1
|
Henderson S, Dunne EM, Fasey SA, Giles S. The early diversification of ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii): hypotheses, challenges and future prospects. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:284-315. [PMID: 36192821 PMCID: PMC10091770 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Actinopterygii makes up half of living vertebrate diversity, and study of fossil members during their Palaeozoic rise to dominance has a long history of descriptive work. Although research interest into Palaeozoic actinopterygians has increased in recent years, broader patterns of diversity and diversity dynamics remain critically understudied. Past studies have investigated macroevolutionary trends in Palaeozoic actinopterygians in a piecemeal fashion, variably using existing compendia of vertebrates or literature-based searches. Here, we present a comprehensive occurrence-based dataset of actinopterygians spanning the whole of the Palaeozoic. We use this to produce the first through-Palaeozoic trends in genus and species counts for Actinopterygii. Diversity through time generally tracks metrics for sampling, while major taxonomic problems pervading the Palaeozoic actinopterygian record obscure diversity trends. Many described species are concentrated in several particularly problematic 'waste-basket' genera, hiding considerable morphological and taxonomic diversity. This taxonomic confusion also feeds into a limited understanding of phylogenetic relationships. A heavy sampling bias towards Europe and North America exists in both occurrence databases and available phylogenetic matrices, with other regions underrepresented despite yielding important data. Scrutiny of the extent to which spatial biases influence the actinopterygian record is lacking, as is research on other forms of bias. Low richness in some time periods may be linked to geological biases, while the effects of taphonomic biases on Palaeozoic actinopterygians have not yet been investigated. Efforts are already underway both to redescribe poorly defined taxa and to describe taxa from underrepresented regions, helping to address taxonomic issues and accuracy of occurrence data. New methods of sampling standardisation utilising up-to-date occurrence databases will be critical in teasing apart biological changes in diversity and those resulting from bias. Lastly, continued phylogenetic work will enable the use of phylogenetic comparative methods to elucidate the origins of actinopterygian biogeography and subsequent patterns of radiation throughout their rise to dominate aquatic faunas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Struan Henderson
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Emma M Dunne
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.,GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), Loewenichstraße 28, Erlangen, 91054, Germany
| | - Sophie A Fasey
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Sam Giles
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.,Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Jones LA, Dean CD, Mannion PD, Farnsworth A, Allison PA. Spatial sampling heterogeneity limits the detectability of deep time latitudinal biodiversity gradients. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202762. [PMID: 33622126 PMCID: PMC7934898 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The latitudinal biodiversity gradient (LBG), in which species richness decreases from tropical to polar regions, is a pervasive pattern of the modern biosphere. Although the distribution of fossil occurrences suggests this pattern has varied through deep time, the recognition of palaeobiogeographic patterns is hampered by geological and anthropogenic biases. In particular, spatial sampling heterogeneity has the capacity to impact upon the reconstruction of deep time LBGs. Here we use a simulation framework to test the detectability of three different types of LBG (flat, unimodal and bimodal) over the last 300 Myr. We show that heterogeneity in spatial sampling significantly impacts upon the detectability of genuine LBGs, with known biodiversity patterns regularly obscured after applying the spatial sampling window of fossil collections. Sampling-standardization aids the reconstruction of relative biodiversity gradients, but cannot account for artefactual absences introduced by geological and anthropogenic biases. Therefore, we argue that some previous studies might have failed to recover the ‘true’ LBG type owing to incomplete and heterogeneous sampling, particularly between 200 and 20 Ma. Furthermore, these issues also have the potential to bias global estimates of past biodiversity, as well as inhibit the recognition of extinction and radiation events.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lewis A Jones
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Christopher D Dean
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Philip D Mannion
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - Peter A Allison
