Continuities and Discontinuities of the Fossil Record

Dear Colleagues,

The evolution of life on Earth is characterized by gradual variations and discontinuities. Both have led to the current level of biodiversity. The continuities show themselves in various existing species of organisms that appeared millions of years ago, whereas the great mass extinctions arise as testimony to the discontinuities that shaped evolution and permitted the emergence of new species. One of the most illuminating examples is the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs, an extinction that allowed for the development of mammals and the consequent appearance of our species. We are currently concerned about climate change, which has diminished biodiversity and led to the extinction of species at an alarming rate. Are these changes the result of geological and biological evolution only? Or are they also a consequence of human activities? In this Special Issue, we discuss and debate the importance of the continuities and discontinuities in the fossil record, as well as whether we are facing indications of a new discontinuity, because, as the Director-General of UNESCO stated on the occasion of the presentation of the World Biodiversity Report, “protecting biodiversity is as vital as fighting climate change”. Participants that attend the International Meeting Continuities and Discontinuities of the Fossil Record (https://www.cpgp.pt/encontroInternacional-en.php?fbclid=IwAR1-VOpygYSmrc2GD99BqjtUqDglHBEN_0jF4GMwvjQVS9elacRrWVCW8oU) will be invited to submit their works to this Special Issue.

The topics of papers can include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Continuities and discontinuities in evolution and the fossil record: extinctions, evolution, adaptation, paleoenvironments, and paleoecology;
• Continuities and discontinuities in the stratigraphic record;
• Continuities and discontinuities in the paleoichnological record and the evolution of plants;
• Continuities and discontinuities in human evolution.

Authors who did not attend the meeting are also encouraged to submit papers related to the above topic.

Prof. Dr. Silverio Figueiredo
Dr. Eric Buffetaut
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fossil Studies is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• evolution
• fossil record
• extinction
• stratigraphic record