COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Evolution and Biogeography of Late Cretaceous Vertebrates from the James Ross Basin, Antarctic Peninsula

合作研究：南极半岛詹姆斯罗斯盆地晚白垩世脊椎动物的进化和生物地理学

• 批准号: 0003844
• 负责人: Judd Case
• 金额: $ 11.45万
• 依托单位: Saint Mary's College of California
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-06-01 至 2006-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0003844&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: COLLABORATIVE; RESEARCH; Evolution; Biogeography; Late

0003844CaseThis award, provided by the Antarctic Geology and Geophysics Program of the Office of Polar Programs, supports a collaborative research project between the Saint Mary's College of California, the South Dakota School of Mines and technology, and the Argentine Antarctic Institute (Instituto Antartico Argentino or IAA) to investigate the Late Mesozoic vertebrate paleontology of the James Ross Basin in the Antarctic Peninsula region. The Campanian through the Maastrichtian ages (80 to 65 million years ago) is an important time interval concerning vertebrate biogeography (i.e. dispersals and separations due to moving landmasses) and evolution between Antarctica and other Southern Hemisphere continents (including India, i.e. Gondwana). Moreover, the dispersal of terrestrial vertebrates (i.e. dinosaurs and marsupial mammals) from North America to Antarctica and beyond (e.g. Australia) via Patagonia and the Antarctic Peninsula, as well as the dispersal of modern birds from Antarctica northward are important unresolved questions in paleontology. These dispersal events include vertebrates not only in the terrestrial realms, but also in marine settings. Both widely distributed and localized marine reptile species have been identified in Antarctica, creating questions concerning their dispersal in conjunction with the terrestrial animals.The Antarctic Peninsula and Patagonia represent the western-most portion of the Weddellian Paleobiogeographic Province, a region that extends from Patagonia through the Antarctic Peninsula and western Antarctica to Australia and New Zealand. Within this province lie the dispersal routes for interchanges of vertebrates between South America and: 1) Madagascar and India, and 2) Australia. As the result of previous work by the principal investigators, it is postulated that an isthmus between more northern South America and the Antarctic craton has served to bring typical North American dinosaurs, such as hadrosaurs (duck-billed dinosaurs) and presumably marsupials traveling overland, while marine reptiles swam along coastal waters, to Antarctica in the latest Cretaceous. Finally, this region has served as the cradle for the evolution, if not the origin, for groups of modern birds, and evolution of a suite of typical southern hemisphere plants.In order to confirm and expand upon these hypotheses, investigations into the latest Cretaceous deposits of the James Ross Basin, Antarctica Peninsula must be continued. The Cape Lamb and Sandwich Bluff geological units, of the Lopez de Bertodano Formation in the James Ross Basin along the eastern Antarctic Peninsula, exhibit a mixture of marine and terrestrial deposits. The following vertebrates have been recovered from these sedimentary deposits during previous field seasons: plesiosaur and mosasaur marine reptiles; plant eating dinosaurs; a meat eating dinosaur; and a variety of modern bird groups, including shorebirds, wading birds and lagoonal birds.This project will undertake new fieldwork to recover new specimens in order to test biogeographic and evolutionary hypotheses concerning Late Cretaceous vertebrates in Gondwana. Fieldwork is planned in January 2002 and 2003 to explore the eastern slopes of Cape Lamb, Sandwich Bluff and False Island Point on Vega Island, and the Santa Marta Cove area of James Ross Island.This research will result in important new insights about the evolution and geographic dispersal of several vertebrate species. The results are important to understanding the development and evolution of life on Earth.This is a collaborative research project with Argentinean scientists from the IAA and it continues a productive collaboration that began in 1995. In addition, collaboration with vertebrate paleontologists from the Museo de La Plata, both in the field and at our respective institutions in Argentina and in the United States, will continue.

0003844案例该奖项由极地项目办公室南极地质与地球物理项目提供，用于支持加州圣玛丽学院、南达科他州矿业与技术学院和阿根廷南极研究所（Instituto Antartico Argentino或IAA）对南极半岛地区詹姆斯罗斯盆地晚中生代脊椎动物古生物学的合作研究项目。坎帕尼亚到马斯特里希特时代（8000万至6500万年前）是一个重要的时间间隔，涉及脊椎动物生物地理学（即由于大陆块移动而分散和分离）和南极洲与其他南半球大陆（包括印度，即冈瓦纳）之间的进化。此外，陆生脊椎动物（即恐龙和有袋哺乳动物）从北美经巴塔哥尼亚和南极半岛向南极洲及其以外（如澳大利亚）的扩散，以及现代鸟类从南极洲向北的扩散是古生物学中尚未解决的重要问题。这些扩散事件不仅包括陆地领域的脊椎动物，也包括海洋环境中的脊椎动物。在南极洲已经发现了广泛分布和局部分布的海洋爬行动物物种，这就产生了关于它们与陆地动物一起扩散的问题。南极半岛和巴塔哥尼亚是威德利亚古生物地理省的最西端，该地区从巴塔哥尼亚开始，穿过南极半岛和南极洲西部，直至澳大利亚和新西兰。这个省是脊椎动物在南美洲与马达加斯加和印度以及澳大利亚之间交换的传播路线。根据主要研究人员先前的研究结果，假设南美洲北部和南极克拉通之间的地峡在白垩纪晚期将典型的北美恐龙，如鸭嘴龙（鸭嘴龙）和可能的有袋动物带到陆地上，而海洋爬行动物则沿着沿海水域游动到南极洲。最后，这个地区即使不是现代鸟类群的起源，也是一组典型南半球植物进化的摇篮。为了证实和扩展这些假设，对南极半岛詹姆斯罗斯盆地白垩纪晚期沉积物的调查必须继续进行。南极半岛东部James Ross盆地Lopez de Bertodano组的Cape Lamb和Sandwich Bluff地质单元呈现海相和陆相混合沉积。在以前的野外季节，从这些沉积物中发现了以下脊椎动物：蛇颈龙和沧龙海洋爬行动物；植食恐龙；食肉恐龙；还有各种各样的现代鸟类，包括滨鸟、涉禽和泻湖鸟。该项目将进行新的实地考察，以恢复新的标本，以测试冈瓦纳晚白垩纪脊椎动物的生物地理学和进化假说。实地考察计划于2002年1月和2003年1月进行，考察维加岛的兰姆角东坡、三明治崖和假岛角，以及詹姆斯罗斯岛的圣玛尔塔湾地区。这项研究将对几种脊椎动物物种的进化和地理分布产生重要的新见解。这些结果对于理解地球上生命的发展和进化非常重要。这是与IAA的阿根廷科学家的一个合作研究项目，它继续了1995年开始的富有成效的合作。此外，将继续与拉普拉塔博物馆的脊椎动物古生物学家在实地以及我们各自在阿根廷和美国的机构进行合作。