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Testing for a mass extinction without selecting taxa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 February 2016

Andrew R. Solow  and
Woollcott K. Smith
Andrew R. Solow
Affiliation:
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543. E-mail: asolow@whoi.edu
Woollcott K. Smith
Affiliation:
Statistics Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122
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Abstract

Statistical inference about mass extinction events is commonly based on the pattern of fossil finds among a group of taxa. An important issue for existing methods is the selection of taxa for inclusion in the analysis. A common approach is to select taxa on the basis of the stratigraphic height of their uppermost finds. This approach creates a bias in favor of detecting a mass extinction event. This paper describes and illustrates an approach that avoids this problem.

Type
Articles
Information
Paleobiology , Volume 26 , Issue 4 , Fall 2000 , pp. 647 - 650
Copyright
Copyright © The Paleontological Society 

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References

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