Plate tectonic regulation of global marine animal diversity
Open accessAbstract
Significance: Understanding the processes that govern biodiversity is a central goal of biology. It has been hypothesized that global biodiversity is influenced by tectonically driven shifts in the arrangement of continental crust. We use globally distributed fossil data and quantitative analyses of shifting continental configurations in paleogeographic reconstructions to test this hypothesis. A significant component of the trajectory of marine animal diversity over the past 443 million years is attributable to the assembly and disassembly of the supercontinent Pangaea.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Zaffos et al. (2017) confirmed the view of Valentine and Moores (1972) that plate tectonics regulate biodiversity.
“Using the same line of evidence, Zaffos et al. (2017) confirmed the view of Valentine and Moores (1972) that plate tectonics regulate biodiversity, by using global databases to test an old model developed half a century ago.”
From No (Cambrian) explosion and no (Ordovician) event: A single long-term radiation in the early Palaeozoic (2023) · cites this paper as Zaffos et al. (2017)
The main text (page unavailable) says Zaffos et al. tested the plate-tectonic regulation hypothesis using a global marine fossil database and a paleogeographic model; the Discussion calls the results compelling evidence for a tectonic influence on long-term biodiversity. However, the paper attributes the hypothesis specifically to Valentine and Moores (1970), not their 1972 work, and notes that it is difficult to identify a specific causal mechanism. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredZaffos et al. (2017) observed a positive correlation between global biodiversity and continental fragmentation, indicating that, at least for the Mesozoic breakup of Pangaea, continental fragmentation exerted a first-order control on the long-term trajectory of Phanerozoic marine animal diversity.
“Zaffos et al. (2017) observed a positive correlation between global biodiversity and continental fragmentation, indicating that, at least for the Mesozoic breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea, the continental fragmentation has exerted a first-order control on the long-term trajectory of Phanerozoic marine animal diversity.”
From No (Cambrian) explosion and no (Ordovician) event: A single long-term radiation in the early Palaeozoic (2023) · cites this paper as Zaffos et al. (2017)
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Has the Earth’s sixth mass extinction already arrived?
Barnosky, A. D., Matzke, N., Tomiya, S., Wogan, G. O. U., Swartz, B., Quental, T. B., Marshall, C., McGuire, J. L., Lindsey, E. L., Maguire, K. C., et al. (2011) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature09678 · Cited by 4,400 · see citing works
Assembly, configuration, and break-up history of Rodinia: A synthesis
Li, Z., Bogdanova, S., Collins, A. S., Davidson, A., Waele, B. D., Ernst, R. E., Fitzsimons, I. C. W., Fuck, R. A., Gladkochub, D. P., Jacobs, J., et al. (2007) · Precambrian Research · doi:10.1016/j.precamres.2007.04.021 · Cited by 3,479 · see citing works
Sequences in the Cratonic Interior of North America
SLOSS, L. L. (1963) · Geological Society of America Bulletin · doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1963)74[93:sitcio]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 1,237 · see citing works
The Mesozoic marine revolution: evidence from snails, predators and grazers
Vermeij, G. J. (1977) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1017/s0094837300005352 · Cited by 1,043 · see citing works
A factor analytic description of the Phanerozoic marine fossil record
Sepkoski, J. J. (1981) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1017/s0094837300003778 · Cited by 1,010 · see citing works
The breakup history of Gondwana and its impact on pre-Cenozoic floristic provincialism
McLoughlin, S. (2001) · Australian Journal of Botany · doi:10.1071/bt00023 · Cited by 798 · see citing works
Phanerozoic Trends in the Global Diversity of Marine Invertebrates
Alroy, J., Aberhan, M., Bottjer, D. J., Foote, M., Fürsich, F. T., Harries, P. J., Hendy, A. J. W., Holland, S. M., Ivany, L. C., Kiessling, W., et al. (2008) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1156963 · Cited by 778 · see citing works
