Miocene Landscape, Temperature and Plant Biodiversity in the Neotropics

中新世景观，温度和植物生物多样性在新热带区卡洛斯Jaramillo，史密森学会 了解亚马逊河流域的新第三纪历史对于了解雨林的演变至关重要。 这是地球上物种最多样化的地区之一。PI寻求更好地了解亚马逊的古地理。 他希望确定在中新世（25-5 Ma）亚马逊河是否是一个从北部被加勒比海淹没的浅海，或者它是否是一个巨大的淡水湖。 PI还希望确定17-14 Ma的温度是否比今天高3-4摄氏度，因为它位于更高的纬度。 与这些假设相对应的是中新世的植物多样性是否比今天更大。 PI将研究Llanos的两个区域（地层厚度为4500米）和哥伦比亚Urumaco的一个地点（地层厚度为9000米）。 PI希望确定亚马逊河是否被加勒比海从北部淹没，或者亚马逊河在中新世的各个时期是一个巨大的淡水湖。 孢粉学和沉积学将被用作识别浅海或淡水湖的代用指标。 同样，还将对中新世中期（17-14 Ma）的温度进行研究，以确定它是否与使用TEX 86方法的重大全球变暖事件有关。 氧同位素分析共存的哺乳动物牙釉质和鱼鳞也将进行评估。 该项目包括一个发达的国际合作，涉及来自美国，哥伦比亚，巴拿马，巴西和荷兰的科学家。培训一名研究生和一名博士后研究员是这项赠款的重要组成部分。他们的职业生涯将极大地受益于国际网络的机会，并与PI和合作者的思想交流。 这项研究将对在亚马逊工作的生物学家、气候建模者、植物生理学家、自然资源保护主义者和进化生物学家有用。 该项目的年代地层学成果将改善地质界？对区域构造地质和构造的认识。

Miocene Landscape, Temperature and Plant Biodiversity in the NeotropicsCarlos Jaramillo, Smithsonian Institution Understanding the Neogene history of Amazonia is essential for understanding the evolution of the rainforest. This is one of the most species diverse areas on Earth. The PI seeks a better understanding about the paleogeography of the Amazon. He wishes to determine if during the Miocene (25-5 Ma) the Amazon was a shallow sea inundated from the north by the Caribbean Sea, or whether it was a giant freshwater lake. The PI also wishes to determine if the temperature 17-14 Ma was 3-4° Celsius higher than today as it was at higher latitudes. Commensurate with these hypotheses is whether plant diversity was greater in the Miocene than today. The PI will study two areas in the Llanos (with 4500 meters of stratigraphy) and one site in Urumaco (with 9000 meters of stratigraphy), Colombia. The PI wishes to determine whether the Amazon was flooded by the Caribbean Sea from the north, or alternatively if the Amazon was a giant freshwater lake during various intervals of the Miocene Epoch. Palynology and sedimentology will be used as a proxy to identify a shallow sea or freshwater lake. There will likewise be a study of Middle Miocene (17-14 Ma) temperature to determine if it was tied to a major global warming event using the TEX86 method. Oxygen isotope analysis of coexisting mammalian tooth enamel and fish scales will also be evaluated. This project includes a well-developed international collaboration involving scientists from the USA, Colombia, Panama, Brazil, and Holland. Training of a graduate student and a postdoctoral researcher represents important components of this grant. Their careers will greatly benefit from international networking opportunities and the extended exchange of ideas with PI and collaborators of this grant. This research will be useful for biologists working in the Amazon, climate modelers, plant physiologists, conservationists and evolutionary biologists. Chronostratigraphic results of this project will improve the geological community?s understanding of the regional structural geology and tectonics.