Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joseph T. Flannery-Sutherland, Daniele Silvestro, Michael J. Benton
Summary: Global diversity trends in the fossil record vary regionally and temporally, and are affected by spatial sampling bias. This study proposes a method to eliminate this bias and estimate origination and extinction rates, generating more accurate diversity estimates. The results reveal that even during global biotic upheavals, origination and extinction rates are regionally heterogeneous, emphasizing the importance of considering spatially explicit macroevolutionary processes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Roger B. J. Benson, Richard Butler, Roger A. Close, Erin Saupe, Daniel L. Rabosky
Summary: The fossil record is the primary source of information on biodiversity over time, but interpretations of diversity patterns are debated due to spatial and temporal patchiness. Focusing on global diversity alone cannot untangle the signals of ecological drivers at different scales, necessitating a shift towards spatially explicit investigations. Research has shown stability in species richness variation among environments and potential climatic drivers of biodiversity change.
Article
Fisheries
Adele Paillard, Kenshu Shimada, Catalina Pimiento
Summary: The study assesses the representation and extent of the fossil record of living elasmobranchs in oceans, revealing that threatened species have significantly older fossil records. The fossil record extends deep into geologic time, especially for threatened sharks, providing insights into how species facing extinction have responded to past stressors.
JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Conrad C. Labandeira
Summary: The fossil record of insect and mite galls on land plants demonstrates a rich history of evolution with periods of extinction and prosperity. From ancient times to the present, the diversity and distribution of galls have evolved continuously, influenced by environmental changes and interactions between fauna and flora.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
C. A. Sidor, J. A. Mcintosh, B. M. Gee, W. R. Hammer, P. J. Makovicky, N. D. Smith, R. M. H. Smith, N. J. Tabor, M. R. Whitney, C. H. Woolley
Summary: The Permian-Triassic rocks in the Transantarctic Basin offer a valuable record of high latitude paleoenvironments and terrestrial vertebrate faunas. This study summarizes the taxonomic and paleoecological implications of collected vertebrate fossils and presents new geological observations. The results reveal the similarities and differences between the Fremouw Formation and the Karoo Basin, as well as provide insights into the depositional environments and diagenetic alterations of these formations.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bethany J. Allen, Matthew E. Clapham, Erin E. Saupe, Paul B. Wignall, Daniel J. Hill, Alexander M. Dunhill
Summary: Understanding spatial variation in origination and extinction rates is crucial for understanding macroevolutionary patterns. In this study, we develop and test metrics for regional analysis and apply them to the Permian and Triassic marine invertebrate record to examine variation in extinction and origination rates across latitudes. Our results show that extinction and origination rates were generally uniform across latitudes for these time intervals, cautioning against attributing observed differences to contrasting evolutionary dynamics. We also find that origination and extinction levels were more variable across clades than across latitudes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gilles Didier, Michel Laurin
Summary: The new method takes into account the possibility of diversification before extinction and estimates extinction times using the entire phylogenetic tree, resulting in more accurate confidence intervals. The approach is applied to study the extinction time of three Permo-Carboniferous synapsid taxa, supporting the idea of a progressive decline in biodiversity throughout the late Kungurian.
Article
Plant Sciences
Raman Patel, Taposhi Hazra, Rajendra Singh Rana, Manoshi Hazra, Subir Bera, Mahasin Ali Khan
Summary: This study reports the fossil leaf remains of Morus from the early Eocene sediments of India, indicating the presence of tropical-subtropical evergreen forests in the region during that time. However, due to drastic climate and latitudinal changes, mulberry declined from the present-day vegetation in the area.
REVIEW OF PALAEOBOTANY AND PALYNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Sarah Trubovitz, Johan Renaudie, David Lazarus, Paula J. Noble
Summary: Contrary to the expectation of neutral theory, the abundance or rarity of species in the fossil record does not predict their longevity in ocean ecosystems. Limited empirical studies have shown that species with low abundances are not necessarily more prone to extinction.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Simon A. F. Darroch, Alison T. Cribb, Luis A. Buatois, Gerard J. B. Germs, Charlotte G. Kenchington, Emily F. Smith, Helke Mocke, Gretchen R. O'Neil, James D. Schiffbauer, Katie M. Maloney, Rachel A. Racicot, Katherine A. Turk, Brandt M. Gibson, John Almond, Bryce Koester, Tom H. Boag, Sarah M. Tweedt, Marc Laflamme
Summary: The Ediacaran-Cambrian transition is a significant geobiological revolution in Earth history, involving multiple waves of evolutionary radiation and apparent mass extinctions. Factors such as ecosystem engineering, trace fossils, and bioturbation may have played crucial roles during this period.
