Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Doug Erwin

Senior Research Biologist and Curator of Paleozoic Invertebrates
Department / Division
Education
  • A.B., Colgate University
  • Ph.D., University of California, Santa Barbara
Research Interests

Macroevolution and evolutionary innovations, particularly the Cambrian metazoan radiation and post-extinction biotic recoveries; the Permian mass extinction; evolutionary history and systematics of Cambrian-Triassic gastropods.

Publications
Journal Article
Book Review
Book Chapter
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 2020. "Evolutionary dynamics of gene regulation." In Gene Regulatory Networks. Peter, I. S., editor. 407–431. London, England: Academic Press Limited-Elsevier Science Limited. In Current Topics in Developmental Biology, 139. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.ctdb.2020.02.006.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 2016. "Wonderful Life Revisited: Chance and Contingency in the Ediacaran-Cambrian Radiation." In Chance in Evolution. 279–298. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
  • Tweedt, Sarah M. and Erwin, Douglas H. 2015. "Origin of Metazoan Developmental Toolkits and Their Expression in the Fossil Record." In Evolutionary Transitions to Multicellular Life. Ruiz-Trillo, Iñaki and Nedelcu, Aurora M., editors. 47–77. Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands. 2 in Advances in Marine Genomics. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9642-2_3.
  • Bush, Andrew M., Bambach, Richard K., and Erwin, Douglas H. 2011. "Ecospace Utilization During the Ediacaran Radiation and the Cambrian Eco-explosion." In Quantifying the Evolution of Early Life : Numerical Approaches to the Evaluation of Fossils and Ancient Ecosystems. Laflamme, Marc, Schiffbauer, James D., and Dornbos, Stephen Q., editors. 111–133. Springer Netherlands. 36 in Topics in Geobiology.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 2006. "The developmental origins of animal bodyplans." In Neoproterozoic Geobiology and Paleobiology,. Shuhai, Xiao and Kauffman, A. J., editors. 159–197. Springer.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 2005. "The origin of animal body plans." In Evolving Form and Function. Fossils and Development: Proceedings of a symposim honoring Adolf Seilacher for his contributions to paleontology, in celebration of his 80th Birthday. Briggs, E. G., editor. 67–80. Peabody Museum of Natural History.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 2005. "Robustness in the history of life?" In Robust Design. A repertoire of Biological, Ecological and Engineering case studies, SFI Studies in the Sciences of Complexity. Jen, E., editor. 191–205. Oxford University Press.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 2004. "Mass extinctions and radiations." In Evolution: From Molecules to Ecosystems. Moya, A. and Font, E., editors. 218–228. Oxford University Press.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 1996. "Murchison, Roderick." In Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences. Dasch, E. J., editor. 698–699. New York: Macmillan.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 1996. "La Extinción en del Pérmico y su Imacto Evolutivo." In La Lógica de las Extinciones. Agusti, J., editor. 97–121. Barcelona: Tusquets Editores, S. A.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 1996. "Understanding Biotic Recoveries: Extinction, Survival, and Preservation during the End- Permian Mass Extinction." In Evolutionary Paleobiology. Jablonski, D., Erwin, Douglas H., and Lipps, J. H., editors. 398–418. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Erwin, Douglas H., Jablonski, D., and Lipps, J. H. 1996. "James W. Valentine, an Appreciation." In Evolutionary Paleobiology. Jablonski, D., Erwin, Douglas H., and Lipps, J. H., editors. 1–17. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. and Pan, H. -Z. 1996. "Recoveries and Radiations: Gastropods after the Permo-Triassic Mass Extinction." In Biotic Recovery from Mass Extinction Events. Hart, M. B., editor. 201–221. London: Geological Society of London.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 1995. "The end-Permian mass extinction." In Permian of the Northern Continents. Scholle, P., editor. 20–34. New York: Springer Verlag.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 1995. "Permian Global Bio-events." In Global Events and Event Stratigraphy. Walliser, O. H., editor. 251–264. Berlin: Springer.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 1995. "Diversity crises in the geologic past." In Encyclopedia of Environmental Biology. 507–516.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. and Anstey, R. L. 1995. "Speciation in the fossil record." In New Approaches to Speciation in the Fossil Record. Erwin, Douglas H. and Anstey, R. L., editors. 11–38. New York: Columbia University Press.
  • Benton, M. J. and Erwin, Douglas H. 1993. "Amphineura and Monoplacophora." In The Fossil Record. Benton, M. J., editor. 125–130. London: Chapman and Hall.
  • Tracey, S., Todd, J. A., and Erwin, Douglas H. 1993. "Mollusca: Gastropoda." In The Fossil Record. Benton, M. J., editor. 131–167. London: Chapman and Hall.
Book
  • Erwin, Douglas H. and Valentine, James. 2013. The Cambrian explosion : the construction of animal biodiversity. Greenwood Village, Colorado: Roberts and Company.
  • Erwin, Douglas H. 2006. Extinction! How Life Nearly Ended 250 Million Years ago. Princeton University Press.
  • Flessa, K. W., Jackson, S. T., Aber, J. D., Arthur, M. A., Crane, P. R., Erwin, Douglas H., Graham, R. W., Jackson, B. C., Kidwell, Susan M., Maples, C. G., Peterson, C. H., and Reichman, O. J. 2005. The Geological Record of Biosphere Dynamics. National Research Council.
  • Tong, Jinnan and Erwin, Douglas H. 2001. Triassic Gastropods of the Southern Qinling Mountains, China. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. In Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 92. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.00810266.92.1.