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Paleobiology, Paleoecology, and Morphology of Vertebrates: New Approaches to Old Questions

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Paleobiology, Paleoecology, and Morphology of Vertebrates: New Approaches to Old Questions PALEOBIOLOGY, PALEOECOLOGY, AND MORPHOLOGY OF VERTEBRATES: NEW APPROACHES TO OLD QUESTIONS A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Shaena A. Montanari, B.S. Richard Gilder Graduate School at the American Museum of Natural History New York, NY September 26, 2012 © Copyright 2012 by Shaena A. Montanari, B.S. All Rights Reserved ii PALEOBIOLOGY, PALEOECOLOGY, AND MORPHOLOGY OF VERTEBRATES: NEW APPROACHES TO OLD QUESTIONS Shaena Montanari, B.S. Chair: Mark A. Norell, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Physical, chemical, and osteo-histological signatures in fossils can be extremely informative about organismal life history and ecological characteristics, yet these signatures have not yet been exploited to their fullest potential. Tools such as microscopy and mass spectrometry have the potential to address issues and questions in vertebrate paleontology that have, until now, remained elusive. First, this dissertation begins with traditional methods of anatomy and systematics with the addition of improved sampling and visualization of a historic specimen, Macrerpeton huxleyi. The edopoid temnospondyl Macrerpeton huxleyi is redescribed on the basis of new peels of the holotype. Phylogenetic analysis recovers Macrerpeton as the sister taxon of Cochleosaurus within the edopoid clade Macrerpetidae (formerly Cochleosauridae). Histological signatures in fossil bone can be used to reconstruct information about extinct organisms, such as genome size. Nonetheless, intra-skeletal osteocyte lacunae size variation, which could cause error in genome size estimation, has remained unexplored. While there is variance in the sizes of these bone structures over the skeleton of modern tetrapods, this variation is not necessarily causing any issues with genome size estimate; instead, the actual methods of estimation create a wide range of potential values that these methods are not able to answer certain genetic questions at a fine scale. iii Examining the carbon and oxygen isotopes in tooth enamel represents a quantitative method for discerning the paleoenvironments and paleoecology of fossil fauna. The Chinchilla Local Fauna from southeastern Queensland is a diverse assemblage of terrestrial Pliocene vertebrates from the Chinchilla Sand Formation. Isotopic analysis results from Chinchilla show that there were distinct dietary niches within the large marsupial vertebrate community. This study suggests that southeastern Queensland hosted a mosaic of tropical forests, wetlands and grasslands during the Pliocene. A review of the uses of biogenic materials in eggshells for stable isotope analysis is also provided. Stable isotope analysis is also used to determine paleoenvironments and paleoecology of dinosaurs during the Late Cretaceous in Mongolia. This study, which is the first to utilize stable isotope geochemistry on Mesozoic fossil tooth enamel from central Asia, documents that the environment was arid, but more importantly that dinosaur remains, such as eggshells, can be used for this type of study. These objectives are united by a need to use quantitative measurements to more accurately reconstruct vertebrate traits throughout earth history. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants –Sir Isaac Newton, 1676 The above quotation famously penned by Newton, but prevalent in some incarnation since the 12th century, may be clichéd, but it truly describes my feelings. The work I did in these four years could only have been accomplished because of the excellent education I have received from some sincerely gifted teachers. When I saw the advertisement for the RGGS Comparative Biology Ph.D. program back in the fall of 2007 never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would ever have this unique opportunity. Some called us guinea pigs, some called us pioneers, but I just call my classmates some of the brightest young minds in science. Antonia, Bryan, Zach, and Sebastian- where would I be without you guys? We got through this together and I am so unbelievably proud of you all. Especially Sebastian, my ex-roommate and forever best friend in the world. I feel so lucky that through it all I have always had the finest classmates to rely on: Ed, Phil, Pedro, Yi, Steve, Isabelle, Alejandro, Dawn, Ansel, and John. Snorri, my margarita buddy, I never could have made it through without our lengthy, yet important conversations about food and television. In my four years at RGGS, I often leaned on our academic staff and without their patience, kindness, and hard-work, this program never would have turned out to be such an (accredited) success. Anna