Collaborative Research: Faunal Composition, Provinciality and Paleobiolgy of a Late Cretaceous Arctic Vertebrate Assemblage Revealed Through Cross-Latitudinal Comparisons

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The 70-million year old Prince Creek Formation of Arctic Alaska provides fossil evidence that a surprisingly diverse array of dinosaurs, birds, flying reptiles and small mammals lived in polar forests characterized by warm summers and five- to six-months of darkness and snowfall during the polar winter. Enduring these seasonally intense and variable conditions makes these animals uniquely suited to test major paleobiological questions pertaining to physiology, migration, body size changes, ecology and distribution. This project will examine these questions through new Arctic specimen collections and identifications, temperature determinations and growth studies, and comparison to findings with animals living at warmer lower latitudes. This project will bring together a diverse team of scientists who will share new ideas and methodologies and contribute to the education and training of graduate and undergraduate students. Results will be disseminated in scientific venues and presented publicly through museum exhibitions and K-12 presentations. The latter will include visits to rural, northern Alaskan schools to provide underserved Alaska Native students and teachers with an opportunity to learn about the fossils in their area and interact with NSF-sponsored researchers. Using macro- and microfossil remains, this study will establish a comprehensive dataset on the faunal composition of a Mesozoic polar assemblage, including descriptions of probable new species unique to the Arctic. Statistical techniques will be used to compare the faunal compositions between mid- and high latitudes to understand North American distribution patterns. Histological analyses of bones and teeth will provide the first rigorous testing of the affects of polar environments on the growth and physiology of dinosaurs and mammals. Lastly, a novel technique using biomarkers will be used to provide more precise paleotemperature estimates to understand the temperature regime experienced by the polar fauna.