ESH: Macroecology of Quaternary Mammal Faunas: Distributions, Heterogeneity, and Extinctions

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9807499GrahamTo confirm or refute this hypothesis, a relational database on fossil mammal sites for three Land Mammal Ages (Blancan, Irvingtonian, and Rancholabrean) from Alaska, Canada, and the U.S. will be constructed. FAUNMAP, an existing relational database for fossil mammal sites for the last 40,000 years from the contiguous 48 states of the U.S., will be updated and expanded to construct a new database. FAUNMAP II will be updated and expanded to construct a new database. FAUNMAP II will be interfaced with a Geographic Information System (GIS) with ARC/INFO to map changes in individual species distributions through time and to conduct spatial analyses. Two graduate students supervised by Principal Investigator, Dr. Graham, will review scientific literature. Graham who will travel to high-density data centers will acquire some Alaskan and Canadian data. Site visits are efficient because they provide access to local literature, and they permit consultation with primary investigators to determine the limitations and quality of data. Dr. Lundelius, Principal Investigator will travel to Denver for coordination and analysis.In the first year, new sites will be added to the existing FAUNMAP database and corrections will be made to errors previously identified. Data derived from Alaskan literature and visits will also be acquired. Second year activities will focus on data acquisition for Canada. Data will be reviewed for errors after input. Bathymetric maps and sea level curves, obtained from the NOAA Paleoclimate Database in Boulder, Colorado will facilitate construction of maps with adjusted sea levels for different periods of time. The Denver Museum of Natural History's (DMNH) GIS lab will permit mapping and quantitative measurements of distribution areas for individual species. Time intervals will be defined by three Land Mammal Ages and by ten microtine rodent biochrons. Areas of distribution will be compared by body size categories to statistically and graphically determine if large mammal species ranges were reduced through time and if there is a critical size limit at the end of the Pleistocene. These data will also be compared with surviving species as the control sample.Publications will be prepared at the conclusion of the project. FAUNMAP II will be placed on the World Wide Web. Its general structure will make it useful to biogeographers, paleontologists, mammalogists, wildlife biologists and other scientists for a wide variety of research projects. Educational programs can be developed for pre-college and college students. The database will also be useful for on-line and interactive exhibits.