Collaborative Research: Faunal Composition, Provinciality and Paleobiolgy of a Late Cretaceous Arctic Vertebrate Assemblage Revealed Through Cross-Latitudinal Comparisons

GSTDTAP

项目编号	1736386
	Collaborative Research: Faunal Composition, Provinciality and Paleobiolgy of a Late Cretaceous Arctic Vertebrate Assemblage Revealed Through Cross-Latitudinal Comparisons
	Gregory Erickson
主持机构	Florida State University
项目开始年	2017
	2017-09-01
项目结束日期	2020-08-31
资助机构	US-NSF
项目类别	Standard Grant
项目经费	131126(USD)
国家	美国
语种	英语
英文摘要	The 70-million year old Prince Creek Formation of Arctic Alaska provides fossil evidence that a surprisingly diverse array of dinosaurs, birds, flying reptiles and small mammals lived in polar forests characterized by warm summers and five- to six-months of darkness and snowfall during the polar winter. Enduring these seasonally intense and variable conditions makes these animals uniquely suited to test major paleobiological questions pertaining to physiology, migration, body size changes, ecology and distribution. This project will examine these questions through new Arctic specimen collections and identifications, temperature determinations and growth studies, and comparison to findings with animals living at warmer lower latitudes. This project will bring together a diverse team of scientists who will share new ideas and methodologies and contribute to the education and training of graduate and undergraduate students. Results will be disseminated in scientific venues and presented publicly through museum exhibitions and K-12 presentations. The latter will include visits to rural, northern Alaskan schools to provide underserved Alaska Native students and teachers with an opportunity to learn about the fossils in their area and interact with NSF-sponsored researchers. Using macro- and microfossil remains, this study will establish a comprehensive dataset on the faunal composition of a Mesozoic polar assemblage, including descriptions of probable new species unique to the Arctic. Statistical techniques will be used to compare the faunal compositions between mid- and high latitudes to understand North American distribution patterns. Histological analyses of bones and teeth will provide the first rigorous testing of the affects of polar environments on the growth and physiology of dinosaurs and mammals. Lastly, a novel technique using biomarkers will be used to provide more precise paleotemperature estimates to understand the temperature regime experienced by the polar fauna.
文献类型	项目
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.173/C666/handle/2XK7JSWQ/71704
专题	环境与发展全球科技态势
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Gregory Erickson.Collaborative Research: Faunal Composition, Provinciality and Paleobiolgy of a Late Cretaceous Arctic Vertebrate Assemblage Revealed Through Cross-Latitudinal Comparisons.2017.