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

9403206该项目将利用该地区出众的鸟类化石记录，编制佛罗里达州上更新世鸟类灭绝年表。上新世晚期至更新世晚期(白兰坎至兰霍布里亚陆地哺乳动物时代，2.4-0.010 Ma)的数十个已发表和未发表的地点，包括100多个鸟类分类群，为建立这一年代学提供了一个极好的数据库。这些鸟类动物群分布在整个佛罗里达州，代表了多样化的沉积环境，并在整个时期提供了关于陆地、湿地和海岸/海洋群落结构的大量信息。这份年表将补充对另外七个鸟类动物群的识别和描述，这将为佛罗里达州的化石记录增加至少10个未描述的灭绝分类群。在选定地点和新发现的地点将完成有限的实地工作，以确定它们的年龄，恢复更多的化石材料，并使用古地磁、锶同位素、放射性碳和孢粉采样收集古环境数据。将使用基于地理信息系统的计算机程序FAMINAP和佛罗里达州的数字化土地覆盖图来研究上更新世鸟类的灭绝，以重建特定时间间隔内的鸟类分布和栖息地。古环境信息将从50多个脊椎动物地区的地质、古生物和孢粉数据中提取。该计划生成的地图将与鸟类年表进行比较，以开发和测试关于鸟类灭绝和气候变化的假设。这项研究将与一名地质学家和薪资学家合作，在两年内完成。它将提供关于北美一个地理区域上更新世鸟类多样性和灭绝的全面记录，并将首次应用FAUNAP系统处理鸟类化石。这项调查的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 Dozens of published and unpublished late Pliocene to late Pleistocene (Blancan through Rancholabrean Land Mammal Ages, 2.4-0.010 Ma) localities that include over 100 taxa of birds provide an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.