Here is an excellent synthesis by Randall Irmis and Jessica Whiteside of ongoing and future research in the Late Triassic, particularly in North America. These are topics of great interest to me and Jeff Martz right now and we have a paper in press that will delve into our side of this research. We are also working closely with colleagues such as Randy and Jessica on some aspects of this work and I am proud that Petrified Forest National Park is one of the settings for this exciting research.
It is a Spotlight article so there is no abstract. You can e-mail Randall Irmis for a PDF.
This excerpt makes a key point that I have been a strong proponent for:
"The key for understanding Late Triassic terrestrial ecosystems is that all of these new studies focus on stratigraphic sections where multiple different research approaches can be applied to maximize the data recovered from the same area."
Instead of various researchers working haphazardly, conducting different studies on different outcrops, coordinating this research instead with everyone working in the same areas under the same detailed stratigraphic foundation allows for a final amalgamation of data leading to stronger supported interpretations for all parties involved. This is exactly what has been going on at the Petrified Forest over the last few years and the story coming out of the rocks and fossils is just amazing.
Irmis, R. B., and J. H. Whiteside. 2010. Newly integrated approaches to studying Late Triassic terrestrial ecosystems. Palaios 25:689-691. DOI: 10.2110/palo.2010.S06
Showing posts with label Figuring Stuff Out. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Figuring Stuff Out. Show all posts
This is the Kind of Study I'd Like to See Get Done More Often
I remain convinced that figuring out larger problems starts with the detailed collection of data at a smaller scale. This is exactly the type of study I'd like to consider for the Chinle Formation.....
Lyson, T. R., and N. R. Longrich. 2010. Spatial niche partitioning in dinosaurs from the latest cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of North America. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Published online before print October 13, 2010, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1444
Abstract - We examine patterns of occurrence of associated dinosaur specimens (n = 343) from the North American Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation and equivalent beds, by comparing their relative abundance in sandstone and mudstone. Ceratopsians preferentially occur in mudstone, whereas hadrosaurs and the small ornithopod Thescelosaurus show a strong association with sandstone. By contrast, the giant carnivore Tyrannosaurus rex shows no preferred association with either lithology. These lithologies are used as an indicator of environment of deposition, with sandstone generally representing river environments, and finer grained sediments typically representing floodplain environments. Given these patterns of occurrence, we argue that spatial niche partitioning helped reduce competition for resources between the herbivorous dinosaurs. Within coastal lowlands ceratopsians preferred habitats farther away from rivers, whereas hadrosaurs and Thescelosaurus preferred habitats in close proximity to rivers, and T. rex, the ecosystem's sole large carnivore, inhabited both palaeoenvironments. Spatial partitioning of the environment helps explain how several species of large herbivorous dinosaurs coexisted. This study emphasizes that different lithologies can preserve dramatically dissimilar vertebrate assemblages, even when deposited in close proximity and within a narrow window of time. The lithology in which fossils are preserved should be recorded as these data can provide unique insights into the palaeoecology of the animals they preserve.
Lyson, T. R., and N. R. Longrich. 2010. Spatial niche partitioning in dinosaurs from the latest cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of North America. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Published online before print October 13, 2010, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2010.1444
Abstract - We examine patterns of occurrence of associated dinosaur specimens (n = 343) from the North American Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation and equivalent beds, by comparing their relative abundance in sandstone and mudstone. Ceratopsians preferentially occur in mudstone, whereas hadrosaurs and the small ornithopod Thescelosaurus show a strong association with sandstone. By contrast, the giant carnivore Tyrannosaurus rex shows no preferred association with either lithology. These lithologies are used as an indicator of environment of deposition, with sandstone generally representing river environments, and finer grained sediments typically representing floodplain environments. Given these patterns of occurrence, we argue that spatial niche partitioning helped reduce competition for resources between the herbivorous dinosaurs. Within coastal lowlands ceratopsians preferred habitats farther away from rivers, whereas hadrosaurs and Thescelosaurus preferred habitats in close proximity to rivers, and T. rex, the ecosystem's sole large carnivore, inhabited both palaeoenvironments. Spatial partitioning of the environment helps explain how several species of large herbivorous dinosaurs coexisted. This study emphasizes that different lithologies can preserve dramatically dissimilar vertebrate assemblages, even when deposited in close proximity and within a narrow window of time. The lithology in which fossils are preserved should be recorded as these data can provide unique insights into the palaeoecology of the animals they preserve.
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