Geographic range did not confer resilience to extinction in terrestrial vertebrates at the end-Triassic crisis

Dunhill, Alexander M.; Wills, Matthew A.

doi:10.1038/ncomms8980

Cited by 29 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Alternatively, perhaps there truly was no selection acting on these traits. It is possible that other characteristics were influential, such as geographical range size, but previous studies of terrestrial vertebrates during the Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction have suggested this is not the case (Dunhill & Wills ). Our finding of phylogenetic clustering of extinction in the Archosauromorpha might be a result of sampling bias rather than selective extinction (Soul & Friedman ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Geographical factors such as range size and occupied latitude have also been suggested, as these traits may influence survival during spatially heterogeneous disturbances (Erwin ; Powell ; Jablonski ). However, some authors have suggested that few, if any, traits reduce extinction risk during mass extinctions (Jablonski ; Dunhill & Wills ). In addition, most of these studies have focused on marine taxa, and extinction selectivity in the terrestrial realm in deep time has only recently come under investigation.…”

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Archosauromorph extinction selectivity during the Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction

et al. 2018

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Many traits have been linked to extinction risk among modern vertebrates, including mode of life and body size. However, previous work has indicated there is little evidence that body size, or any other trait, was selective during past mass extinctions. Here, we investigate the impact of the Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction on early Archosauromorpha (basal dinosaurs, crocodylomorphs and their relatives) by focusing on body size and other life history traits. We built several new archosauromorph maximum‐likelihood supertrees, incorporating uncertainty in phylogenetic relationships. These supertrees were then employed as a framework to test whether extinction had a phylogenetic signal during the Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction, and whether species with certain traits were more or less likely to go extinct. We find evidence for phylogenetic signal in extinction, in that taxa were more likely to become extinct if a close relative also did. However, there is no correlation between extinction and body size, or any other tested trait. These conclusions add to previous findings that body size, and other traits, were not subject to selection during mass extinctions in closely‐related clades, although the phylogenetic signal in extinction indicates that selection may have acted on traits not investigated here.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Archosauromorph extinction selectivity during the Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction

et al. 2018

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“…All the novel network models show a cosmopolitan distribution of dinosaurian taxa through the Triassic, Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, albeit one that is obscured by variation in spatiotemporal sampling intensity. The widely accepted poorly sampled Middle Jurassic and early-Late Cretaceous (Wang & Dodson, 2006;Barrett et al, 2009;Upchurch et al, 2011;Benson et al, 2013;Stubbs et al, 2013;Dunhill & Wills, 2015;Starrfelt & Liow, 2015) time bins stand out as periods of apparent low biogeographical connectivity in all the network models. The first-step models echo the novel connection network 'cosmopolitanism' up until the earliest Cretaceous, a result that is consistent with other studies (Ezcurra & Agnolin, 2012a), before we see a sharp decline in the number of 'first steps' leading into the Aptian-Albian.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dinosaur biogeographical structure and Mesozoic continental fragmentation: a network‐based approach

Dunhill

Bestwick

Narey

et al. 2016

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim To reconstruct dinosaur macro‐biogeographical patterns through the Mesozoic Era using a network‐based approach. We test how continental fragmentation affected dinosaur macro‐biogeographical structure and evolutionary rates. Location A global occurrence database of dinosaur families from the Late Triassic to the end‐Cretaceous was used for this study. Methods Biogeographical and geographical network models were constructed. Continental landmasses were linked by direct continental contact and sea level (SL)‐conditioned connections in geographical networks, and by shared dinosaur families in biogeographical networks. Biogeographical networks were run with raw, novel and first‐step connections for all dinosaur, ornithischian, theropod, and sauropodomorph taxa. Results Geographical connectedness declines through time, from peak aggregation in the Triassic–Jurassic to complete separation in the latest Cretaceous. Biogeographical connectedness shows no common trend in the raw and novel connection network models, but decreases through time while showing some correlation with continental fragmentation in most of the first‐step network models. Despite continental isolation and high SLs, intercontinental faunal exchange continued right up to the end of the Cretaceous. Continental fragmentation and dinosaurian macro‐biogeographical structure do not share a common pattern with dinosaurian evolutionary rates, although there is evidence that increased continental isolation resulted in increased origination rates in some dinosaurian lineages. Spatiotemporal sampling biases and early Mesozoic establishment of family‐level distribution patterns are important drivers of apparent dinosaur macro‐biogeographical structure. Main conclusions There is some evidence to suggest that dinosaur macro‐biogeographical structure was influenced by continental fragmentation, although intercontinental exchange of dinosaur faunas appears to have continued up to the end of the Cretaceous. Macro‐biogeographical patterns are obscured by uneven geographical sampling through time and a residual earlier Mesozoic distribution which is sustained up to the end of the Cretaceous.

