Continued Research on the Triassic and Jurassic Vertebrate Faunas From the Transantarctic Mountains

OPP 9614928 Hammer 摘要 该奖项支持对横贯南极山脉的三叠纪和侏罗纪脊椎动物化石的持续研究。 1995/96 年南方夏季，一个野外小组从沙克尔顿冰川附近的地点收集了 120 个新的三叠纪脊椎动物标本。 在前几个季节中，在比尔德莫尔冰川附近的地区发现了三叠纪至侏罗纪时期的脊椎动物。 该奖项支持对这些藏品的持续准备和研究，特别是最近收集的材料。 这些新化石均来自早三叠世时期的 Fremouw 组下部，代表至少 12-16 个不同的类群，其中一些似乎是新的。 其中包括 15 至 20 个部分至完整的骨骼以及大量额外的头骨、颌骨和其他许多草食性和肉食性合弓动物、小型双弓动物、原无弓动物和端椎两栖动物的诊断碎片。 在进行更精确的鉴定之前，需要准备大部分样本。 如此大量的材料将用于确定沙克尔顿冰川地区发现的组合与比尔德莫尔冰川附近类似年龄的集合相比是否具有更大的多样性是由于气候或相造成的。 沙克尔顿地区位于比尔德莫尔脊椎动物遗址的高地，气候差异可能影响了动物群的相对多样性。 还将对每个地点的埋藏/沉积设置进行解释。 最后，对中生代（早三叠世、早中三叠世和早侏罗世）高纬度脊椎动物群的进化意义的研究将继续进行。 由于现在在南极洲发现了从三叠纪到侏罗纪的几种不同年龄的脊椎动物，因此它们为研究高纬度动物群的演化提供了独特的机会。 这些动物群也有助于我们了解这一时期的高纬度气候。

OPP 9614928 Hammer Abstract This award supports continued research on Triassic and Jurassic fossil vertebrates from the Transantarctic Mountains. During the 1995/96 austral summer, a field team collected 120 new specimens of Triassic vertebrates from sites near the Shackleton Glacier. In previous seasons Triassic to Jurassic age vertebrates were recovered from localities near the Beardmore Glacier. This award supports the continued preparation and study of these collections, particularly the material collected recently. The new fossils are all from the Early Triassic age lower Fremouw Formation and they represent at least 12-16 different taxa, several of which appear to be new. Included are 15-20 partial to complete skeletons and numerous additional skulls, jaws, and other diagnostic pieces of numerous herbivorous and carnivorous synapsids, small diapsids, procolophonid anapsids and temnospondyl amphibians. Preparation of most of the specimens is required before more precise identifications can be made. This extensive amount of material will be used to determine whether the greater diversity in assemblages found in the Shackleton Glacier area compared to similar age collections made near the Beardmore Glacier is due to climate or facies. The Shackleton localities are upland from the Beardmore vertebrate sites and the climatic differences may have effected the relative diversity of the faunas. An interpretation of the taphonomic/depositional settings for each locality will also be made. Finally, studies on the evolutionary significance of the high latitude vertebrate faunas from the Mesozoic (Early Triassic, early Middle Triassic and Early Jurassic) will continue. Because vertebrates of several different ages spanning the Triassic to Jurassic are now known from Antarctica, they provide a unique opportunity to study the evolution of high latitude faunas. These faunas also contribute to our understanding of high latitude climates during this time.