Collaborative Research: Mass Extinction Ecological Response and Recovery in the Cretaceous/Paleogene Gulf Coastal Plain

合作研究：白垩纪/古近纪海湾沿岸平原大规模灭绝的生态响应和恢复

• 批准号: 1925586
• 负责人: Warren Allmon
• 金额: $ 15.09万
• 依托单位: Paleontological Research Institute
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2019-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1925586&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Mass; Extinction; Ecological

It is largely unknown how marine animals today will respond to current and future environmental change. This research is using the geologic record of a mass extinction event 66 million years ago as a natural laboratory to understand habitat loss and species survival during rapid environmental changes. The systematically collected paleo-environment and fossil data are the foundation of immersive, online 'Virtual Field Experiences' that engage students with the field collection and lab processing methods of Earth Sciences research. Online experiences and lesson plans aligned with Next Generation Science Standards are broadly available through well-known online portals and disseminated to teachers in the Gulf Coast states.Periods of extreme, rapid environmental change in Earth history are informative for predicting current and future survivorship in response to changing climate. These events also provide the opportunity to test hypotheses on macroevolutionary pattern and process. This project involves compiling species occurrences and paleoenvironments across the end-Cretaceous mass extinction (~66 Ma) in the U.S. Gulf Coastal Plain. Topics of investigation include (1) the impact of available suitable habitat and habitat continuity on extinction potential; (2) the impact of extreme environmental change on patterns of niche stability within species, and phylogenetic niche conservation within clades; and (3) the influence of extreme environmental change on macroecological shifts in body size and physiological flexibility. This research supports three female early-career PIs, and graduate and undergraduate students at five institutions (two of which serve non-traditional, minority-majority student populations) are trained in field, laboratory, and analytical Earth Science. Two Virtual Field Experiences with high school-level lesson plans will emphasize hypothesis testing and the significance of extinction events.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

目前尚不清楚海洋动物将如何应对当前和未来的环境变化。这项研究利用6600万年前大规模灭绝事件的地质记录作为自然实验室，以了解快速环境变化期间栖息地的丧失和物种的生存。系统收集的古环境和化石数据是沉浸式在线“虚拟现场体验”的基础，让学生参与地球科学研究的现场收集和实验室处理方法。与下一代科学标准一致的在线经验和课程计划通过知名的在线门户网站广泛提供，并传播给墨西哥湾沿岸各州的教师。地球历史上极端快速的环境变化时期对于预测当前和未来应对气候变化的生存状况是信息丰富的。这些事件也提供了机会，以测试宏观进化模式和过程的假设。该项目涉及在美国墨西哥湾沿岸平原的白垩纪末期大规模灭绝（~66 Ma）中汇编物种出现和古环境。调查的主题包括：（1）可用的适宜生境和生境连续性对灭绝潜力的影响;（2）极端环境变化对物种内生态位稳定性模式的影响，以及分支内的系统发育生态位保护;（3）极端环境变化对个体大小和生理灵活性的宏观生态变化的影响。这项研究支持三名女性早期职业PI，五所机构的研究生和本科生（其中两所服务于非传统的少数民族学生群体）在实地，实验室和分析地球科学方面接受培训。两个虚拟现场体验与高中水平的课程计划将强调假设检验和灭绝事件的重要性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。