Abstract:

Palaeontologists have debated for over fifty years whether the fossil record is adequate to document the diversification of life. One view has been that the record is so heterogeneous that any signal would be misleading, whereas others have accepted that fossils broadly tell the true story. The debate had reached an impasse. In our new work, published in Nature in July 2022, we use a mechanistic model, combining palaeogeographic maps, temperature and productivity data to map out biodiversity hotspots through the entire Phanerozoic. The model runs from the Cambrian (~550 million years ago) to the present day and predicts current marine biodiversity distribution. We argue that this non-biological mechanistic model then gives an accurate plot of the trajectory of palaeobiodiversity and in fact confirms that the fossil record retains a strong signal of reality.

While we look forward to seeing you all in-person in G27, the seminar will also be available via Zoom. However online participants will not be able to engage fully in live discussion or Q&A.

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https://bristol-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/96754760291