Sieves and Fossils: Effects of Mesh Size on Paleontological Patterns

Abstract

Abstract Bulk samples are among the foremost sources of quantitative data retrieved from the fossil record. However, such samples are not sieved in a uniform way, even among research projects with a very similar research focus. Several studies recently have demonstrated the sensitivity of paleontological patterns to changes in sieve size and underscored the importance of controlling for mesh size in paleontological analyses. Building on previous work, this study exploits a large dataset of Miocene mollusks that is fortuitously suitable for exploring the effect of mesh size: dimensions of each fossil were measured, all samples were acquired with fine screens (≤1 mm mesh), and data for numerous paleoecological and taphonomic variables were obtained for each specimen. This large dataset was sieved artificially (i.e., subsampled in computer simulations) to explore the effects of mesh size. The results show that paleontological variables, from taphonomic and paleoecological parameters to diversity indices, can...