Drivers of biodiversity dynamics in Phanerozoïc oceans

Diversity curves that track the evolution of the number of fossil taxa through time are one of the fundamental objects of study in paleobiology. The aim of their study is to understand the underlying processes that shape the curves, traditionally divided into biotic (e.g. competition, evolutionary innovations) or abiotic (e.g. temperature, volcanism, meteorite impacts) factors. In this seminar I will present my work on nine marine taxa using large fossil databases to test hypotheses of mechanisms that governed their biodiversity dynamics during the last 541 million years. Emphasis will be made on the necessary dialogue between paleontological and ecological studies on biodiversity dynamics in a multidisciplinary perspective.