Collaborative Research: Biogeography, turnover, and evolutionary dynamics of the Late Ordovician mass extinction: phylogenetic and field-based approaches

American Museum Natural History, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

Extinction has played a fundamental role in shaping biodiversity throughout the history of life, especially during mass extinction events that resulted in geologically rapid, catastrophic species loss. Studies of the fossil record can reveal the mechanisms and long-term impacts of extinction events and are critical for understanding the context of the current biodiversity crisis threatening many living species. The research team will investigate the first mass extinction event in the history of life, which drove around 85% of species extinct at the end of the Ordovician period and resulted in radical changes in the morphology, abundance, and dominance of surviving species. By combining field-based geological research with global datasets of fossil occurrences and morphology, the team will document patterns of extinction, biogeographic change, and morphological evolution across the mass extinction event at local and global scales. Students will be trained in the research and public outreach aspects of this international project. Focusing on the diverse and abundant fossil records of crinoids and trilobites, fieldwork on Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada will document patterns of body size evolution and the timing of extinction versus migration within regional, high-resolution stratigraphic sections. Field investigations will be complemented by global, phylogeny-based studies of biogeography and body size evolution to identify migration pathways, refugia, and mechanisms of body size change across the Ordovician mass extinction. This research will be the first to leverage phylogenetic approaches for these investigations and will fill critical gaps in our understanding of local versus global patterns surrounding the event. The team will also train multiple students in analytical and field methods and will work with international collaborators to develop a fossil identification guide, geological walking tour, and annual public talks on Anticosti Island that will contribute to local tourism and education. Research outcomes will further public education through public talks and development of an exhibit at the Sam Noble Museum and will benefit the research community through dissemination of phylogenetic, morphologic, and biogeographic datasets. 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.