Adam Tibor Kocsis

The modern latitudinal diversity gradient (LDG) of planktonic foraminifera is bimodal, with a distinct depression near the equator surrounded by mid‐latitude diversity peaks. This pattern emerged after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM; 19–23 ka), but it remains unclear how species' spatial dynamics contributed to its formation. Here, we investigate how species range dynamics, namely trailing‐edge contractions (extirpations) and leading‐edge expansions (colonisations), shaped the modern bimodal pattern. We analysed taxonomically standardized LGM and modern foraminiferal assemblage datasets to characterize changes in species diversity at multiple spatial scales, from the global ocean to within basins. We quantified species' range shifts and estimated site‐level richness change, temporal turnover, and the net imbalance between colonisations and extirpations (NICE). We found no evidence of systematic trailing edge contractions, indicating that equatorial extirpations did not generate the bimodal LDG. Instead, leading‐edge expansions were evident in the Atlantic Ocean, suggesting that the modern bimodal LDG of planktonic foraminifera arose primarily through mid‐latitude colonisations. In the Pacific Ocean, however, biodiversity changes were highly spatially heterogeneous. Given the overall warming trend since the LGM, we expected cold‐adapted species to be at greater risk of local extinction; consistent with this expectation, species' thermal optima weakly predicted the number of extirpations. Together, our findings show that climate‐driven biodiversity change can arise from spatially heterogeneous, species‐specific range dynamics, with important implications for monitoring and protecting marine biodiversity.

Characterization of distribution data on the surface of a sphere. The primary group of these metrics describe the extent of a distribution, geographic ranges. The calculation of geographic descriptors can be executed using point coordinate data, vector polygons, as well as cells on a discretized sphere. Besides using spherical implementations, the package offers the exploration of partial results for visual diagnostics.

Palaeontology sits at the intersection of Earth and life sciences. The fossil record is simultaneously geological and biological in nature, offering a unique window into how Earth developed into what we see today. This long view of Earth system processes has allowed researchers to study how the presence of life has influenced the geosphere, whilst the geosphere has in turn been a powerful force in structuring diversity and ecology. In this closing chapter, we outline the geological and palaeobiological perspectives on the use of the fossil record and introduce a synthetic framework for discussing palaeobiogeographic trends in Earth-life interactions, discriminating between biogeography in reconstructed space and the geography of fossil distributions today. Following from the legacy of LRM Cocks, and his contemporaries, we discuss the utility of fossil data for constraining reconstructions of past earths and compare geological and palaeontological perspectives on biotic ranges on a dynamic Earth.

In the past decade, using plate tectonic models has become a cornerstone of quantitative palaeobiology. Despite their broad distribution, frequent use and the increasing number of available global plate models (GPMs), there is little communication between palaeobiologists and model developers, which limits not only their critical use for palaeontological data analysis, but also the responsible integration of fossil data into palaeogeographical reconstructions. Focusing on GPM application in quantitative palaeobiology, in this introductory chapter we revisit the use of basic features of GPMSs and the types of data integrated into them, highlight some technical aspects of plate tectonic reconstructions and try to provide guidelines to using the available resources. We introduce practical suggestions for model selection and usage, discuss consequences of plate model differences and propose practices for community-driven data refinement. We highlight best practices for using GPMs in palaeontological research focusing on the importance of reproducibility and data principles. Through this synthesis, we aim to facilitate more robust and reproducible applications of tectonic models in palaeontology, and to support a broader, interdisciplinary dialogue around the role of Earth's dynamic surface in shaping the history of life.

The Cambrian radiation is commonly described as a rapid increase in biodiversity and morphological disparity, yet the spatial organization underlying this diversification remains less well resolved. Using fossil occurrence data compiled from global databases, this paper examines how Cambrian diversity was assembled across space and how patterns of regional differentiation varied through time. Our results show that global diversity increased alongside a pronounced rise in spatial differentiation during the Fortunian–Cambrian Stage 3 interval, driven largely by taxonomic turnover among regions rather than hierarchical nesting. Measures of beta diversity, endemism and network structure indicate that strong regional contrasts were established early in the Cambrian and persisted throughout this period, despite fluctuations in global diversity. Analyses of latitudinal turnover further suggest that faunal differentiation is not organized as a continuous latitudinal gradient but instead reflects regionalization that is weakly related to latitudinal separation. Overall, we demonstrate that the Cambrian radiation was characterized not only by increasing diversity, but also by the early establishment of pronounced spatial differentiation among both endemic and non-endemic faunas, which persisted through the Cambrian despite of high temporal turnover.