EARTH-SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jack Salisbury, Darren R. Grocke, H. D. R. Ashleigh Cheung, Lee R. Kump, Tom McKie, Alastair Ruffell
Summary: Despite the extensive use of sulphur isotope ratios (delta S-34) for understanding ancient biogeochemical cycles, this study focuses on generating an 80 million-year Permian-Triassic delta S-34(evap) curve and incorporating it into a sulphur isotope box model. The model reveals three significant pyrite burial events in the Triassic and predicts a substantial increase in pyrite burial across the end-Permian mass extinction, possibly driven by Siberian Traps volcanism.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Melanie J. Hopkins, Peter J. Wagner, Katherine J. Jordan
Summary: Some taxa are considered living fossils because they were known from the fossil record before being discovered alive today or because their modern relatives bear a strong resemblance to fossil relatives. However, the questions inspired by living fossils can be applied to any clade, including completely extinct ones. It is unnecessary to restrict research programs to clades for which an extant member meets the criteria of a living fossil.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Victor J. Perez
Summary: This study evaluates the completeness of the chondrichthyan fossil record in Florida based on the collection at the Florida Museum of Natural History. The analysis reveals pervasive sampling bias and an apparent turnover in the chondrichthyan fauna during the Eocene period.
Article
Geography, Physical
Xueqian Feng, Zhong-Qiang Chen, Laishi Zhao, Zhongwu Lan
Summary: The study describes Guadalupian (middle Permian) ichnoassemblages, identifying multiple facies and trace types, indicating biodiversity and behavioral diversity. Changes in traces from the Permian to Middle Triassic suggest potential ichnological evolution.
GLOBAL AND PLANETARY CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
Bryan M. Gee, Christian A. Sidor
Summary: Following the Permo-Triassic mass extinction, the fossil record of temnospondyl amphibians reveals extensive taxic and ecological diversity, with most records found in high paleolatitudinal settings. The discovery of Dissorophoid fossil in Antarctica indicates that high-latitude environments served as refugia for temnospondyls during the mass extinction event. This finding suggests a poorly sampled distribution of amphibamiforms and small-bodied temnospondyls in early Mesozoic deposits on southern Pangea.
JOURNAL OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Michael A. A. Taylor, Michael J. J. Benton
Summary: This article presents a previously unpublished anonymous manuscript memoir of Mary Anning's life, written by George Roberts. The evidence suggests that Roberts wrote the obituary of Anning and also painted her portrait. It is also mentioned that Henry De la Beche published another obituary of Anning.
JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael J. Benton
Summary: A recent study reveals that top predators in Southern Africa underwent successive replacement during the late Permian period, indicating that ecological crisis preceded the mass extinction.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mao Luo, Zhen Li, Mu Su, Geoffrey Michael Gadd, Zongjun Yin, Michael J. Benton, Yanhong Pan, Daran Zheng, Tao Zhao, Zibo Li, Yuxuan Chen
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yuangeng Huang, Zhong-Qiang Chen, Peter D. Roopnarine, Michael J. Benton, Laishi Zhao, Xueqian Feng, Zhenhua Li
Summary: The history of Earth's biodiversity has been marked by periodic mass extinctions, with major declines in species richness. However, the accompanying ecological collapse has seldom been quantitatively evaluated. The Permian-Triassic mass extinction, as the largest known extinction event, permanently changed marine ecosystems and facilitated the transition from the Paleozoic to Mesozoic faunas. This extinction event provides insight into the relationship between species richness and ecological dynamics during severe extinctions, but the ecological collapse during this event has not been thoroughly examined.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Shenyuan Peng, Jian Liu, Michael J. Benton, Xin Jin, Zhiqiang Shi
Summary: Abundant new dinosaur tracks were discovered at the Tianquan track site in the western Sichuan Basin, China, providing valuable information about dinosaurs from the Late Triassic. The tracks belong to small theropod dinosaurs and are dated to the mid-Norian age of 218.4 +/- 4.7 million years ago.
Article
Geography, Physical
Wen Wen, Qiyue Zhang, Juergen Kriwet, Shixue Hu, Changyong Zhou, Jinyuan Huang, Xindong Cui, Xiao Min, Michael J. Benton
Summary: Hybodont sharks were successful chondrichthyan lineages that existed from the Devonian to the Late Cretaceous. The article describes three taxa of hybodontid sharks and provides information on the tooth replacement rate in the Mesozoic of China.
