Por Ane de Celis (Grupo de Biología Evolutiva, UNED).

Abstract: Currently, climate change or the disappearance of habitats, and the decline in the number of species that these entail, are a growing concern in our societies. But, what can the fossil record bring to conservation? The fossil record offers a window to the past, allowing us to study how was the diversity and what environmental factors could influence its fluctuations on a large scale. Therefore, the knowledge generated in this area may be of importance and utility in terms of conservation of species. In this seminar, we will cover the fundamentals behind paleodiversity studies and a case study with crocodylians. Crocodylians have a rich fossil record dating back to the Mesozoic, making them an excellent study group. Palaeodiversity estimations enabled us to reconstruct their fluctuation patterns through time into different crocodylian lineages (Alligatoroidea, Crocodyloidea and Gavialoidea) and continental land masses. Furthermore, analyses showed that temperature plays an important role on a macroevolutionary scale in this group.

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