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Geological and anthropogenic controls on the sampling of the terrestrial fossil record: A case study from the dinosauria

This study presents a comprehensive data set on the stratigraphic and geographic distributions of dinosaurs, including Mesozoic birds. It analyzes these data in order to generate diversity curves for dinosaurs and clades within Dinosauria, based on methods designed to take into account uneven sampling of the fossil record. The results are significant for both our understanding of dinosaur evolution and for the wider issue of fossil record sampling. Dinosaurs living in different continental regions are shown to have followed different diversity trajectories - the first time this has been examined. Evidence is presented that indicates that dinosaurs did not suffer a gradual decline in diversity just prior to their end-Cretaceous extinction. Indeed, some groups actually seem to have been increasing in diversity during the final few million years of the Mesozoic Era. The paper also examines issues of fossil record sampling and demonstrates that different metrics for estimating uneven sampling of the fossil record display significant levels of correlation. the latter result is directly relevant to ongoing debates about how palaeobiologists should assess and correct sampling biases. This study was conceived by Upchurch and his approximate contribution is 60%. This includes data collection and analysis, interpretation of results, and writing the bulk of the paper.