doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.1302

Published online <http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/content/3x081w5n5358qj01/fulltext.pdf >

A long-term association between global temperature and biodiversity, origination

and extinction in the fossil record

Peter J. Mayhew 1,*, Gareth B. Jenkins 1 and Timothy G. Benton 2

1 Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5YW, UK

2 Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK

Abstract: We found that global biodiversity (the richness of families and genera) is related to temperature and has been relatively low during warm 'greenhouse' phases, while during the same phases extinction and origination rates of taxonomic lineages have been relatively high. These findings are consistent for terrestrial and marine environments and are robust to a number of alternative assumptions and potential biases. Our results provide the first clear evidence that global climate may explain substantial variation in the fossil record in a simple and consistent manner. Our findings may have implications for extinction and biodiversity change under future climate warming.

See full article at <http://www.journals.royalsoc.ac.uk/content/3x081w5n5358qj01/fulltext.pdf >

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