Collaborative Research: Continued Research on the Jurassic Vertebrate Fauna from the Beardmore Glacier Region of Antarctica

智力成果：该提案要求支持对南极洲Beardmore冰川地区早侏罗世脊椎动物群的研究。该项目将支持对在中跨南极山脉收集的四种南极恐龙进行准备和系统的古生物学研究，其中包括两个新物种。有了新的材料，Cryolophosaurus将成为已知最完整的早侏罗纪兽脚亚目恐龙之一，因此有可能成为解决兽脚亚目恐龙早期进化史的关键分类群，这一群恐龙产生了鸟类。两个新的恐龙标本包括一个几乎完整的幼年蜥脚类动物的关节骨架，以及另一个小个体的关节臀部。这两个似乎都是新的分类群。汉森组的恐龙代表了侏罗纪以来已知的最高古纬度脊椎动物。PI将为Cryolophosaurus和更完整的新sauropodomorph物种生成CT数据集，以挖掘系统发育特征信息，并研究它们的比较神经解剖学和摄食行为。组织学数据集将从所有四个Mt的多个骨骼元素中生成。柯克帕特里克分类群了解极地恐龙不同分支的生长模式，并将它们与来自较低古纬度的亲属进行比较。这一古组织学研究的一个相对不同的样本sauropodomorph类群从南极洲可能有助于确定是否以及如何这些恐龙对当代的极端气候。更广泛的影响：PI已经建立了一个成功的本科生培训计划作为以前的研究的一部分。来自奥古斯塔纳的暑期实习生在菲尔德博物馆接受标本制备，策展，成型/铸造和组织学取样的培训。他们还参加现有的菲尔德博物馆REU计划，包括系统发育分类学课程。四个本科生实习和学生研究项目将通过该提案得到支持。PI将开发一个关于南极中生代古生物学的巡回展览，他们估计在五年的巡回展览中将有250万人参观。

Intellectual Merit: This proposal requests support for research on Early Jurassic vertebrate fauna of the Beardmore Glacier region of Antarctica. The project will support preparation and systematic and paleobiological research on four Antarctic dinosaurs, including two new species, collected in the Central Transantarctic Mountains. With the new material Cryolophosaurus will become one of the most complete Early Jurassic theropods known, and thus has the potential to become a keystone taxon for resolving the debated early evolutionary history of theropod dinosaurs, the group that gave rise to birds. Two new dinosaur specimens include a nearly complete articulated skeleton of a juvenile sauropodomorph, and the articulated hip region of another small individual. Both appear to be new taxa. The dinosaurs from the Hanson Formation represent some of the highest paleolatitude vertebrates known from the Jurassic. The PIs will generate CT datasets for Cryolophosaurus and the more complete new sauropodomorph species to mine for phylogenetic trait information, and to investigate their comparative neuroanatomy and feeding behavior. Histological datasets will be generated from multiple skeletal elements for all four Mt. Kirkpatrick taxa to understand patterns of growth in different clades of polar dinosaurs and compare them to relatives from lower paleolatitudes. This paleohistological study of a relatively diverse sample of sauropodomorph taxa from Antarctica may contribute to determining whether and how these dinosaurs responded to contemporary climatic extremes.Broader impacts: The PIs have established a successful undergraduate training program as part of previous research. Summer interns from Augustana are trained at the Field Museum in specimen preparation, curation, molding/casting, and histological sampling. They also participate in existing Field Museum REU programs, including a course on phylogenetic systematics. Four undergraduate internships and student research projects will be supported through this proposal. The PIs will develop a traveling exhibit on Antarctic Mesozoic paleontology that they estimate will be seen by 2.5 million people over the five-year tour.