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“…This concern can be 271 manifold, but the two most pertinent issues here involve incomplete sampling and/or issues of 272 stratigraphic bias. While it is important to be aware of the fact that the fossil record is 273 incomplete, it is worth recognizing that there is a large body of research that demonstrates that 274 many of the biogeographic patterns preserved in the fossil record, particularly in marine settings, 275 represent real biological phenomena, rather than taphonomic artifacts (Myers & Lieberman, 276 2011;Rook, Heim, & Marcot, 2013;Dunhill & Wills, 2015), although that does not mean that 277 such artifacts played no role in this study. Further, it is also prudent to realize that sampling bias 278 is a common issue in studies of extant biodiversity and species distribution, and much work 279 needs to be done in this area to alleviate the biases of the extant biota (Lieberman, 2002; 280 Carrasco, 2013).…”

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Peer Review #2 of "Using GIS to examine biogeographic and macroevolutionary patterns in some late Paleozoic cephalopods from the North American Midcontinent Sea (v0.1)"

Powell¹

2019

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Geographic range is an important macroevolutionary parameter frequently considered in paleontological studies as species' distributions and range sizes are determined by a variety of biotic and abiotic factors well known to affect the differential birth and death of species. Thus, considering how distributions and range sizes fluctuate over time can provide important insight into evolutionary dynamics. This study uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and analyses of evolutionary rates to examine how in some species within the Cephalopoda, an important pelagic clade, geographic range size and rates of speciation and extinction changed throughout the Pennsylvanian and early Permian in the North American Midcontinent Sea. This period is particularly interesting for biogeographic and evolutionary studies because it is characterized by repetitive interglacial-glacial cycles, a global transition from an icehouse to a greenhouse climate during the Late Paleozoic Ice Age, and decelerated macroevolutionary dynamics, i.e. low speciation and extinction rates. The analyses presented herein indicate that cephalopod species diversity was not completely static and actually fluctuated throughout the Pennsylvanian and early Permian, matching findings from other studies. However, contrary to some other studies, the mean geographic ranges of cephalopod species did not change significantly through time, despite numerous climate oscillations; further, geographic range size did not correlate with rates of speciation and extinction. These results suggest that pelagic organisms may have responded differently to late Paleozoic climate changes than benthic organisms, although additional consideration of this issue is needed. Finally, these results indicate that, at least in the case of cephalopods, macroevolution during the late Paleozoic was more dynamic than previously characterized, and patterns may have varied across different clades during this interval. PeerJ reviewing PDF | (Abstract 24 25 Geographic range is an important macroevolutionary parameter frequently considered in 26 paleontological studies as species' distributions and range sizes are determined by a variety of 27 biotic and abiotic factors well known to affect the differential birth and death of species. Thus, 28 considering how distributions and range sizes fluctuate over time can provide important insight 29 into evolutionary dynamics. This study uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and analyses 30 of evolutionary rates to examine how in some species within the Cephalopoda, an important 31 pelagic clade, geographic range size and rates of speciation and extinction changed throughout 32 the Pennsylvanian and early Permian in the North American Midcontinent Sea. This period is 33 particularly interesting for biogeographic and evolutionary studies because it is characterized by 34 repetitive interglacial-glacial cycles, a global transition from an icehouse to a greenhouse climate 35 during the Late Paleozoic Ice Age, and decelerated macroevolutionary dynamics, i...

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Geographic range did not confer resilience to extinction in terrestrial vertebrates at the end-Triassic crisis

Cited by 29 publications

References 67 publications

Archosauromorph extinction selectivity during the Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction

Archosauromorph extinction selectivity during the Triassic–Jurassic mass extinction

Dinosaur biogeographical structure and Mesozoic continental fragmentation: a network‐based approach

Peer Review #2 of "Using GIS to examine biogeographic and macroevolutionary patterns in some late Paleozoic cephalopods from the North American Midcontinent Sea (v0.1)"

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