Biostratigraphy, Biogeography and Shape Analysis of Late Devonian Frasnian Conodonts

通过对欧亚大陆晚泥盆世、弗拉斯期牙形刺序列的生物地层学分析，得出了法国蒙塔涅黑岩的13重分带和阿尔伯塔落基山脉的12重分带。从图形对比中得出的相关性假设解决了两个序列之间的差异，并允许开发由34个复合标准单位组成的半定量综合极差图。本标准的测试和修改将使用来自Euramerica的其他序列和最近从澳大利亚获得的收集的数据进行，在澳大利亚，初步分析中已经确定了蒙塔涅黑区3-13。澳大利亚层序将为正在进行的弗拉斯期牙形刺生物地理学的全面分析提供关键位置。支撑这些研究的是从多元素分类学和形状分析发展而来的分类学基础。前者是20世纪60年代在分类学上的重大突破，这对弗拉斯尼亚牙形刺在物种水平上的研究几乎没有影响，直到在Pi之前的资助下进行的研究。形状分析，特别是自动轮廓分析，有可能量化进化上重要的形态特征，并将分类学的许多主观方面转化为精确的方法学。

Biostratigraphic analysis of Late Devonian, Frasnian conodont sequences in Euramerica has led to a thirteen-fold zonation in the Montagne Noire, France and a different twelve- fold zonation in the Alberta Rockies. A correlation hypothesis derived from graphic correlation resolves the differences between the two sequences and allows development of a semi-quantitative composite range chart, consisting of 34 composite-standard units. Testing and modification of this standard will be pursued using data from other sequences in Euramerica and the recently acquired collections from Australia, where Montagne Noire zones 3-13 have been identified in preliminary analysis. The Australian sequence will provide a crucial location for an ongoing comprehensive analysis of Frasnian conodont biogeography. Underpinning these studies is a taxonomic base developed from multielement taxonomy and shape analysis. The former was the major taxonomic breakthrough of the 1960s, which has had little impact on Frasnian conodont studies at the species level until the research carried out under PI's previous grants. Shape analysis, especially automated outline analysis, has the potential to quantify evolutionarily significant morphologic characters and transform many of the subjective aspects of taxonomy into a precise methodology.