Manuel, Maria Rios, and Taylor Johnson made up the best team anyone could ask for. But lest I forget the original administrative pioneer, Adam Kashuba, who was a great adviser and is now a great friend. My dissertation committee has been there for me to lean on and approach with literally any question. I am so fortunate I had John Flynn, Mark Norell, and Meng Jin guiding such an important part of v my scientific career. John, your unwavering support in every single one of my endeavors has helped me attain so much success at this point in my career, and I thank you so much for it. Mark, you were always there when I needed you and you have given me some of the greatest opportunities up to this point in my life. I owe the AMNH paleontology crew- you all helped me so much during my dissertation and I cannot even thank you enough for all that you did: Carl Mehling, Justy Alicia, Ana Balcarcel, Amy Davidson, Jack Conrad, and Mick Ellison. The AMNH Mongolia crew gave me two amazing summers in the field most grad students only get to dream of. Thanks to Jonah Choiniere, Amy Balanoff, Gabe Bever, Mike Novacek , and of course the illustrious Gobi mechanic, Tamir. I remember the first day Jonah arrived in New York- he was supposed to help me pack for the trip to Mongolia we would be taking the next day. I thought he was the nicest guy ever for coming up early and helping me out, and while I later learned that he was fairly annoyed that he had to help me pack on such short notice, over these two years he has truly become one of my closest friends (though now I probably like his wife Kelsey a bit more than him). While not on my official academic committee per say, I am proud to say Susan Perkins was an incredible friend and inspiration throughout this process, even though she made me suffer through pilates with her (but we always made sure we ate enough spring rolls afterwards). I wish I could write more about every single person I have grown to respect so dearly. I thank Penny Higgins, Mark Siddall, Michelle Spaulding, Andres Giallambardo, Sterling Nesbitt, Gilbert Price, Robin Beck, Paul Sweet and Kristina Killgrove for being amazing scientists, collaborators, mentors, and friends. vi I have saved the most important people for last. I am blessed my parents, Amy and Andy Montanari, have dedicated their lives to me since the day I was born. I owe all of my success to them and the generosity they have bestowed on me for my entire life; always supporting every endeavor I chased, no matter how far out it was. They trust every decision I make 110%, even when I doubt myself. The only regret I have in finishing this Ph.D. is that my grandmother, Helen Johnsen (aka Nana) is not here to see me achieve this dream because I know she would be the proudest of anyone. And finally, to my future husband Julien, who I had the pleasure of meeting because of this very work, I love you. You are my best friend and my most important collaborator. Despite the fact we were often oceans apart, I dedicate this dissertation to you because it wouldn’t have happened without your help and support. vii Reconstructing the picture; that's what fascinates me. We may not get all the details correctly, but the main facts are just as clear as though they had been written in stone and left for us to read. –Roy Chapman Andrews, This Business of Exploring viii TABLE OF CONTENTS COPYRIGHT PAGE...........................................................................................................ii ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS...................................................................................................v EPIGRAPH.......................................................................................................................viii FIGURES AND TABLES..................................................................................................xi CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION...........................................................................1 CHAPTER II. ANATOMY AND RELATIONSHIPS OF MACRERPETON HUXLEYI (TEMNOSPONDYLI: MACRERPETIDAE) FROM THE LATE CARBONIFEROUS OF LINTON, OHIO..............................................................................................13 CHAPTER III. VARIATION OF OSTEOCYTE LACUNAE SIZE WITHIN THE TETRAPOD SKELETON: IMPLICATIONS FOR PALAEOGENOMICS...................................................................34 CHAPTER IV. PLIOCENE PALEOENVIRONMENTS OF SOUTHEASTERN QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA INFERRED FROM STABLE ISOTOPES OF MARSUPIAL TOOTH ENAMEL......................48 CHAPTER V. CRACKING THE EGG: THE USE OF MODERN AND FOSSIL EGGS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECOLOGICAL INTERPRETATION......................................................................77
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