Conservation Paleobiology

保护古生物学

• 批准号: 0125025
• 负责人: Karl Flessa
• 金额: $ 24万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2002
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2002-03-01 至 2006-02-28
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0125025&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Conservation; Paleobiology

We will develop techniques that can be used to understand the biology and ecology of rare and endangered species without direct observations or experiments on those species. Rare and endangered species are often difficult to study because their populations are very small and because direct observations and experiments can harm the species. We will apply geochemical and paleontological methods to the analysis of shells and bones in museum collections, archeological sites and natural accumulations. We will use growth lines in bones and teeth to determine age spans and growth rates. We will use the geochemistry of the bones and shells to determine diet, water sources, and salinity. We will examine three rare and endangered species in the northern Gulf of California: the Colorado delta clam (a mollusk), the totoaba (a fish) and the Gulf of California harbor porpoise (a marine mammal). These species are endangered by either direct human activity or through environmental changes caused by the near-complete diversion of Colorado River water for human uses. The techniques developed and tested in this project may be applied to the conservation biology and restoration of other rare and endangered species.

我们将开发可用于了解珍稀和濒危物种的生物学和生态学的技术，而无需对这些物种进行直接观察或实验。稀有和濒危物种通常很难研究，因为它们的数量非常少，而且直接观察和实验可能会损害这些物种。我们将运用地球化学和古生物学的方法来分析博物馆藏品、考古遗址和自然堆积的贝壳和骨头。我们将使用骨骼和牙齿的生长线来确定年龄跨度和生长速度。我们将利用骨头和贝壳的地球化学特征来确定它们的饮食、水源和盐度。我们将考察加利福尼亚湾北部的三种珍稀濒危物种：科罗拉多三角洲蛤（一种软体动物）、石甲鱼（一种鱼类）和加利福尼亚湾海豚（一种海洋哺乳动物）。这些物种要么是由于人类的直接活动，要么是由于科罗拉多河的水几乎完全转向人类使用而导致的环境变化而濒临灭绝。本项目开发和试验的技术可应用于保护生物学和其他稀有和濒危物种的恢复。