In this study we show that the most taxonomically diverse clades in the modern ocean have risen to dominance through greater resistance to extinction rather than via greater propensity to generate new species.
In this paper, we develop a framework for explicitly separating the influence of extinction intensity and extinction selectivity on causing overall changes in the composition of the biota.
We find that smaller-bodied marine animals are generally at higher risk of extinction during most of geological time. This finding holds even after demonstrating and accounting for the lower sampling completeness of the fossil record for smaller genera.
We are pleased to welcome Dr. Pedro Monarrez as a post-doctoral fellow and Jood Al Aswad, Michael Pimentel, and Cecilia Thomas as graduate students in the lab. [And we promise an updated lab photo, which is long overdue.]
Will received the Centennial TA Award from Stanford University this year for his contributions to several classes across his five years in the Department of Geological Sciences. Congratulations (and thank you) to Will!
Caitlin (Ph.D. '16) is currently working as the GSA-USGS Congressional Science Fellow in the office of Senator Tom Udall (D-NM). She published a piece in GSA Today this month (pg 50) describing the contributions that a geologist can make to science policy in Washington. It is a terrific piece and not too long. I urge you to read it!