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

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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 Dozens of published and unpublished late Pliocene to late Pleistocene (Blancan through Rancholabrean Land Mammal Ages, 2.4-0.010 Ma) localities that include over 100 taxa of birds provide an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.