Self-citationMass extinctions and sea-level changes
Hallam, A. (1999) · Earth-Science Reviews · doi:10.1016/s0012-8252(99)00055-0 · Cited by 695 · see citing works
Diversification and Extinction in the History of Life
Benton, M. J. (1995) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.7701342 · Cited by 654 · see citing works
Historical biogeography, plate tectonics, and the changing environment
(1983) · Geologiska Föreningen i Stockholm Förhandlingar · doi:10.1080/11035898309454564 · Cited by 634 · see citing works
Taxonomic Diversity during the Phanerozoic
Raup, D. M. (1972) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.177.4054.1065 · Cited by 585 · see citing works
A kinetic model of Phanerozoic taxonomic diversity I. Analysis of marine orders
Sepkoski, J. J. (1978) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1017/s0094837300005972 · Cited by 548 · see citing works
Effects of sampling standardization on estimates of Phanerozoic marine diversification
Alroy, J., Marshall, C. R., Bambach, R. K., Bezusko, K. M., Foote, M., Fursich, F. T., Hansen, T. A., Holland, S. M., Ivany, L. C., Jablonski, D., et al. (2001) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.111144698 · Cited by 519 · see citing works
Size of the Permo-Triassic Bottleneck and Its Evolutionary Implications
Raup, D. M. (1979) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.206.4415.217 · Cited by 475 · see citing works
Species diversity in the Phanerozoic: an interpretation
Raup, D. M. (1976) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1017/s0094837300004929 · Cited by 391 · see citing works
Formation of the 'Great Unconformity' as a trigger for the Cambrian explosion
Peters, S. E., & Gaines, R. R. (2012) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature10969 · Cited by 377 · see citing works
Self-citationLarge–scale heterogeneity of the fossil record: implications for Phanerozoic biodiversity studies
Smith, A. B. (2001) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2000.0768 · Cited by 340 · see citing works
The Ecology of the Cambrian Radiation
Briggs, D. E. G. (2001) · Eos · doi:10.1029/eo082i024p00268-02 · Cited by 325 · see citing works
Plate-tectonic Regulation of Faunal Diversity and Sea Level: a Model
Valentine, J. W., & Moores, E. M. (1970) · Nature · doi:10.1038/228657a0 · Cited by 309 · see citing works
Seafood through time: changes in biomass, energetics, and productivity in the marine ecosystem
Bambach, R. K. (1993) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1017/s0094837300000336 · Cited by 296 · see citing works
Geologic constraints on the macroevolutionary history of marine animals
Peters, S. E. (2005) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0502616102 · Cited by 291 · see citing works
Self-citationTHE QUALITY OF THE FOSSIL RECORD: Populations, Species, and Communities
Kidwell, S. M., & Flessa, K. W. (1995) · Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics · doi:10.1146/annurev.es.26.110195.001413 · Cited by 281 · see citing works
Smith, A. B., & McGowan, A. J. (2007) · Palaeontology · doi:10.1111/j.1475-4983.2007.00693.x · Cited by 247 · see citing works
Vicariance Biogeography: A Critique.
Francke, Ó. F., Nelson, G. J., & Rosen, D. E. (1981) · Systematic Zoology · doi:10.2307/2413057 · Cited by 244 · see citing works
Phanerozoic Earth System Evolution and Marine Biodiversity
Hannisdal, B., & Peters, S. E. (2011) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1210695 · Cited by 231 · see citing works
Self-citationClimate change and the selective signature of the Late Ordovician mass extinction
Finnegan, S., Heim, N. A., Peters, S. E., & Fischer, W. W. (2012) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1117039109 · Cited by 198 · see citing works
Self-citationTHE QUALITY OF THE FOSSIL RECORD: Populations, Species, and Communities
Kidwell, S. M., & Flessa, K. W. (1996) · Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences · doi:10.1146/annurev.earth.24.1.433 · Cited by 192 · see citing works
Global tectonics and the fossil record
Valentine, J. W., & Moores, E. M. (1972) · The Journal of Geology · doi:10.1086/627723 · Cited by 184 · see citing works
Environmental determinants of extinction selectivity in the fossil record
Peters, S. E. (2008) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature07032 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