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Close RA, Benson RBJ, Saupe EE, Clapham ME, Butler RJ. The spatial structure of Phanerozoic marine animal diversity. Science 2020; 368:420-424. [PMID: 32327597 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay8309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The global fossil record of marine animals has fueled long-standing debates about diversity change through time and the drivers of this change. However, the fossil record is not truly global. It varies considerably in geographic scope and in the sampling of environments among intervals of geological time. We account for this variability using a spatially explicit approach to quantify regional-scale diversity through the Phanerozoic. Among-region variation in diversity is comparable to variation through time, and much of this is explained by environmental factors, particularly the extent of reefs. By contrast, influential hypotheses of diversity change through time, including sustained long-term increases, have little explanatory power. Modeling the spatial structure of the fossil record transforms interpretations of Phanerozoic diversity patterns and their macroevolutionary explanations. This necessitates a refocus of deep-time diversification studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R A Close
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
| | - R B J Benson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
| | - E E Saupe
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
| | - M E Clapham
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, UC Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - R J Butler
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Close RA, Benson RBJ, Alroy J, Carrano MT, Cleary TJ, Dunne EM, Mannion PD, Uhen MD, Butler RJ. The apparent exponential radiation of Phanerozoic land vertebrates is an artefact of spatial sampling biases. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200372. [PMID: 32259471 PMCID: PMC7209054 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
There is no consensus about how terrestrial biodiversity was assembled through deep time, and in particular whether it has risen exponentially over the Phanerozoic. Using a database of 60 859 fossil occurrences, we show that the spatial extent of the worldwide terrestrial tetrapod fossil record itself expands exponentially through the Phanerozoic. Changes in spatial sampling explain up to 67% of the change in known fossil species counts, and these changes are decoupled from variation in habitable land area that existed through time. Spatial sampling therefore represents a real and profound sampling bias that cannot be explained as redundancy. To address this bias, we estimate terrestrial tetrapod diversity for palaeogeographical regions of approximately equal size. We find that regional-scale diversity was constrained over timespans of tens to hundreds of millions of years, and similar patterns are recovered for major subgroups, such as dinosaurs, mammals and squamates. Although the Cretaceous/Palaeogene mass extinction catalysed an abrupt two- to three-fold increase in regional diversity 66 million years ago, no further increases occurred, and recent levels of regional diversity do not exceed those of the Palaeogene. These results parallel those recovered in analyses of local community-level richness. Taken together, our findings strongly contradict past studies that suggested unbounded diversity increases at local and regional scales over the last 100 million years.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roger A Close
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Roger B J Benson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
| | - John Alroy
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia
| | - Matthew T Carrano
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - Terri J Cleary
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Emma M Dunne
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Philip D Mannion
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Mark D Uhen
- Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
| | - Richard J Butler
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Vrazo MB, Diefendorf AF, Crowley BE, Czaja AD. Late Cretaceous marine arthropods relied on terrestrial organic matter as a food source: Geochemical evidence from the Coon Creek Lagerstätte in the Mississippi Embayment. GEOBIOLOGY 2018; 16:160-178. [PMID: 29350453 DOI: 10.1111/gbi.12270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The Upper Cretaceous Coon Creek Lagerstätte of Tennessee, USA, is known for its extremely well-preserved mollusks and decapod crustaceans. However, the depositional environment of this unit, particularly its distance to the shoreline, has long been equivocal. To better constrain the coastal proximity of the Coon Creek Formation, we carried out a multiproxy geochemical analysis of fossil decapod (crab, mud shrimp) cuticle and associated sediment from the type section. Elemental analysis and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of kerogenized carbon in the crabs and mud shrimp; carbon isotope (δ13 C) analysis of bulk decapod cuticle yielded similar mean δ13 C values for both taxa (-25.1‰ and -26‰, respectively). Sedimentary biomarkers were composed of n-alkanes from C16 to C36 , with the short-chain n-alkanes dominating, as well as other biomarkers (pristane, phytane, hopanes). Raman spectra and biomarker thermal maturity indices suggest that the Coon Creek Formation sediments are immature, which supports retention of unaltered, biogenic isotopic signals in the fossil organic carbon remains. Using our isotopic results and published calcium carbonate δ13 C values, we modeled carbon isotope values of carbon sources in the Coon Creek Formation, including potential marine (phytoplankton) and