This document compares the deep sea rock and fossil records of coccolithophores and planktic foraminifera. It finds that the deep sea rock record shows an exponential rise over time as ocean basins opened. The coccolith fossil record shows a linear rise in species and a rapid then slow fall in genera. The foraminifera fossil record shows a double sawtooth pattern divided by the K-T boundary. It also finds the deep sea rock and fossil records are strongly correlated and that foraminifera fossil records may be less biased than coccoliths.

1. Comparing the Deep Sea Rock and Fossil Records of
Coccolithophores and Planktic Foraminifera
Graeme T. Lloyd1, Paul N. Pearson2, Jeremy R. Young1
and Andrew B. Smith1
1
Department of Palaeontology, Natural History Museum, London, UK
2
School of Earth & Ocean Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

2. Land-based rock and fossil records show strong
correlation…
N Maps
Generic diversity

3. …but what about the deep sea?
•Most microfossil groups are highly cosmopolitan…
•…and massively abundant (1000s specimens per gram)
•Many remarkably continuous sections (>10 million years)
•Phylogenies often incorporate ancestors
•The best record we have?:
•How does the deep sea rock record change over time?
•How does the deep sea fossil record change over time?
•Are the deep sea rock and fossil records correlated?
•How do the two major calcareous groups compare?

4. The database
Coccoliths Planktic forams
•35,416 species occurrences •19,349 species occurrences
•16,197 samples •3,850 samples
•205 sites •135 sites
•4,329 names •2,462 names
Geotectonic history

5. Rock record
Coccoliths Planktic forams

6. Species record
Coccoliths Planktic forams

7. Generic record
Coccoliths Planktic forams

8. Species correlation
Coccoliths Planktic forams

9. Generic correlation
Coccoliths Planktic forams

10. Species detrended
Coccoliths Planktic forams

11. Genera detrended
Coccoliths Planktic forams

12. Subsampling
Coccoliths Planktic forams

13. Modelled versus observed diversity
Coccoliths Planktic forams

14. Model-corrected diversity
Coccoliths Planktic forams

15. Summary
•How does the deep sea rock record change over time?
•Exponential rise (opening ocean basin)
•How does the deep sea fossil record change over time?
•Coccolith species ~linear rise
•Coccolith genera ~rapid rise followed by slow fall
•Forams: double sawtooth (K-T divides)
•Are the deep sea rock and fossil records correlated?
•Yes, strongly
•How do the two major calcareous groups compare?
•Forams seem to be less biased than coccos