Dark Data from the White Continent: New Light on Five Decades of Vertebrate Paleontology Collections from the Triassic Fremouw Formation of Antarctica

第一部分：对该项目的非技术性描述大约在2.52亿年前，二叠纪-三叠纪的大灭绝导致地球上90%以上的物种灭绝。大约在同一时间，盘古超大陆的南极部分过渡到没有永久冰盖的更温暖的气候状态。与低纬度地区相比，人们对南极洲物种灭绝幸存者的了解相对较少，尽管有人假设，南极洲大陆更极地的位置保护了它免受物种灭绝最糟糕的影响。南极洲早三叠世的相关化石已经收集了50多年，但几乎所有发现的小型爬行动物都被归入Procolphon或Prolacerta。然而，初步数据表明，这是对真正的多样性的低估。这笔赠款支持一名具有爬行动物化石专长的博士后研究人员重新评估南极洲早期三叠纪化石记录，包括它们的识别、关系以及它们如何适应南极洲和其他南半球陆地组合的陆地生态系统，考虑到灭绝后环境的重大重组。对历史化石收藏的定量重新评估是这项工作的主要部分。华盛顿大学的本科生将积极参与这项研究，学习硬组织组织学和CT数据处理等技能。公众参与南极科学将通过华盛顿州自然历史和文化博物馆华盛顿大学伯克博物馆完成，包括展示开发和参观西雅图地区的学校。第二部分：项目的技术描述这个为期两年的项目将带来新的分析技术，对过去50年从南极洲弗莱穆尔组下三叠统部分收集到的近1100块脊椎动物化石进行分析。通过对保存特别完好的标本进行基于CT的分析，对其他关键化石的准备和重新研究，以及对Fremuw组和低纬度同时代地层组合的定量比较，我们可以在理解三叠纪初期南极脊椎动物群的意义方面取得实质性进展。更具体地说，这项研究将1)记录以前未被描述的物种，2)了解Fremow脊椎动物(特别是爬行动物)组合的分类和生态组成，3)与几个较低纬度的组合进行比较，4)测量骨骼的完整性和在突触体、脊椎动物和爬行动物记录中的解剖学表现，以及5)评估这些主要的四足类群在不同地点和沉积环境中的分类丰度和多样性。通过将这项研究产生的南极数据提供给几个储存库和包括iDigBio在内的在线网站，将解决无法通过数字方式访问博物馆记录的“暗数据”问题。总体而言，这项研究将为弗雷莫地层的脊椎动物群提供新的见解，并阐明在二叠纪-三叠纪大灭绝之后，盘古大陆南部陆地生态系统的演变。更广泛的影响工作将包括让华盛顿大学(UW)的本科生参与几个研究项目，在华盛顿大学伯克博物馆的年度恐龙上展示南极化石，开发关于南极古生物学的新展览，以及参观西雅图当地学校，课程由伯克博物馆的教育部门开发。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Part 1: A nontechnical description of the projectAround 252 million years ago, the Permian–Triassic mass extinction wiped out over 90% of species on Earth. At about the same time, the Antarctic portion of the supercontinent of Pangea transitioned to a warmer climatic regime devoid of a permanent ice cap. Compared to lower latitudes, relatively little is known about the survivors of the extinction in Antarctica, although it has been hypothesized that the continent’s more polar location shielded it from the worst of the extinction’s effects. Relevant fossils from the Early Triassic of Antarctica have been collected for over 50 years, but nearly all of the small reptiles found have been assigned to either Procolophon or Prolacerta. However, preliminary data suggests that this is an undercount of the true diversity. This grant supports one postdoctoral researcher with expertise in fossil reptiles to reassess the Early Triassic fossil record of Antarctica, including their identification, relationships, and how they fit into the terrestrial ecosystem of Antarctica and other southern hemisphere terrestrial assemblages considering the major reorganization of post-extinction environments. A quantitative reassessment of historical fossil collections is a major part of this work. Undergraduate students at the University of Washington will be actively involved as part of this research and learn skills like hard tissue histology and CT data manipulation. Public engagement in Antarctic science will be accomplished through the University of Washington Burke Museum, which is the Washington State museum of natural history and culture, and include display development and visits to schools in the Seattle area. Part 2: A technical description of the project This two-year project will bring new analytic techniques to bear on the nearly 1100 vertebrate fossils collected from the Lower Triassic portion of the Fremouw Formation of Antarctica over the past five decades. Through a combination of CT-based analysis of particularly well-preserved specimens, preparation and restudy of other critical fossils, and quantitative comparisons between the assemblages of the Fremouw Formation and coeval strata from lower latitudes, we can make substantial progress in understanding the significance of Antarctic vertebrate faunas during the initial stages of the Triassic. More specifically, this research will 1) document previously undescribed species, 2) understand the taxonomic and ecological composition of Fremouw vertebrate (particularly reptile) assemblages, 3) make comparisons to several lower latitude assemblages, 4) measure skeletal completeness and anatomical representation in the records of synapsids, temnospondyls, and reptiles, and 5) assess taxonomic abundance and diversity of these major tetrapod groups across different localities and depositional environments. The problem of ‘dark data,’ or museum records not accessible digitally, will be addressed by providing the Antarctic data generated by this research to several repositories and online venues, including iDigBio. Overall, this research will provide new insights into the vertebrate fauna of the Fremouw Formation, as well as shed light on the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems in southern Pangea in the wake of the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. Broader impacts work will include involving undergraduates at the University of Washington (UW) in several research projects, featuring Antarctic fossils at the UW Burke Museum’s annual DinoFest, developing a new display on Antarctic paleontology, and visiting local Seattle schools with a curriculum developed by the Burke Museum’s education department.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.