Self-citationMayhew, P. J., Jenkins, G. B., & Benton, T. G. (2007) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.1302 · Cited by 173 · see citing works
Permo-Triassic Extinctions: Relation to Sea-Floor Spreading
Schöpf, T. J. M. (1974) · The Journal of Geology · doi:10.1086/627955 · Cited by 170 · see citing works
The Paleobiology Database application programming interface
Peters, S. E., & McClennen, M. (2015) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1017/pab.2015.39 · Cited by 161 · see citing works
Self-citationBush, A. M., & Bambach, R. K. (2004) · The Journal of Geology · doi:10.1086/424576 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
The Mesozoic Marine Revolution
Harper, E. M. (2003) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-0161-9_19 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Permo-Triassic Extinctions: Effects of Area on Biotic Equilibrium
Simberloff, D. (1974) · The Journal of Geology · doi:10.1086/627962 · Cited by 113 · see citing works
A provincial model of Phanerozoic marine diversity
Valentine, J. W., Foin, T. C., & Peart, D. R. (1978) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1017/s0094837300005686 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Macrostratigraphy of North America
Peters, S. E. (2006) · The Journal of Geology · doi:10.1086/504176 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Self-citationAtmospheric oxygenation driven by unsteady growth of the continental sedimentary reservoir
Husson, J. M., & Peters, S. E. (2016) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2016.12.012 · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Self-citationPeriodicity in invertebrate paleontology
Newell, N. D. (1952) · Journal of Paleontology · Cited by 93 · see citing works
Sediment cycling on continental and oceanic crust
Peters, S. E., & Husson, J. M. (2017) · Geology · doi:10.1130/g38861.1 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Self-citationWright, N. M., Zahirovic, S., Müller, R. D., & Seton, M. (2013) · Biogeosciences · doi:10.5194/bg-10-1529-2013 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Incumbency, diversity, and latitudinal gradients
Valentine, J. W., Jablonski, D., Krug, A. Z., & Roy, K. (2008) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1666/0094-8373(2008)034[0169:idalg]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
How many marine invertebrate fossil species? A new approximation
Valentine, J. W. (1970) · Journal of Paleontology · Cited by 82 · see citing works
A 56million year rhythm in North American sedimentation during the Phanerozoic
Meyers, S. R., & Peters, S. E. (2011) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2010.12.044 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Self-citationThe influence of lithification on Cenozoic marine biodiversity trends
Hendy, A. (2009) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1666/07047.1 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
4. Did Supercontinental Amalgamation Trigger the “Cambrian Explosion”?
Brasier, M. D., & Lindsay, J. F. (2000) · Columbia University Press eBooks · doi:10.7312/zhur10612-004 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
The ties linking rock and fossil records and why they are important for palaeobiodiversity studies
Smith, A. B., & McGowan, A. J. (2011) · Geological Society London Special Publications · doi:10.1144/sp358.1 · Cited by 64 · see citing works
Conversations about Phanerozoic global diversity
Miller, A. I. (2000) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1666/0094-8373(2000)26[53:capgd]2.0.co;2 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Cracraft, J. L. (1982) · Systematic Biology · doi:10.1093/sysbio/31.4.348 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Plate Tectonics and Shallow Marine Diversity and Endemism, an Actualistic Model
Valentine, J. W. (1971) · Systematic Zoology · doi:10.2307/2412339 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Cenozoic dynamics of shallow‐marine biodiversity in the Western Pacific
Yasuhara, M., Iwatani, H., Hunt, G., et al. (2016) · Journal of Biogeography · doi:10.1111/jbi.12880 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Long-term origination rates are reset only at mass extinctions
Krug, A. Z., & Jablonski, D. (2012) · Geology · doi:10.1130/g33091.1 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
CIRCULATION IN LARGE ANCIENT EPICONTINENTAL SEAS: WHAT WAS DIFFERENT AND WHY?