The Paleobiology Database is an online, non-governmental, non-profit public resource for paleontological data. It is organized and operated by a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, international group of paleobiological researchers. This is the second edition of the volume designed to be a comprehensive guide for Paleobiology Database users, both General and Contributory. It covers most database uses from data retrieval and mapping to data contribution of all types. It contains numerous examples to illustrate database use as well as definitions of terms and additional links to numerous other sources. We hope that this user guide will help all users access the great volume of data in the Paleobiology Database and lead others to start and continue to add data to the system.

The digital revolution has transformed palaeontology through the development of openly accessible, community-driven databases that underpin some of the most complex and large-scale empirical studies of the history of life on Earth. These systems safeguard high-effort, volunteered data and have revealed major macroevolutionary patterns, including the ‘Big 5’ mass extinctions. These efforts also represent remarkable global scientific and financial investment, which is continually required to support the next generation of databases and associated research. Here we conducted a survey of 118 palaeontological and allied Earth science databases, analysing their diversity dynamics, including origination and extinction rates. We show that approximately 85% of all community-curated databases have lifespans of less than 15 years, putting decades of investment at risk. We show that database creation effort has increased in the past 30 years, with peaks in database loss related to 5-year funding cycles. We advocate for strategies to enhance database longevity, including sustained funding models, stronger institutional support and modular backend architectures that better link international community databases to each other and to fossil specimens.

Aim The modern latitudinal diversity gradient of planktonic foraminifera is bimodal with a distinct depression near the equator, surrounded by mid-latitude diversity peaks. This pattern emerged after the Last Glacial Maximum, but it is unclear how species' spatial dynamics contributed to its formation. Here, we investigate how species range dynamics, i.e., trailing-edge contractions (extirpations) and leading-edge expansions (colonisations), shaped the modern bimodal pattern, and how global biodiversity patterns arise from local patterns. Location Global open ocean, with basin-specific analyses in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Time period Last Glacial Maximum (19 - 23 ka) (LGM) and the Pre-Industrial (modern) Major taxa studied Planktonic foraminifera (unicellular eukaryotes) Methods We analysed taxonomically standardized LGM and modern foraminiferal assemblage datasets to characterize changes in species richness at multiple spatial scales: global ocean, basin-wide, and within basin. We quantified species' range shifts by comparing their trailing- and leading-edge movements. We estimated temporal turnover locally, and the net imbalance between colonisations and extirpations (NICE) within sites, and tested whether species' thermal preferences correlate with their extirpation risk. Results We found no evidence of systematic trailing edge contractions, indicating that equatorial extirpations did not drive the bimodal LDG pattern. In the Atlantic, leading-edge expansions generated a coherent increase in species richness in the mid-latitudes, whereas the Pacific exhibited highly spatially heterogeneous responses, including extirpation hotspots in the western tropical Pacific and colonisation zones in the eastern and southern Pacific. Species' thermal optima weakly predicted extirpations, with species adapted to lower temperatures more at risk of extirpation, consistent with the general warming trend since the last ice age. Main conclusions The modern bimodal LDG of planktonic foraminifera arises primarily from mid-latitude colonisations rather than equatorial extirpations. Colonisations were particularly frequent in the North Atlantic. Localized extirpations in the western Pacific highlight small-scale patches of vulnerability, that spatially aggregated richness metrics mask. Our results underscore the need to distinguish between trailing and leading processes in climate-induced range shifts, and to consider spatial variability in monitoring and protection of marine biodiversity.

Geographic range has long been acknowledged as an important determinant of extinction risk. The trajectory of geographic range through time, however, has not received as much scientific attention. Here, we test the role of change in geographic range – assessed by a measure of proportional occupancy of grid cells – in determining the extinction risk in four major microplankton groups over the last 66×10⁶ years: foraminifera, calcareous nannofossils, radiolarians, and diatoms. Logistic regression was used to assess the importance of standing occupancy and occupancy change in the extinction risk of species. We find that, while standing occupancy is a major determinant of extinction risk in all microplankton groups, the change in occupancy accounts for an average of 41 % of the explanatory power shared by the two analyzed variables, with a maximum value of 77 %. We also find that, as temporal resolution decreases, the predictive ability of these variables increases. Our results highlight the importance of incorporating both geographic range and its change through time into extinction models. The ability of occupancy trajectory to help predict extinction risk underlines the necessity of paleontological data in modern conservation efforts.

Value-calibrated color ramps can be useful to emphasize patterns in data from complex distributions. Colors can be tied to specific values, and the association can be expanded into full color ramps that also include the relationship between colors and values. Such ramps can be used in a variety of cases when heatmap-type plots are necessary, including the visualization of vector and raster spatial data, such as topographies.