A kill curve for Phanerozoic marine species.
Paleobiology
; 17(1): 37-48, 1991.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-11538288
ABSTRACT
A kill curve for Phanerozoic species is developed from an analysis of the stratigraphic ranges of 17,621 genera, as compiled by Sepkoski. The kill curve shows that a typical species' risk of extinction varies greatly, with most time intervals being characterized by very low risk. The mean extinction rate of 0.25/m.y. is thus a mixture of long periods of negligible extinction and occasional pulses of much higher rate. Because the kill curve is merely a description of the fossil record, it does not speak directly to the causes of extinction. The kill curve may be useful, however, to li¿mit choices of extinction mechanisms.
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Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Paleontologia
/
Modelos Estatísticos
/
Evolução Biológica
/
Fósseis
/
Biologia Marinha
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
1991
Tipo de documento:
Article