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

9403206 Emslie该项目将利用该地区罕见的鸟类化石记录，为佛罗里达州的上新世-更新世鸟类灭绝制定一个年表。数十个已发表和未发表的上新世至晚更新世（Blancan至Rancholabrean陆生哺乳动物时代，2.4-0.010 Ma）地点，包括100多个鸟类分类群，为建立这一年代学提供了良好的数据库。这些鸟类分布在整个佛罗里达州，代表了沉积环境的多样性，并提供了这一时期陆地、湿地和沿海/海洋群落结构的大量信息。这份年表将补充对另外7种鸟类的鉴定和描述，这将为佛罗里达的化石记录增加至少10种未被描述的灭绝类群。将在选定的地点和新发现的地点完成有限的野外工作，以确定它们的年龄，恢复额外的化石材料，并利用古磁学、锶同位素、放射性碳和孢粉取样收集古环境数据。利用FAUNMAP（一个基于gis的计算机程序）和佛罗里达州的数字化土地覆盖图，对上新世-更新世的鸟类灭绝进行调查，以重建特定时间间隔的鸟类分布和栖息地。古环境信息将从50多个脊椎动物所在地的地质、古生物和孢粉学数据中提取。该程序生成的地图将与鸟类年表进行比较，以发展和测试鸟类灭绝和气候变化的假设。这项研究将在两年的时间内与一位地质学家和古生物学家合作完成。它将为北美一个地理区域的上新世-更新世鸟类多样性和灭绝提供全面的记录，并将是FAUNMAP系统首次应用于鸟类化石。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 Dozens of published and unpublished late Pliocene to late Pleistocene (Blancan through Rancholabrean Land Mammal Ages, 2.4-0.010 Ma) localities that include over 100 taxa of birds provide an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.