Faunal turnover in Neogene to Recent Caribbean reef corals and region environmental change

Conference · Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States)

OSTI ID:5011976

Budd, A F ^[1]; Johnson, K G ^[2]; Stemann, T A ^[3]

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1. Univ. of Iowa, Iowa City, IA (United States). Geology Dept.
2. Natural History Museum, London (United Kingdom). Palaeontology Dept.
3. Univ. of Bern (Switzerland). Geologisches Inst.

Quantitative analyses of species richness and species extinction and origination rates in the Neogene to Recent Caribbean reef coral fauna show that a major episode of turnover occurred during middle to late Pliocene time (4--1 Ma). The data for the authors analyses consist of a new compilation of occurrences of 175 species and 49 genera in reef sequences in the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica and in 21 scattered sites ranging in age from 22 Ma to present. The results show that: (1) during turnover, more than 75% of all species living between 6--4 Ma (n = 82) became extinct; (2) during turnover, extinction and origination rates were equally and simultaneously high, and a relatively constant number of species was maintained in the fauna; (3) the taxonomic composition of Caribbean reefs remained relatively constant before (10--4 Ma) and after (1--0 Ma) turnover. Turnover therefore preceded the high frequency sea level oscillations of late Pleistocene time, and appears related to long-term, unidirectional changes in climate and/or ocean circulation across the Caribbean region in association with closure of the Isthmus of Panama. The observed correspondence between high origination and extinction rates indicates that the same environmental factors may have been associated with increases in both rates, and that local habitat differentiation and fragmentation may have been involved. Stability persisted in the region despite the severe environmental stresses associated with Pleistocene climate change.

• OSTI ID: 5011976
• Report Number(s): CONF-9303210-; CODEN: GAAPBC
• Journal Information: Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs; (United States), Vol. 25:3; Conference: 27. annual Geological Society of America (GSA) North-Central Section meeting, Rolla, MO (United States), 29-30 Mar 1993; ISSN 0016-7592
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
COSTA RICA
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
PALEONTOLOGY
REEFS
BIOLOGICAL EXTINCTION
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
QUATERNARY PERIOD
CENOZOIC ERA
CENTRAL AMERICA
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GREATER ANTILLES
HISPANIOLA
ISLANDS
LATIN AMERICA
WEST INDIES
580000* - Geosciences