2026-01-16 オックスフォード大学
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2026-01-16-fossils-reveal-latitudinal-traps-increased-risk-extinction-marine-species
- https://www.science.org/doi/full/10.1126/science.adv2627
古地理学は顕生代を通じて海洋絶滅リスクを調節する Paleogeography modulates marine extinction risk throughout the Phanerozoic
Cooper M. Malanoski, Seth Finnegan, Edward C. Huang, Lila Blake, […] , and Erin E. Saupe
Science Published:15 Jan 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adv2627
Editor’s summary
Exploring the drivers of extinction is essential for both understanding past evolutionary patterns and making predictions about future threats. Many studies have focused on the biological traits of species, but other factors contribute to these patterns. Malanoski et al. looked at the interaction between species persistence and the shape of their range as it relates to landforms in shallow marine species over 540 million years. They found that species with easier north-south movement were more resilient, especially in the face of climate change, than were species with ranges that were oriented east to west. —Sacha Vignieri
Abstract
Understanding the factors that have influenced the intensity and selectivity of extinction throughout Earth’s history is important for explaining past biodiversity change and forecasting biotic responses to environmental change. Here, we investigated the role of coastline geometry and paleogeographic boundary conditions in shaping extinction risk for shallow-marine taxa over the past 540 million years. We show that interactions between the geographic distributions of taxa and the geometric configurations of continental margins consistently predict relative extinction risk: Taxa with potential dispersal pathways that are long relative to the range of latitude traversed—such as those that occur along east-west–oriented coastlines, islands, or inland seaways—consistently exhibit higher extinction risk than taxa with potential dispersal pathways that provide more direct latitude-traversing paths. This dispersal distance selectivity is amplified during mass extinction events and hyperthermal intervals, suggesting that geographic constraints become more important during periods of rapid climate change. Our results provide another mechanism that potentially contributes to the generally elevated extinction rates during the Paleozoic, an interval characterized by complex inland seas and a preponderance of east-west coastlines. These insights underscore the importance of considering paleogeographic context when interpreting past extinction patterns and provide empirical support for assumptions that underlie extinction risk assessments of extant species.