terrestrial (plant) dietary sources. Coon Creek Formation decapod δ13 C values fall closer to those estimated for terrigenous plants than marine phytoplankton, indicating that these organisms were feeding primarily on terrigenous organic matter. From this model, we infer that the Coon Creek Formation experienced significant terrigenous organic matter input via a freshwater source and thus was deposited in a shallow, nearshore marine environment proximal to the shoreline. This study helps refine the paleoecology of nearshore settings in the Mississippi Embayment during the global climatic shift in the late Campanian-early Maastrichtian and demonstrates for the first time that organic δ13 C signatures in exceptionally preserved fossil marine arthropods are a viable proxy for use in paleoenvironmental reconstructions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- M B Vrazo
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - A F Diefendorf
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - B E Crowley
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - A D Czaja
- Department of Geology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Close RA, Benson RBJ, Upchurch P, Butler RJ. Controlling for the species-area effect supports constrained long-term Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrate diversification. Nat Commun 2017; 8:15381. [PMID: 28530240 PMCID: PMC5458146 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2016] [Accepted: 03/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Variation in the geographic spread of fossil localities strongly biases inferences about the evolution of biodiversity, due to the ubiquitous scaling of species richness with area. This obscures answers to key questions, such as how tetrapods attained their tremendous extant diversity. Here, we address this problem by applying sampling standardization methods to spatial regions of equal size, within a global Mesozoic-early Palaeogene data set of non-flying terrestrial tetrapods. We recover no significant increase in species richness between the Late Triassic and the Cretaceous/Palaeogene (K/Pg) boundary, strongly supporting bounded diversification in Mesozoic tetrapods. An abrupt tripling of richness in the earliest Palaeogene suggests that this diversity equilibrium was reset following the K/Pg extinction. Spatial heterogeneity in sampling is among the most important biases of fossil data, but has often been overlooked. Our results indicate that controlling for variance in geographic spread in the fossil record significantly impacts inferred patterns of diversity through time. Species richness increases with area sampled, potentially confounding biodiversity patterns from the fossil record. Here, the authors standardize spatial sampling to control for this bias and show that terrestrial vertebrate diversification was bounded during the Mesozoic but that equilibria were reset following the K/Pg extinction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Roger A Close
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Roger B J Benson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
| | - Paul Upchurch
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Richard J Butler
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Holt BG, Jønsson KA. Reconciling hierarchical taxonomy with molecular phylogenies. Syst Biol 2014; 63:1010-7. [PMID: 25139888 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syu061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Ben G Holt
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot SL5 7PY; and Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Knud Andreas Jønsson
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot SL5 7PY; and Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot SL5 7PY; and Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Abstract
Inference of past and present global biodiversity requires enough global data to distinguish biological pattern from sampling artifact. Pertinently, many studies have exposed correlated relationships between richness and sampling in the fossil record, and methods to circumvent these biases have been proposed. Yet, these studies often ignore paleobiogeography, which is undeniably a critical component of ancient global diversity. Alarmingly, our global analysis of 481,613 marine fossils spread throughout the Phanerozoic reveals that where localities are and how intensively they have been sampled almost completely determines empirical spatial patterns of richness, suggesting no separation of biological pattern from sampling pattern. To overcome this, we analyze diversity using occurrence records drawn from two discrete paleolatitudinal bands which cover the bulk of the fossil data. After correcting the data for sampling bias, we find that these two bands have similar patterns of richness despite markedly different spatial coverage. Our findings suggest that i) long-term diversity trends result from large-scale tectonic evolution of the planet, ii) short-term diversity trends are region-specific, and iii) paleodiversity studies must constrain their analyses to well-sampled regions to uncover patterns not driven by sampling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daril A. Vilhena
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Andrew B. Smith
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, England, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|