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The latitudinal biodiversity gradient through deep time.

Philip D Mannion1, Paul Upchurch2, Roger B J Benson3

  • 1Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK.

Trends in Ecology & Evolution
|October 22, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Biodiversity generally decreases from the equator to the poles today. However, fossil records show this latitudinal biodiversity gradient (LBG) varied over time, peaking in temperate zones during warmer climates.

Keywords:
biogeographyclimatedinosaursgreenhouseicehousephanerozoicseasonality

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Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Ecology
  • Climate Science

Background:

  • A fundamental ecological pattern is the decrease in biodiversity from equatorial to polar regions.
  • Understanding this latitudinal biodiversity gradient (LBG) is crucial for predicting biodiversity loss due to climate change.
  • The causes of the current LBG remain largely unresolved.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the historical dynamics of the latitudinal biodiversity gradient using the fossil record.
  • To determine if the current pattern of high equatorial biodiversity is a long-term phenomenon.
  • To explore the relationship between past climate regimes and biodiversity distribution patterns.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of deep-time fossil records across the Phanerozoic.
  • Examination of spatiotemporal diversity fluctuations.
  • Correlation of biodiversity patterns with past climatic conditions (icehouse vs. greenhouse).

Main Results:

  • The current pattern of a tropical biodiversity peak is not persistent throughout the Phanerozoic.
  • This LBG pattern is primarily observed in specific intervals of the Palaeozoic and the last 30 million years.
  • Warmer "greenhouse" climates were associated with temperate diversity peaks or flattened gradients, unlike cooler "icehouse" climates.

Conclusions:

  • The latitudinal biodiversity gradient has varied significantly over geological timescales.
  • Past climate regimes strongly influenced global biodiversity distribution.
  • Understanding historical LBG dynamics is essential for contextualizing current biodiversity patterns and future changes.