Connolly, Sean R., and Kosnik, Matthew A. (2013) Fossil record. In: Levin, Simon A., (ed.) Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, 3 . Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands, pp. 537-544.

PDF (Published Version) - Published Version Restricted to Repository staff only

Abstract

The fossil record is incomplete, so a history of biodiversity reconstructed simply by adding up the species or higher taxa that are preserved at different places and times in the fossil record is likely to be incorrect and misleading. One must also consider the effect of variation in space, time, and among organisms on the probability of a particular organism being preserved as a fossil and subsequently sampled by paleontologists. This article summarizes some of the principal causes of such variation, and the techniques employed to try to account for their distorting effects on apparent biodiversity.

Item ID:	32267
Item Type:	Book Chapter (Research - B1)
ISBN:	978-0-12-384720-1
Keywords:	diversity; estimation; fossil record; geochronology; macroevolution; nonparametric statistics; paleobiology; paleontology; rarefaction; species richness; stratigraphy; taxonomic richness
Date Deposited:	20 May 2014 02:50
FoR Codes:	04 EARTH SCIENCES > 0403 Geology > 040308 Palaeontology (incl Palynology) @ 100%
SEO Codes:	97 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 970104 Expanding Knowledge in the Earth Sciences @ 100%
Downloads:	Total: 5
	More Statistics