Pooja Reddy

18GG20019

Paleobiology Assignment
1) Construct diversity curves from the ranges of species A-M. Draw diversity using the
sampled-in-bin counting method (as a solid line) and using the range-through counting
method (as a dashed line).
2) How do your two curves differ? What causes that difference?

Ans: The sampled-in-bin diversity curve appears to be more erratic in nature than the
range-through diversity curve. In the case of the range-through curve, we see a consistent
increase in diversity which plateaus near the middle of the time range and then consistently
decreases. This is because the range-through counting method considers a species to be present
in a particular time period, even if it is not found within that period, provided that the fossil was
found in the time periods succeeding and preceding it. On the other hand, the sampled-in-bin
diversity curve only makes use of the number of occurrences of species found within the
particular time period, causing the sampled-in-bin curve to have no apparent trend or pattern.

3) Which of your two curves is a better representation of overall diversity trends and
why?

Ans: The overall diversity trend is best represented by the range-through curve. This is owing
to the following factors:

● Non-discovery of a fossil from a certain time period can be caused by many factors
including plate tectonics causing the destruction of strata, unfavourable conditions for
preservation, etc.
● There is a very low likelihood that a species has de-evolved and at a later point, reverted
back to a previous evolution.

Considering the above two factors, it seems reasonable to consider the first and last
appearances of a species when drawing the diversity curve (as in the case of the range-through
method) rather than only counting the number of occurrences within each time period (as in
the case of the sampled-in-bin method).

4) How should the abundance of a fossil group affect the magnitude of the edge effect
observed in range-through curves?

Ans: The range-through diversity is artificially low at the edges of any time series. This is
known as edge effect. This is due to the fact that we cannot determine if a species was present
before the first occurrence or after the last occurrence. Abundance of a fossil group can alleviate
the edge effect because if a species is found to have multiple occurrences at the time of its first
or last appearance, we will observe a more uniform and less tapered (low edge effect)
range-through diversity curve. Only the other hand, if a species is nearly absent during the first
and last appearance, we will observe a more tapered (high edge effect) range-through curve.