ISSN:
0016-7835
Keywords:
Key words Sea-level
;
Marine diversity
;
Numerical methods
;
Early Jurassic
;
Bivalvia
;
Northwest Europe
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Geosciences
Notes:
Abstract Past attempts to substantiate the species-area effect by correlating changes in sea-level and marine diversity have met with limited success. Partial rank correlation and concordance analyses are used as two complementary numerical methods to examine the association between sea-level changes and diversity as predicted by the species-area effect. When applied to Early Jurassic bivalve species from northwestern Europe, the numerical analyses failed to discriminate an association (ρ=−0.298 for the partial rank correlation and p^=0.45 for the concordance probability). Additional analysis using subsets of the data or recoding periods of anoxic water as periods of reduced habitable area (in addition to marine regression) also failed to show a significant association. The absence of significant correlation is likely to be due to numerous biotic and abiotic factors that cannot directly be measured from sediments or fossil assemblages. A multitude of interrelated cause-and-effect relationships renders the species-area effect a poor predictor of the influence of sea-level changes on marine diversity.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s005310050128
Permalink
