Rise and diversification of chondrichthyans in the Paleozoic

The Paleozoic represents a key time interval in the origins and early diversification of chondrichthyans (cartilaginous fishes), but their diversity and macroevolution are largely obscured by heterogenous spatial and temporal sampling. The predominantly cartilaginous skeletons of chondrichthyans pose an additional limitation on their preservation potential and hence on the quality of their fossil record. Here, we use a newly compiled genus-level dataset and the application of sampling standardization methods to analyze global total-chondrichthyan diversity dynamics through time from their first appearance in the Ordovician through to the end of the Permian. Subsampled estimates of chondrichthyan genus richness were initially low in the Ordovician and Silurian but increased substantially in the early Devonian. Richness reached its maximum in the middle Carboniferous before dropping across the Carboniferous/Permian boundary and gradually decreasing throughout the Permian. Sampling is high..., All information on data collection as well as specific details can be found in the Methods section of the manuscript. Please also see the README file for additional data & method information. , , # Data from: Rise and diversification of chondrichthyans in the Paleozoic

**Authors:** Lisa Schnetz; Emma Dunne; Iris Feichtinger; Richard J. Butler; Michael I. Coates; Ivan J. Sansom. Corresponding author email: [[e-mail]](mailto:lisa.schnetz@gmail.c)

This repository contains the input dataset and additional data information to perform the analyses presented in the paper entitled 'Rise and diversification of chondrichthyans in the Paleozoic.

## Description of the data and file structure

These data were generated to quantify the rise and diversification of the total group chondrichthyans in the Paleozoic using standard and subsampling techniques. A dataset of ~1318 occurrences, representing 443 Paleozoic chondrichthyan genera, from the Late Ordovician (Darriwilian) to the end of the Permian (Changhsingian) was compiled from museum visits and augmented with peer-reviewed literature.

The input data tab in the Chondrichthyan_diversity_data_Schnetz_et_al.xlsx file can ...