CNIC COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: US-Ethiopia planning visit for the investigation of non-marine Mesozoic ecosystems from the Northwestern Plateau, Ethiopia

该项目是三项建议合作的一部分，将支持对埃塞俄比亚的计划访问，以确定来自埃塞俄比亚西北高原的早期中生代非海洋化石是否有助于填补有关哺乳动物进化和分布的关键知识空白。该项目将专门研究上三叠世-下侏罗纪地层，寻求找到脊椎动物化石，以提供有关脊椎动物在古代非洲以及欧亚大陆和美洲的进化、多样化和扩散的更好信息。总体努力将支持四名教师和四名研究生前往埃塞俄比亚。除了他们在古生物学和地球科学方面的优秀资格和多样化的专业知识外，该团队还包括两名早期职业调查员，三名代表性不足的少数民族和一名女性。该小组将与埃塞俄比亚阿迪斯大学的同行密切合作。为期一个月的规划访问将包括几天的研讨会和美国团队与他们在阿迪斯的埃塞俄比亚合作者之间的信息交流，三周的合作实地工作，在两个地点进行深入的侦察，然后几天的计划和启动样本处理，并开始编写一个更大的后续提案。这个特定的项目为PI之一Irmis博士和一名研究生提供旅行支持。 非洲中生代非海洋脊椎动物化石记录仍然是一个虚拟的？一张白纸然而，来自该地区的化石数据对于了解陆地群落如何应对大约1亿年前超大陆盘古大陆的分裂至关重要。与北美洲、南美洲和亚洲类似年代的化石层位相比，世界上这一地区仍然相对未取样。埃塞俄比亚的战略位置是广泛的中生代沉积岩层，这些化石可能证明非常有价值的古生物地理学和许多主要的非海洋脊椎动物群体，如恐龙，哺乳动物，蜥蜴，研究小组已经确定了埃塞俄比亚的两个目标采样点，那里的中生代早期地层暴露良好，可以进行有效的勘探和初步采样。采集：青尼罗河（Abay）峡谷上部的晚侏罗世Mugher泥岩和提格雷省的早侏罗世阿迪格拉特组。这次美国-埃塞俄比亚合作计划访问提供了一个宝贵的机会，开始扩大非洲中生代化石记录所需的多学科努力。从这个拟议的项目中获得的化石和科学对于检验有关中生代早期生物化石、泛大陆解体后的古生物地理学以及假设起源于非洲的几个现代脊椎动物群体的进化和扩散的假设至关重要。这一努力将为美国团队提供宝贵的专业发展机会，特别是两名早期职业教师和四名研究生。这次规划访问还将为大约8名本科生提供机会，以获得化石制备和分析方面的新研究技能和培训，以及博物馆策展，教育和公共宣传方面的经验。

This project, part of a three proposal collaborative, effort, will support a planning visit to Ethiopia to determine if early Mesozoic non-marine fossils from the Northwestern Plateau of Ethiopia can help fill a critical knowledge gap regarding mammalian evolution and distribution at the time of the breakup of the supercontinent of Pangaea. The project will look specifically at Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic formations, seeking to find vertebrate fossils that will provide better information on the evolution, diversification and dispersal of vertebrates across ancient Africa and into Eurasia and the Americas. The overall effort will support travel to Ethiopia by four faculty members and four graduate students. In addition to their excellent qualifications and diverse expertise in paleontology and geosciences, the team includes two early career investigators, three underrepresented ethnic minorities and a woman. The team will work closely with counterparts in Ethiopia from the University of Addis Ababa. The month-long planning visit will include several days for seminars and information exchange between the US team and their Ethiopian collaborators in Addis Ababa, three weeks of collaborative field work to conduct in depth reconnaissance at two sites, then several days to plan and initiate sample processing and begin writing a larger follow-on proposal. This specific project provides travel support to one of the PI's, Dr. Irmis, and a graduate student. The Mesozoic non-marine vertebrate fossil record of Africa remains a virtual ?blank slate? in comparison to other regions of the world; however, fossil data from this region is critical to understanding how terrestrial communities responded to the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea about 100 million years ago. This part of the world remains relatively un-sampled compared to fossil-bearing horizons of similar age in North and South America and Asia. Ethiopia is strategically positioned with extensive Mesozoic sedimentary rock formations and these fossils may prove very valuable to improving understanding of the paleobiogeography and evolution of many major non-marine vertebrate groups, such as dinosaurs, mammals, lizards, snakes and amphibians.The team has identified two target sampling sites in Ethiopia where early Mesozoic formations are well exposed and may be effectively explored and preliminary samples collected: the Late Jurassic Mugher Mudstone of the upper Blue Nile (Abay) Gorge, and the Early Jurassic Adigrat Formation of the Tigray Province. This collaborative US-Ethiopia planning visit provides a valuable opportunity to begin the multidisciplinary effort that is required to expand the Mesozoic fossil record from Africa. The fossils and science from this proposed project are essential to testing hypotheses regarding early Mesozoic biotas, paleobiogeography following the breakup of Pangaea, and the evolution and dispersal of several modern vertebrate groups hypothesized to originate in Africa. The effort will provide a valuable professional development opportunity for the US team, especially the two early career faculty and the four graduate students. This planning visit will also provide an opportunity for approximately eight undergraduates to gain new research skills and training, in fossil preparation and analysis, as well as experience in museum curation, education and public outreach.