Formation binning: a new method for increased temporal resolution in regional studies, applied to the Late Cretaceous dinosaur fossil record of North America

Christopher D. Dean; A. Alessandro Chiarenza; Susannah C. R. Maidment

doi:10.1111/pala.12492

journal article Open Access Jun 11, 2020

Formation binning: a new method for increased temporal resolution in regional studies, applied to the Late Cretaceous dinosaur fossil record of North America

Christopher D. Dean

A. Alessandro Chiarenza Susannah C. R. Maidment

Palaeontology Vol. 63 No. 6 pp. 881-901 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/pala.12492

Abstract

AbstractThe advent of palaeontological occurrence databases has allowed for detailed reconstruction and analyses of species richness through deep time. While a substantial literature has evolved ensuring that taxa are fairly counted within and between different time periods, how time itself is divided has received less attention. Stage‐level or equal‐interval age bins have frequently been used for regional and global studies in vertebrate palaeontology. However, when assessing diversity at a regional scale, these resolutions can prove inappropriate with the available data. Herein, we propose a new method of binning geological time for regional studies that intrinsically incorporates the chronostratigraphic heterogeneity of different rock formations to generate unique stratigraphic bins. We use this method to investigate the diversity dynamics of dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of the Western Interior of North America prior to the Cretaceous–Palaeogene mass extinction. Increased resolution through formation binning pinpoints the Maastrichtian diversity decline to between 68 and 66 Ma, coinciding with the retreat of the Western Interior Seaway. Diversity curves are shown to exhibit volatile patterns using different binning methods, supporting claims that heterogeneous biases in this time‐frame affect the pre‐extinction palaeobiological record. We also show that the apparent high endemicity of dinosaurs in the Campanian is a result of non‐contemporaneous geological units within large time bins. This study helps to illustrate the utility of high‐resolution, regional studies to supplement our understanding of factors governing global diversity in deep time and ultimately how geology is inherently tied to our understanding of past changes in species richness.

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Details

Published: Jun 11, 2020
Vol/Issue: 63(6)
Pages: 881-901
License: View

Authors

C

Christopher D. Dean

School of Geography, Earth & Environmental Sciences University of Birmingham Birmingham UK

A

A. Alessandro Chiarenza

Perot Museum of Nature & Science Dallas TX USA

S

Susannah C. R. Maidment

Department of Earth Sciences Natural History Museum London UK

Funding

Imperial College Research Fellowship

EU Horizon 2020 Research & Innovation Programme

UK Natural Environment Research Council studentship

Janet Watson Imperial College London Departmental PhD scholarship

Centre of Excellence in Arctic Paleontology Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

Cite This Article

Christopher D. Dean, A. Alessandro Chiarenza, Susannah C. R. Maidment (2020). Formation binning: a new method for increased temporal resolution in regional studies, applied to the Late Cretaceous dinosaur fossil record of North America. Palaeontology, 63(6), 881-901. https://doi.org/10.1111/pala.12492

Formation binning: a new method for increased temporal resolution in regional studies, applied to the Late Cretaceous dinosaur fossil record of North America

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