The ties linking rock and fossil records and why they are important for palaeobiodiversity studies
Andrew B. Smith1,* and Alistair J. McGowan2
Author Affiliations
1Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
2School of Geographical and Earth Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
*Corresponding author (e-mail: a.smith@nhm.ac.uk)
Abstract
A correlation exists between the quality of the rock record and the diversity of fossils recorded from that rock record but what drives that correlation, and how consistent that correlation is across different environments, remain to be determined. Palaeontologists wishing to investigate past diversity patterns need to first address issues of geological bias in their data.
© The Geological Society of London 2011
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