112318 - A comprehensive database of quality-rated fossil ages for Sahul's Quaternary vertebrates.pdf (815.54 kB)
A comprehensive database of quality-rated fossil ages for Sahul's Quaternary vertebrates
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-18, 23:26 authored by Rodriguez-Rey, M, Herrando-Perez, S, Barry BrookBarry Brook, Saltre, F, Alroy, J, Nicholas Beeton, Bird, MI, Cooper, A, Gillespie, R, Jacobs, Z, Christopher JohnsonChristopher Johnson, Miller, GH, Prideaux, GJ, Roberts, RG, Turney, CSM, Bradshaw, CJAThe study of palaeo-chronologies using fossil data provides evidence for past ecological and evolutionary processes, and is therefore useful for predicting patterns and impacts of future environmental change. However, the robustness of inferences made from fossil ages relies heavily on both the quantity and quality of available data. We compiled Quaternary non-human vertebrate fossil ages from Sahul published up to 2013. This, the FosSahul database, includes 9,302 fossil records from 363 deposits, for a total of 478 species within 215 genera, of which 27 are from extinct and extant megafaunal species (2,559 records). We also provide a rating of reliability of individual absolute age based on the dating protocols and association between the dated materials and the fossil remains. Our proposed rating system identified 2,422 records with high-quality ages (i.e., a reduction of 74%). There are many applications of the database, including disentangling the confounding influences of hypothetical extinction drivers, better spatial distribution estimates of species relative to palaeo-climates, and potentially identifying new areas for fossil discovery.
History
Publication title
Scientific DataArticle number
160053Number
160053Pagination
1-7ISSN
2052-4463Department/School
School of Natural SciencesPublisher
Macmillan Publishers LimitedPlace of publication
United KingdomRights statement
Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Repository Status
- Open