Long-Term Cycles in the History of Life: Periodic Biodiversity in the Paleobiology Database
2008
Long-Term Cycles in Fossil Biodiversity
publication
Evidence: high
Author Information
Author(s): Adrian L. Melott
Primary Institution: University of Kansas
Hypothesis
Is there a periodicity in fossil biodiversity over long time scales?
Conclusion
The study found a significant periodicity in fossil biodiversity at approximately 62 million years.
Supporting Evidence
- The study found a 62 My periodicity in biodiversity that aligns with previous findings.
- Cross-spectral analysis confirmed the periodicity in both the Paleobiology Database and Sepkoski database.
- Sampling-standardization procedures suggest the findings are not artifacts of sampling bias.
Takeaway
Scientists looked at old fossils and found that biodiversity seems to go up and down in a regular pattern every 62 million years.
Methodology
The study used time series analysis and Fourier analysis on fossil data from the Paleobiology Database.
Potential Biases
Potential biases related to sampling rates were addressed through data standardization.
Limitations
The analysis may be affected by the varying lengths of time intervals in the data.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p=0.001
Confidence Interval
63.1±6 My
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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