| NSF Org: |
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | November 19, 2012 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | November 19, 2012 |
| Award Number: | 1244253 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
thomas wilch
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | January 1, 2013 |
| End Date: | December 31, 2015 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $190,374.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $190,374.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
639 38TH ST ROCK ISLAND IL US 61201-2296 (309)794-7432 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
639 38th Street Rock Island IL US 61201-2296 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | ANT Earth Sciences |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): | |
| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.078 |
ABSTRACT
Intellectual Merit:
This proposal requests support for research on Early Jurassic vertebrate fauna of the Beardmore Glacier region of Antarctica. The project will support preparation and systematic and paleobiological research on four Antarctic dinosaurs, including two new species, collected in the Central Transantarctic Mountains. With the new material Cryolophosaurus will become one of the most complete Early Jurassic theropods known, and thus has the potential to become a keystone taxon for resolving the debated early evolutionary history of theropod dinosaurs, the group that gave rise to birds. Two new dinosaur specimens include a nearly complete articulated skeleton of a juvenile sauropodomorph, and the articulated hip region of another small individual. Both appear to be new taxa. The dinosaurs from the Hanson Formation represent some of the highest paleolatitude vertebrates known from the Jurassic. The PIs will generate CT datasets for Cryolophosaurus and the more complete new sauropodomorph species to mine for phylogenetic trait information, and to investigate their comparative neuroanatomy and feeding behavior. Histological datasets will be generated from multiple skeletal elements for all four Mt. Kirkpatrick taxa to understand patterns of growth in different clades of polar dinosaurs and compare them to relatives from lower paleolatitudes. This paleohistological study of a relatively diverse sample of sauropodomorph taxa from Antarctica may contribute to determining whether and how these dinosaurs responded to contemporary climatic extremes.
Broader impacts:
The PIs have established a successful undergraduate training program as part of previous research. Summer interns from Augustana are trained at the Field Museum in specimen preparation, curation, molding/casting, and histological sampling. They also participate in existing Field Museum REU programs, including a course on phylogenetic systematics. Four undergraduate internships and student research projects will be supported through this proposal. The PIs will develop a traveling exhibit on Antarctic Mesozoic paleontology that they estimate will be seen by 2.5 million people over the five-year tour.
PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
This project began with a two month expedition to the Central Transantarctic Mountains in 2010-11 to search for new Jurassic fossil vertebrates. The expedtion resulted in the collection of additional bones from the previously described dinosaurs, the theropod Cryolophosaurus ellioti and the sauropodomorph Glacialisaurus hammeri. Two new species of Jurassic sauropodomorphs were also collected, one is a nearly complete skeleton of a juvenile (length less than one meter) and the second is a partial pelvis and vertebral column of a different species.
Phylogenetic studies of the two new sauropodomorphs indicate they are not closely related nor are they closely related to the previously described Glacialisaurus. The new juvenile is related to a clade of sauropodomorphs from South Africa, while the other new animal is related to a clade from South America. Glacialisaurus is most closely relate to sauropodomorphs from China and North America. This is fairly typical of Ealry Jurassic faunas worldwide, animals from the same fauna are often not closely related to each other. This is due to the presence of Pangea in the Early Jurassic when the animals had the ability to migrate from continent to continent since there were not any geographic or climatic barriers to prevent their movements.
Osteohistological studies of cross sections of the juvenile sauropodomorphs bones indcate a very young age, probably no more than one year old since there are no growth rings present.
These results expand our understanding of high latitude ecosystems during the Mesozoic period and contribute to our overall understanding of the evolution of the dinosarus.
Last Modified: 01/04/2016
Modified by: William R Hammer
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