Allison, P. A., & Wells, M. R. (2006) · Palaios · doi:10.2110/palo.2006.s06 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Phanerozoic trends in the global geographic disparity of marine biotas
Miller, A. I., Buick, D. P., Bulinski, K. V., Ferguson, C. A., Hendy, A., Aberhan, M., & Kiessling, W. (2009) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1666/0094-8373-35.4.612 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
The sampling and estimation of marine paleodiversity patterns: implications of a Pliocene model
Valentine, J. W., Jablonski, D., Krug, A. Z., & Berke, S. K. (2013) · Paleobiology · doi:10.1666/0094-8373-39.1.1 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Sex and the shifting biodiversity dynamics of marine animals in deep time
Bush, A. M., Hunt, G., & Bambach, R. K. (2016) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1610726113 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Bush, A. M., & Bambach, R. K. (2015) · Geology · doi:10.1130/g37162.1 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Character Displacement in Evolutionary Time
Eldredge, N. (1974) · American Zoologist · doi:10.1093/icb/14.4.1083 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Palaeobiogeography and the Ordovician and Mesozoic-Cenozoic biotic radiations
Owen, A. W., & Crame, J. A. (2002) · Geological Society London Special Publications · doi:10.1144/gsl.sp.2002.194.01.01 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Stratigraphic distribution of marine fossils in North America
Peters, S. E., & Heim, N. A. (2011) · Geology · doi:10.1130/g31442.1 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Self-citationGray, J. L., & Boucot, A. J. (1978) · Oregon State University Press eBooks · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Khawlie, M., Haddad, F., Barazangi, M., Seber, D., & Chaimov, T. (1993) · Geology · doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1993)021
High rates of arc consumption by subduction processes: Some consequences
Lallemand, S. (1995) · Geology · doi:10.1130/0091-7613(1995)023
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Hallam A (1981) Relative importance of plate movements, eustasy and climate in con- trolling major biogeographical changes since the Early Mesozoic. Vicariance Biogeog- raphy: A Critique (Columbia Univ Press, New York), pp 303-330.
- Alroy J (2010) Fair sampling of taxonomic richness and unbiased estimation of orig- ination and extinction rates. Quantitative Methods in Paleobiology, Paleontological Society Papers (Paleontol Soc, Bethesda, MD), Vol 16, pp 55-80.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
A high resolution summary of Cambrian to early Triassic marine invertebrate biodiversity
Fan, J.-X., Shen, S.-Z., Erwin, D. H., Sadler, P. M., MacLeod, N., Cheng, Q.-M., Hou, X.-D., Yang, J., Wang, X.-D., Wang, Y., et al. (2020) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.aax4953 · Cited by 583 · see citing works
Cascading trend of Early Paleozoic marine radiations paused by Late Ordovician extinctions
Rasmussen, C. M. Ø., Kröger, B., Nielsen, M. L., & Colmenar, J. (2019) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1821123116 · Cited by 226 · see citing works
Stigall, A. L., Edwards, C. T., Freeman, R. L., & Rasmussen, C. M. Ø. (2019) · Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology · doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2019.05.034 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Servais, T., Cascales-Miñana, B., Harper, D. A. T., Lefebvre, B., Munnecke, A., Wang, W., & Zhang, Y. (2023) · Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology · doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2023.111592 · Cited by 74 · see citing works
Nature of the sedimentary rock record and its implications for Earth system evolution
Husson, J. M., & Peters, S. E. (2018) · Emerging Topics in Life Sciences · doi:10.1042/etls20170152 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Self-citationTiming and periodicity of Phanerozoic marine biodiversity and environmental change
Roberts, G. G., & Mannion, P. D. (2019) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-019-42538-7 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
The palaeogeographical impact on the biodiversity of marine faunas during the Ordovician radiations
Harper, D. A. T., Cascales-Miñana, B., Kroeck, D. M., & Servais, T. (2021) · Global and Planetary Change · doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2021.103665 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
- Authors
- Zaffos, A., Finnegan, S., & Peters, S. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- Corresponding author
- Zaffos, Andrew
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2017-05-15
- Volume
- 114
- Issue
- 22
- Pages
- 5653-5658
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC5465924
- OpenAlex
- W2615085513
- Cited by
- 214
- References
- 65
- Citations by year
- 2026: 30 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 16 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 1
- FWCI
- 9.52
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation (EAR 1150082)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geology › Geological and Geophysical Studies
- Keywords
- plate tectonics, continental breakup, marine biodiversity, Phanerozoic, supercontinent cycles, supercontinent breakup, Pangaea breakup, paleogeographic reconstruction, fossil record bias, Mesozoic
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Fossils, Geography, Marine Biology, Ecosystem, Biodiversity, Geological Phenomena, Aquatic Organisms
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
