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

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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.