ROA: Systematics of Late Cretaceous Therian Mammals, Southern Utah

ROA：犹他州南部晚白垩世兽亚纲哺乳动物的系统学

• 批准号: 8906992
• 负责人: Richard Cifelli
• 金额: $ 12.04万
• 依托单位: University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1989
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1989-07-15 至 1992-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8906992&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: ROA; Systematics; Late; Cretaceous; Therian

Mammals arose early in the Mesozoic Era, roughly 200 million years ago, and remained at low diversity until near the end of the Cretaceous Period, about 60 million years ago. Study of the fossil record of Mesozoic mammals has been concentrated in certain regions, and remains poorly known from other areas with promising Mesozoic deposits. Dr. Richard Cifelli has recovered and studied Cretaceous mammals of southern Utah, a region from which fossil mammals were not previously known. His efforts have produced sizeable collections of microvertebrate fossils, and a microcomputer database of the collections. Dr. Cifelli proposes to complete field collections from this area and curate and describe the fossil mammals from the region. This research project will expand significantly our understanding of mammalian diversity and evolution prior to their rapid diversification at the close of the Mesozoic Era. The collections, database, and descriptions of species will provide the foundation for future studies of function, evolution, and biogeography, subjects that will be of interest to a wide variety of paleontologists and evolutionary biologists.

哺乳动物出现在中生代早期， 年前，并保持在低多样性，直到年底 白垩纪，大约六千万年前 研究 中生代哺乳动物的化石记录集中在 某些地区，并仍然鲜为人知的其他地区， 有希望的中生代矿床。 理查德·西费利医生已经恢复了 并研究了犹他州南部的白垩纪哺乳动物， 这些哺乳动物化石是以前不知道的。 他的努力 产生了大量的微脊椎动物化石， 收藏品的微机数据库。 西费利博士建议 完成这一地区的实地收集， 描述该地区的哺乳动物化石。 该研究项目将大大扩展我们的 了解哺乳动物的多样性和进化之前， 在中生代末期迅速多样化。 的 收集，数据库和物种的描述将提供 为未来的功能，进化和 地理学，各种各样感兴趣的主题 古生物学家和进化生物学家。