PALAEOGEOGRAPHY PALAEOCLIMATOLOGY PALAEOECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Paleontology
Susana Gutarra, Thomas L. Stubbs, Benjamin C. Moon, Beatrice H. Heighton, Michael J. Benton
Summary: The evolution of locomotion in Mesozoic marine reptiles is characterized by two divergent paths, with a gradual increase in locomotory disparity throughout the Mesozoic. Aquatic specialization is observed in early ichthyosauromorphs, and there is overlap in morphospace between mosasauroids and ichthyosauromorphs.
Article
Paleontology
Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, Robert A. Coram, Michael J. Benton
Summary: Rhynchosaurs were dominant herbivores in the Middle and Late Triassic, and their successful ecological expansion and global extinction were influenced by their unique dentition. The CT scanning of Bentonyx sidensis skull revealed concealed details of their teeth, allowing us to study the tooth replacement process and understand the changes in dentition and jaw morphology as they aged.
Article
Geology
James Tayler, Christopher J. Duffin, Claudia Hildebrandt, Adam Parker, Michael J. Benton
Summary: The Rhaetian succession of Doniford Bay, North Somerset, a site of fossils for over 200 years, has not been described in detail. There are two bone beds, with significant differences in sedimentary and paleontological characteristics. The upper bone bed shows rich organic matter and an absence of calcite, suggesting a deeper location of deposition and differing faunal composition compared to the lower bone bed.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGISTS ASSOCIATION
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sukuan Hou, Qinqin Shi, Michael J. Benton, Nikos Solounias
Summary: Wang et al. (Research Articles, 3 June 2022, eabl8316) reported on a fossil of an early Miocene animal that displayed head-butting behavior, suggesting that sexual selection drove the evolution of head-neck structures in giraffoids. However, we argue that this animal is not a giraffoid, thus weakening the support for the hypothesis of sexual selection in giraffoid head-neck evolution.
Article
Ecology
Yimeng Li, Andrew Brinkworth, Emily Green, Jack Oyston, Matthew Wills, Marcello Ruta
Summary: By studying the serial differentiation of the presacral column across 1,136 extant mammal species, the authors found evidence of high within-group variation and an evolutionary trend towards increasing complexity. The complexity of organisms has undoubtedly increased through evolutionary time, but it is unclear whether this increase is a diffusive process or driven by parallel increases in most lineages. Highly differentiated and serially repeated structures, such as vertebrae, provide a useful system to investigate these patterns.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jozef Klembara, Marcello Ruta, Jason Anderson, Taran Mayer, Miroslav Hain, Daniel Valaska
Summary: This study redescribes the holotype and only known specimen of Coelostegus prothales using photogrammetric scanning and virtual 3D rendition. New information on several skull and jaw bones is provided, allowing for the correct identification of previously undetected or mis-identified elements. The phylogenetic position of Coelostegus and its relationships with protorothyridid amniotes are still uncertain. This study discusses the implications of different phylogenetic results for our understanding of early amniote relationships.
Article
Biology
Zixiao Yang, Baoyu Jiang, Michael J. J. Benton, Xing Xu, Maria E. E. McNamara, David W. E. Hone
Summary: Pterosaurs displayed a wide range of body sizes, with some reaching sizes comparable to small airplanes. The growth strategies that allowed these giant pterosaurs to attain their large adult sizes are largely unknown. This study examines the wing development and performance of different pterosaur species, revealing differences in growth patterns and suggesting a shift towards enhanced parental care as a possible factor in allowing the evolution of large body sizes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhen Guo, Joseph T. Flannery-Sutherland, Michael J. Benton, Zhong-Qiang Chen
Summary: Using Bayesian analyses, this study finds that brachiopods and bivalves displayed similar large-scale trends of diversification before the Jurassic period. The extinction of major brachiopod clades during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction set the stage for the switch from brachiopods to bivalves, with high ocean temperatures post-extinction further facilitating the displacement of brachiopods by bivalves.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Antonio Ballell, Bohao Mai, Michael J. Benton
Summary: Ankylosaurs were important megaherbivores in Jurassic and Cretaceous ecosystems. This study investigated the skull biomechanics and feeding function of ankylosaurs, revealing diet partitioning between different ankylosaur clades and divergent evolutionary pathways in skull biomechanics.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)