanie E. Pierce ◽  
Armin Elsler ◽  
Philip S. L. Anderson ◽  
Emily J. Rayfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Evolutionary Biology ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Evolutionary Rates ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
Ecological Opportunity ◽  
Evolutionary Innovation ◽  
Great Heterogeneity ◽  
Living Species

Understanding the origin, expansion and loss of biodiversity is fundamental to evolutionary biology. The approximately 26 living species of crocodylomorphs (crocodiles, caimans, alligators and gharials) represent just a snapshot of the group's rich 230-million-year history, whereas the fossil record reveals a hidden past of great diversity and innovation, including ocean and land-dwelling forms, herbivores, omnivores and apex predators. In this macroevolutionary study of skull and jaw shape disparity, we show that crocodylomorph ecomorphological variation peaked in the Cretaceous, before declining in the Cenozoic, and the rise and fall of disparity was associated with great heterogeneity in evolutionary rates. Taxonomically diverse and ecologically divergent Mesozoic crocodylomorphs, like marine thalattosuchians and terrestrial notosuchians, rapidly evolved novel skull and jaw morphologies to fill specialized adaptive zones. Disparity in semi-aquatic predatory crocodylians, the only living crocodylomorph representatives, accumulated steadily, and they evolved more slowly for most of the last 80 million years, but despite their conservatism there is no evidence for long-term evolutionary stagnation. These complex evolutionary dynamics reflect ecological opportunities, that were readily exploited by some Mesozoic crocodylomorphs but more limited in Cenozoic crocodylians.

scholarly journals The evolutionary dynamics of the early Palaeozoic marine biodiversity accumulation

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1909) ◽  
pp. 20191634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Björn Kröger ◽  
Franziska Franeck ◽  
Christian M. Ø. Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Evolutionary Rates ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Ecosystem Resilience ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
Late Cambrian ◽  
Early Palaeozoic

The early Palaeozoic Era records the initial biodiversification of the Phanerozoic. The increase in biodiversity involved drastic changes in taxon longevity, and in rates of origination and extinction. Here, we calculate these variables in unprecedented temporal resolution. We find that highly volatile origination and extinction rates are associated with short genus longevities during the Cambrian Period. During the Ordovician and Silurian periods, evolutionary rates were less volatile and genera persisted for increasingly longer intervals. The 90%-genus life expectancy doubled from 5 Myr in the late Cambrian to more than 10 Myr in the Ordovician–Silurian periods. Intervals with widespread ecosystem disruption are associated with short genus longevities during the Cambrian and with exceptionally high longevities during the Ordovician and Silurian periods. The post-Cambrian increase in persistence of genera, therefore, indicates an elevated ability of the changing early Palaeozoic marine ecosystems to sustainably maintain existing genera. This is evidence of a new level of ecosystem resilience which evolved during the Ordovician Period.

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