2007/04/30 by Bruce S. Lieberman, Adrian L. Melott · 4 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Physics and Astronomy · #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Geology and Paleoclimatology Research #Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils #astro-ph #physics.geo-ph #q-bio.PE
paper · pdf · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000759
published as PLoS ONE 2(8): e759 (2007) · Minor modifications to reflect final published version
openalex publication_date 2007/08/21 · arxiv created 2007/08/22 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We re-examine the evidence for a 62 million year (Myr) periodicity in biodiversity throughout the Phanerozoic history of animal life reported by, as well as related questions of periodicity in origination and extinction. We find that the signal is robust against variations in methods of analysis, and is based on fluctuations in the Paleozoic and a substantial part of the Mesozoic. Examination of origination and extinction is somewhat ambiguous, with results depending upon procedure. Origination and extinction intensity as defined by may be affected by an artifact at 27 Myr in the duration of stratigraphic intervals. Nevertheless, when a procedure free of this artifact is implemented, the 27 Myr periodicity appears in origination, suggesting that the artifact may ultimately be based on a signal in the data. A 62 Myr feature appears in extinction, when this same procedure is used. We conclude that evidence for a periodicity at 62 Myr is robust, and evidence for periodicity at approximately 27 Myr is also present, albeit more ambiguous.