The Fossil Calibration Database-A New Resource for Divergence Dating

Daniel T Ksepka; James F Parham; James F Allman; Michael J Benton; Matthew T Carrano; Karen A Cranston; Philip C J Donoghue; Jason J Head; Elizabeth J Hermsen; Randall B Irmis; Walter G Joyce; Manpreet Kohli; Kristin D Lamm; Dan Leehr; Josés L Patané; P David Polly; Matthew J Phillips; N Adam Smith; Nathan D Smith; Marcel Van Tuinen; Jessica L Ware; Rachel C M Warnock

doi:10.1093/sysbio/syv025

The Fossil Calibration Database-A New Resource for Divergence Dating

Syst Biol. 2015 Sep;64(5):853-9. doi: 10.1093/sysbio/syv025. Epub 2015 Apr 27.

Authors

Daniel T Ksepka¹, James F Parham², James F Allman³, Michael J Benton⁴, Matthew T Carrano⁵, Karen A Cranston⁶, Philip C J Donoghue⁴, Jason J Head⁷, Elizabeth J Hermsen⁸, Randall B Irmis⁹, Walter G Joyce¹⁰, Manpreet Kohli¹¹, Kristin D Lamm¹², Dan Leehr¹³, Josés L Patané¹⁴, P David Polly¹⁵, Matthew J Phillips¹⁶, N Adam Smith¹⁷, Nathan D Smith¹⁸, Marcel Van Tuinen¹⁹, Jessica L Ware¹¹, Rachel C M Warnock⁵

Affiliations

¹ Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT 06830, USA; dksepka@brucemuseum.org.
² John D. Cooper Archaeological and Paleontological Center, Department of Geological Sciences, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA;
³ Interrobang Digital Media,1034 Pebblebrook Drive, Wake Forest, NC 27587, USA;
⁴ School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1RJ, UK;
⁵ Department of Paleobiology, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 121, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 20013-7012, USA;
⁶ National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, 2024 West Main Street Suite A200, Durham, NC 27705, USA;
⁷ Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 228 Bessey Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA;
⁸ Department of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, USA;
⁹ Natural History Museum of Utah and Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA;
¹⁰ Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, Chemin du Musée 6, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland;
¹¹ Department of Biology, Rutgers University, 195 University Ave, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA;
¹² Bioinformatics Research Center, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27965, USA;
¹³ National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, 2024 West Main Street Suite A200, Durham, NC 27705, USA; Duke Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, 101 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA;
¹⁴ Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo, 05508-000, Brazil;
¹⁵ Department of Geological Sciences, Indiana University, 1001 E. 10th Street, Bloomington, IN 47401, USA;
¹⁶ School of Earth, Environmental and Biological Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane 4000, Australia;
¹⁷ Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 S Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA;
¹⁸ Department of Biology, Howard University, 415 College Street NW, Washington, DC, 20059, USA;
¹⁹ Centre of Evolutionary and Ecological Studies, Marine Evolution and Conservation Group, Univerity of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands;

PMID: 25922515
DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syv025

Abstract

Fossils provide the principal basis for temporal calibrations, which are critical to the accuracy of divergence dating analyses. Translating fossil data into minimum and maximum bounds for calibrations is the most important-often least appreciated-step of divergence dating. Properly justified calibrations require the synthesis of phylogenetic, paleontological, and geological evidence and can be difficult for nonspecialists to formulate. The dynamic nature of the fossil record (e.g., new discoveries, taxonomic revisions, updates of global or local stratigraphy) requires that calibration data be updated continually lest they become obsolete. Here, we announce the Fossil Calibration Database (http://fossilcalibrations.org), a new open-access resource providing vetted fossil calibrations to the scientific community. Calibrations accessioned into this database are based on individual fossil specimens and follow best practices for phylogenetic justification and geochronological constraint. The associated Fossil Calibration Series, a calibration-themed publication series at Palaeontologia Electronica, will serve as a key pipeline for peer-reviewed calibrations to enter the database.

Keywords: Calibration; divergence dating; fossil.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Access to Information
Calibration
Data Interpretation, Statistical
Databases, Factual / standards*
Fossils*
Internet
Phylogeny*
Time

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding