Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-1-2016
Publication Title
Biology Letters
Abstract
The macroevolutionary effects of extinction derive from both intensity of taxonomic losses and selectivity of losses with respect to ecology, physiology and/or higher taxonomy. Increasingly, palaeontologists are using logistic regression to quantify extinction selectivity because the selectivity metric is independent of extinction intensity and multiple predictor variables can be assessed simultaneously. We illustrate the use of logistic regression with an analysis of physiological buffering capacity and extinction risk in the Phanerozoic marine fossil record. We propose the geometric mean of extinction intensity and selectivity as a metric for the influence of extinction events. The end-Permian mass extinction had the largest influence on the physiological composition of the fauna owing to its combination of high intensity and strong selectivity. In addition to providing a quantitative measure of influence to compare among past events, this approach provides an avenue for quantifying the risk posed by the emerging biodiversity crisis that goes beyond a simple projection of taxonomic losses.
Keywords
Extinction, Macroevolution, Physiology
Volume
12
Issue
10
DOI
10.1098/rsbl.2016.0202
ISSN
17449561
Rights
© 2016 The Author(s)
Recommended Citation
Payne, Jonathan L.; Bush, Andrew M.; Chang, Ellen T.; Heim, Noel A.; Knope, Matthew L.; and Pruss, Sara B., "Extinction Intensity, Selectivity and Their Combined Macroevolutionary Influence in the Fossil Record" (2016). Geosciences: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/geo_facpubs/122
Comments
Archived as published. Open access article