RUI: Avian Extinctions and Climatic Change in the Pleistocene of Florida

小行星9403206 该项目将利用该地区独特的鸟类化石记录，为佛罗里达的上新世-更新世制定一个鸟类化石年表。 数十个已发表和未发表的上新世晚期至更新世晚期（Blancan至Rancholabrean陆地哺乳动物时代，2.4-0.010 Ma）地点，包括100多个鸟类分类群，为建立这一年表提供了一个极好的数据库。 这些鸟类位于整个佛罗里达，代表了沉积环境的多样性，并提供了大量的信息，在整个这一时期的陆地，湿地和沿海/海洋社区的结构。 这一年表将补充识别和描述的7个额外的鸟类，将增加至少10个未描述的灭绝类群的化石记录的佛罗里达。 将在选定地点和新发现地点完成有限的实地工作，以确定它们的年龄，回收更多的化石材料，并利用古地磁、锶同位素、放射性碳和孢粉学取样收集古环境数据。 鸟类灭绝的上新世更新世将使用FAUNMAP，一个基于GIS的计算机程序，和数字化的土地覆盖图的佛罗里达，重建鸟类的分布和栖息地的特定时间间隔进行调查。 将从50多个脊椎动物地点的地质学、古生物学和孢粉学数据中提取古环境信息。 从这个程序生成的地图将与鸟类年表进行比较，以开发和测试鸟类迁徙和气候变化的假设。 这项研究将在地质学家和paynologist的合作下完成，为期两年。 它将提供北美一个地理区域上新世-更新世鸟类多样性和灭绝的详尽文件，并将是首次将动物群地图系统应用于鸟类化石。 本研究结果将适用于当前全球变暖及其对脊椎动物群落的潜在影响。

9403206 Emslie The project will develop a chronology of avian extinctions for the Plio-Pleistocene of Florida using the exceptional fossil record of birds from this region. Dozens of published and unpublished late Pliocene to late Pleistocene (Blancan through Rancholabrean Land Mammal Ages, 2.4-0.010 Ma) localities that include over 100 taxa of birds provide an excellent database from which to establish this chronology. These avifaunas are located throughout Florida, represent a diversity of depositional environments and provide substantial information on the structure of terrestrial, wetland and coastal/marine communities throughout this period. This chronology will be supplemented with identification and description of seven additional avifaunas that will add at least 10 undescribed extinct taxa to the fossil record of Florida. Limited fieldwork at selected sites and newly discovered localities will be completed to determine their age, recover additional fossil material and collect paleoenvironmental data using paleomagnetic, strontium isotope, radiocarbon and palynologic sampling. Avian extinction in the Plio-Pleistocene will be investigated using FAUNMAP, a GIS-based computer program,, and digitized land cover maps of Florida, to reconstruct avian distributions and habitats for specific time intervals. Paleoenvironmental information will be drawn from geological, paleontological and palynological data from over 50 vertebrate localities. The maps generated from this program will be compared with the avian chronology to develop and test hypotheses on avian extinctions and climatic change. This research will be completed over a two year period in collaboration with a geologist and paynologist. It will provide a thorough documentation of Plio-Pleistocene avian diversity and extinction in one geographic region of North America and will be the first application of the FAUNMAP system with fossil birds. Results of this investigation will be applicable to current global warming and its potential impact on vertebrate communities.