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2.
Biol Lett ; 12(4)2016 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27048464

ABSTRACT

Because anthropogenic impacts on ecological systems pre-date the oldest scientific observations, historical documents and archaeological records, understanding modern extinctions requires additional data sources that extend further back in time. Palaeoecological records, which provide quantitative proxy records of ecosystems prior to human impact, are essential for understanding recent extinctions and future extinction risks. Here we critically review the value of the most recent fossil record in contributing to our understanding of modern extinctions and illustrate through case studies how naturally occurring death assemblages and Holocene sedimentary records provide context to the plight of marine ecosystems. While palaeoecological data are inherently restricted censuses of past communities (manipulative experiments are not possible), they yield quantitative records over temporal scales that are beyond the reach of ecology. Only by including palaeoecological data is it possible to fully assess the role of long-term anthropogenic processes in driving modern extinction risk.


Subject(s)
Aquatic Organisms , Ecosystem , Extinction, Biological , Animals , Fossils , Humans , Oceans and Seas , Paleontology
3.
Sci Data ; 3: 160017, 2016 03 29.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-27023900

ABSTRACT

Trait-based approaches advance ecological and evolutionary research because traits provide a strong link to an organism's function and fitness. Trait-based research might lead to a deeper understanding of the functions of, and services provided by, ecosystems, thereby improving management, which is vital in the current era of rapid environmental change. Coral reef scientists have long collected trait data for corals; however, these are difficult to access and often under-utilized in addressing large-scale questions. We present the Coral Trait Database initiative that aims to bring together physiological, morphological, ecological, phylogenetic and biogeographic trait information into a single repository. The database houses species- and individual-level data from published field and experimental studies alongside contextual data that provide important framing for analyses. In this data descriptor, we release data for 56 traits for 1547 species, and present a collaborative platform on which other trait data are being actively federated. Our overall goal is for the Coral Trait Database to become an open-source, community-led data clearinghouse that accelerates coral reef research.


Subject(s)
Anthozoa , Databases, Factual , Animals , Coral Reefs , Ecosystem , Oceans and Seas , Phylogeny
4.
Proc Biol Sci ; 280(1750): 20121931, 2013 Jan 07.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23097514

ABSTRACT

Growing concern about biodiversity loss underscores the need to quantify and understand temporal change. Here, we review the opportunities presented by biodiversity time series, and address three related issues: (i) recognizing the characteristics of temporal data; (ii) selecting appropriate statistical procedures for analysing temporal data; and (iii) inferring and forecasting biodiversity change. With regard to the first issue, we draw attention to defining characteristics of biodiversity time series--lack of physical boundaries, uni-dimensionality, autocorrelation and directionality--that inform the choice of analytic methods. Second, we explore methods of quantifying change in biodiversity at different timescales, noting that autocorrelation can be viewed as a feature that sheds light on the underlying structure of temporal change. Finally, we address the transition from inferring to forecasting biodiversity change, highlighting potential pitfalls associated with phase-shifts and novel conditions.


Subject(s)
Biodiversity , Conservation of Natural Resources/methods , Animals , Conservation of Natural Resources/trends , Data Interpretation, Statistical , Plants , Time Factors
5.
Science ; 321(5885): 97-100, 2008 Jul 04.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-18599780

ABSTRACT

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.


Subject(s)
Biodiversity , Fossils , Invertebrates , Paleontology , Animals , Biological Evolution , Databases, Factual , Environment , Geography , Geologic Sediments , Invertebrates/classification , Paleontology/methods , Population Dynamics , Sampling Studies , Seawater , Time Factors
6.
Science ; 314(5803): 1289-92, 2006 Nov 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-17124319

ABSTRACT

Likelihood analyses of 1176 fossil assemblages of marine organisms from Phanerozoic (i.e., Cambrian to Recent) assemblages indicate a shift in typical relative-abundance distributions after the Paleozoic. Ecological theory associated with these abundance distributions implies that complex ecosystems are far more common among Meso-Cenozoic assemblages than among the Paleozoic assemblages that preceded them. This transition coincides not with any major change in the way fossils are preserved or collected but with a shift from communities dominated by sessile epifaunal suspension feeders to communities with elevated diversities of mobile and infaunal taxa. This suggests that the end-Permian extinction permanently altered prevailing marine ecosystem structure and precipitated high levels of ecological complexity and alpha diversity in the Meso-Cenozoic.


Subject(s)
Biodiversity , Ecosystem , Fossils , Invertebrates , Animals , Databases, Factual , Extinction, Biological , Likelihood Functions , Marine Biology , Population Density
7.
Science ; 312(5775): 897-900, 2006 May 12.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-16690862

ABSTRACT

Ecological interactions, such as predation and bioturbation, are thought to be fundamental determinants of macroevolutionary trends. A data set containing global occurrences of Phanerozoic fossils of benthic marine invertebrates shows escalatory trends in the relative frequency of ecological groups, such as carnivores and noncarnivorous infaunal or mobile organisms. Associations between these trends are either statistically insignificant or interpretable as preservational effects. Thus, there is no evidence that escalation drives macroecological trends at global and million-year time scales. We also find that taxonomic richness and occurrence data are cross-correlated, which justifies the traditional use of one as a proxy of the other.


Subject(s)
Biological Evolution , Ecosystem , Fossils , Invertebrates , Seawater , Animals , Biodiversity , Calcium Carbonate/analysis , Databases, Factual , Invertebrates/classification , Invertebrates/physiology , Locomotion , Predatory Behavior , Statistics as Topic
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