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Long-period astronomical forcing of mammal turnover

Author

Listed:
  • Jan A. van Dam

    (Utrecht University)

  • Hayfaa Abdul Aziz

    (Utrecht University
    Geophysics LMU Munich)

  • M. Ángeles Álvarez Sierra

    (José Antonio Novais 2, Complutense University, Ciudad Universitaria)

  • Frederik J. Hilgen

    (Utrecht University)

  • Lars W. van den Hoek Ostende

    (National Museum of Natural History, Naturalis)

  • Lucas J. Lourens

    (Utrecht University)

  • Pierre Mein

    (University of Lyon I)

  • Albert J. van der Meulen

    (Utrecht University)

  • Pablo Pelaez-Campomanes

    (National Museum of Natural History, CSIC, Department of Paleobiology)

Abstract

Your time is up Mammalian species seem to have a set time on this Earth, enjoying a stay of about 2.5 million years before extinction. That species should have such characteristic life expectancy is puzzling. A study of a very long (22-million-year) and detailed sequence of rodent fossils from Spain suggests that species appearances and disappearances are concentrated in 'turnover events' that occur at regular intervals of about 1.0 and 2.4 million years. The duration and timing of these periods corresponds to that of variations in the Earth–Sun distance and the tilt of the Earth's axis thought responsible for Milankovitch climatic cycles. A link to climate is consistent with the 'turnover pulse' hypothesis proposed in 1985 by Yale palaeontologist Elisabeth Vrba, which explains species survival times by assuming that species remain stable until environmental change triggers rapid bursts of extinction and speciation.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan A. van Dam & Hayfaa Abdul Aziz & M. Ángeles Álvarez Sierra & Frederik J. Hilgen & Lars W. van den Hoek Ostende & Lucas J. Lourens & Pierre Mein & Albert J. van der Meulen & Pablo Pelaez-Campomanes, 2006. "Long-period astronomical forcing of mammal turnover," Nature, Nature, vol. 443(7112), pages 687-691, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:443:y:2006:i:7112:d:10.1038_nature05163
    DOI: 10.1038/nature05163
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    Cited by:

    1. Jan Audun Rasmussen & Nicolas Thibault & Christian Rasmussen, 2021. "Middle Ordovician astrochronology decouples asteroid breakup from glacially-induced biotic radiations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-14, December.
    2. Adriana Dutkiewicz & Slah Boulila & R. Dietmar Müller, 2024. "Deep-sea hiatus record reveals orbital pacing by 2.4 Myr eccentricity grand cycles," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.

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