CAUSAL AND CORRELATIVE TIME SERIES ANALYSES IN PALEONTOLOGY: LAYERANALYZER, AN R PACKAGE

layeranalyzer is a new R package that implements linear stochastic differential equations in order to describe time series and to estimate relationships between two or more time series. We illustrate the utility of this tool for understanding correlative versus Granger causal relationships among patchy fossil time series. Some examples of paleoontological questions that can be answered using this tool include the following. Did the evolution of bivalves drive brachiopods to extinction over the Phanerozoic? Did global temperature changes directly contribute to diversification rates? What is the strength of the relationship between one process (e.g. morphological change within a lineage) and another (e.g. paleoclimate) and how quick is the response time?