Research Article| January 01, 2015 OLD DATA FOR OLD QUESTIONS: WHAT CAN THE HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS REALLY TELL US ABOUT THE NEOGENE ORIGINS OF REEF-CORAL DIVERSITY IN THE CORAL TRIANGLE? KENNETH G. JOHNSON; KENNETH G. JOHNSON 1 Natural History Museum, Department of Earth Sciences, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD, London, UK e-mail: k.johnson@nhm.ac.uk Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar WILLEM RENEMA; WILLEM RENEMA 2 Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Department of Geology, P.O. Box 9517, , 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar BRIAN R. ROSEN; BRIAN R. ROSEN 3 Natural History Museum, Department of Life Sciences, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD, London, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar NADIEZHDA SANTODOMINGO NADIEZHDA SANTODOMINGO 1 Natural History Museum, Department of Earth Sciences, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD, London, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar PALAIOS (2015) 30 (1): 94–108. https://doi.org/10.2110/palo.2014.051 Article history received: 14 Jul 2014 accepted: 06 Dec 2014 first online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation KENNETH G. JOHNSON, WILLEM RENEMA, BRIAN R. ROSEN, NADIEZHDA SANTODOMINGO; OLD DATA FOR OLD QUESTIONS: WHAT CAN THE HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS REALLY TELL US ABOUT THE NEOGENE ORIGINS OF REEF-CORAL DIVERSITY IN THE CORAL TRIANGLE?. PALAIOS 2015;; 30 (1): 94–108. doi: https://doi.org/10.2110/palo.2014.051 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyPALAIOS Search Advanced Search Abstract Study of the extinct and extant biota of the Coral Triangle region has not yet provided answers to questions about mechanisms controlling the origins and maintenance of this marine biodiversity hotspot. We present an updated stratigraphy and revise the taxonomic determinations for important historical collections from Indonesia that have been the basis of our knowledge of the history of the region for the past 150 years. Revision of the stratigraphy increases the resolution of ages assigned to most of the collections, and shifts a significant number of coral occurrences from the Pliocene to the late Miocene revealing a new Pliocene sampling gap. The previously recognized Paleogene sampling gap remains open. Analysis of taxonomic turnover with unrevised and revised data show similar overall patterns, with an early Miocene increase in richness followed by a plateau of relatively high richness. Overall, the observed pattern of taxonomic turnover is highly correlated with sample size, suggesting that uneven sampling may be a more important control on the data pattern than processes of speciation and extinction. Highly correlated turnover patterns of zooxanthellate and azooxanthellate taxa are also consistent with this interpretation. The paucity of Paleogene data in the historical collections means that the prevailing paradigm of Neogene origins of high richness in the modern Coral Triangle remains a tautological default hypothesis. New collections are required to adequately estimate rates of taxonomic turnover in the region, and to reconstruct the structure and functioning of ancient ecosystems during the origins of the Coral Triangle biodiversity hotspot. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.