biodiversity and the fossil record

[zimmer@xxxxxxxxx (Carl Zimmer)]

Fellow paleonetters:

While we are contemplating this grim thread, it might be an appropriate
time for me to ask a question: what has the total historical global
diversity of major taxa been? I should make clear what I'm *not* asking:
I'm not asking about current diversity levels, which are admirably
summarized in the UNEP report from Cambridge (highly recommended as reading
or as blunt instrument). Nor am I asking about the curves of extinctions
and speciation by people like Benton and Sepkoski. I guess I'm asking for
the integral under those curves...or a UNEP report that covers 4 billion
years, not a few decades. The reason I ask is that I'm curious to know how
today's diversity patterns reflect the overall pattern (for example: were
dinosaurs as diverse as the remnant bird group are today, with 8700
species?)

Sincerely,

Carl Zimmer

Senior Editor, Discover
email:zimmer@panix.com
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