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：大约2.52亿年前，二叠纪-三叠纪大灭绝消灭了地球上90%以上的物种。 大约在同一时间，盘古大陆的南极部分过渡到一个没有永久冰盖的温暖气候状态。 与低纬度地区相比，人们对南极洲大灭绝幸存者的了解相对较少，尽管有人假设该大陆的极地位置使其免受大灭绝最严重的影响。 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分配到Procolophon或Prolacerta。 然而，初步数据表明，这是对真正多样性的低估。 该补助金支持一位具有化石爬行动物专业知识的博士后研究人员重新评估南极洲早三叠世的化石记录，包括它们的识别，关系以及它们如何融入南极洲和其他南半球陆地生态系统考虑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一个主要部分。 华盛顿大学的本科生将积极参与这项研究，并学习硬组织组织学和CT数据处理等技能。 公众对南极科学的参与将通过华盛顿大学伯克博物馆完成，该博物馆是华盛顿州立自然历史和文化博物馆，包括展示发展和参观西雅图地区的学校。 第2部分：这个为期两年的项目将带来新的分析技术，以承担近1100脊椎动物化石收集从下三叠纪部分的南极洲Fremouw组在过去的五十年。 通过对保存特别完好的标本进行基于CT的分析，准备和重新研究其他关键化石，以及对Fremouw组和低纬度同时代地层组合的定量比较，我们可以在理解南极脊椎动物群在三叠纪初期的重要性方面取得实质性进展。 更具体地说，这项研究将1）记录以前未描述的物种，2）了解Fremouw脊椎动物的分类和生态组成（特别是爬行动物）组合，3）与几个低纬度组合进行比较，4）测量突触动物，temnospondyls和爬行动物记录中的骨骼完整性和解剖学代表性，以及5）评估这些主要四足动物群在不同地点和沉积环境中的分类丰度和多样性。“暗数据”或无法以数字方式访问的博物馆记录的问题将通过将这项研究产生的南极数据提供给包括iDigBio在内的几个存储库和在线场所来解决。 总的来说，这项研究将为Fremouw组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UW伯克博物馆的年度恐龙节上展示南极化石，开发一个关于南极古生物学的新展览，并参观当地西雅图学校与伯克博物馆的教育部门开发的课程。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过评估使用的支持基金会的学术价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

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.