Paleobiology Database

Our picture of global diversification and extinction on long time scales is mostly based on generalized data for Phanerozoic marine macroinvertebrates. While every effort was made to guarantee the comprehensiveness of this data set, the community has been aware that sampling artifacts may contribute to the observed trends. Until now, we have been unable to remove these effects. Several robust methods for doing this are now available, but these methods use locality-specific data that are not a part of the existing, more generalized compilations. In order to confirm the reality of the major observed patterns, a collaborative data compilation project needs to be initiated. We wish to form a working group to do this. As a first step, we propose a workshop this August involving workers who have specialized in analyzing paleontological diversity data. This workshop will determine the scope, goals, structure, and time table of a database project. Immediately after the workshop, a post-doc who will serve as project coordinator will begin a two-year residency at NCEAS. Over the following two years, experts specializing on particular parts of the fossil record will meet at NCEAS to guide the data collection process. A final meeting will focus on preparing collaborative publications showing how these data influence our picture of marine diversification and extinction.