CLADE COMPETITION AND DIVERSITY DEPENDENCE IN DEEP TIME

Species competition is usually assumed to be stronger among closely related species and, at a macroevolutionary scale, to result on diversity-dependent diversification. Although evidence of diversity dependence is seen in the fossil record, many individual lineages show non-equilibrial diversity dynamics. Here I report findings on the role of clade competition in driving the dynamics of individual clades and discuss the hierarchical level at which we should expect to see equilibrium dynamics in diversification. I use the fossil record of Carnivora to illustrate such processes and how we can infer inter-clade competition at deep time.