UCL Discovery Stage
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery Stage

The spatiotemporal distribution of Mesozoic dinosaur diversity

Mannion, Philip D; (2024) The spatiotemporal distribution of Mesozoic dinosaur diversity. Biology Letters (In press). Green open access

[thumbnail of Mannion_Dinosaur_diversity_MS_accepted.pdf]
Preview
Text
Mannion_Dinosaur_diversity_MS_accepted.pdf

Download (327kB) | Preview

Abstract

Much of our view on Mesozoic dinosaur diversity is obscured by biases in the fossil record. In particular, spatiotemporal sampling heterogeneity affects identification of the timing and geographical location of radiations, the recognition of the latitudinal diversity gradient, as well as interpretation of purported extinctions, faunal turnovers, and their drivers, including the Early Jurassic Jenkyns Event and across the Jurassic/Cretaceous boundary. The current distribution of sampling means it is impossible to robustly determine whether these ‘events’ were globally synchronous and geologically instantaneous, or spatiotemporally staggered. Accounting for sampling heterogeneity is also paramount to reconciling notable differences in results based on sampling-standardised dinosaur species richness versus reconstructions of diversification rates, particularly with regards to the lead-up to the Cretaceous/Paleogene mass extinction. Incorporation of a greater proportion of stratigraphically well-resolved dinosaurs into analyses is also imperative and must include the substantial Mesozoic radiation of birds. Given the relative rarity of temporally successive, well-sampled spatial windows, it remains possible that dinosaur species richness and diversification rate showed little change after the clade’s initial radiation until the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary. However, better understanding of underlying sampling, combined with a holistic approach to reconstructing dinosaur diversity and diversification, is an important step in testing this hypothesis.

Type: Article
Title: The spatiotemporal distribution of Mesozoic dinosaur diversity
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Publisher version: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/journal/rsbl
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author-accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Common cause hypothesis, Dinosauria, Diversity, Extinction, Latitudinal diversity gradient, Mesozoic
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences > Dept of Earth Sciences
URI: https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10200202
Downloads since deposit
4,968Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item