Response to comment on "Climate, critters, and cetaceans: Cenozoic drivers of the evolution of modern whales"

Pyenson et al. raise concerns about the correlation we identified between diatom and cetacean diversity through time. Although the issues raised are of investigative interest, they do not invalidate our conclusions. We agree that localized studies combined with global data sets will further our understanding of the factors that have helped shape cetacean evolution.