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Changes in Mammalian Abundance Through the Eocene-Oligocene

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Changes in Mammalian Abundance Through the Eocene-Oligocene University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Dissertations & Theses in Earth and Atmospheric Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of Sciences Summer 7-30-2019 Changes in Mammalian Abundance Through the Eocene-Oligocene Climate Transition in the White River Group of Nebraska, USA Robert Gillham University of Nebraska - Lincoln, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geoscidiss Part of the Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons, Paleobiology Commons, and the Paleontology Commons Gillham, Robert, "Changes in Mammalian Abundance Through the Eocene-Oligocene Climate Transition in the White River Group of Nebraska, USA" (2019). Dissertations & Theses in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. 120. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geoscidiss/120 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Changes in Mammalian Abundance Through the Eocene- Oligocene Climate Transition in the White River Group of Nebraska, USA By Robert B. Gillham A THESIS Presented to the Faculty of The Graduate College at the University of Nebraska In Partial Fulfillment of Requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Major: Geosciences Under the Supervision of Professor Ross Secord Lincoln, NE August, 2019 Changes in Mammalian Abundance Through the Eocene- Oligocene Climate Transition in the White River Group of Nebraska, USA Robert B. Gillham M.S. University of Nebraska, 2019 Advisor: Ross Secord Marine records show major cooling during the Eocene-Oligocene Climate Transition (EOCT). Most proxy studies in the White River Group suggest drying across the EOCT, and some suggest cooling. The lower resolution continental record has hindered a direct correlation of the marine climate record to Nebraska. I explore various correlation schemes and what they imply for faunal changes. This study compiles and analyzes data from 4,875 specimens in the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM) collection to test the hypothesis that climate change across the Eocene-Oligocene (E-O) boundary caused significant abundance changes in mammals. A series of binning schemes was created. One binning scheme followed previously established lithological zones, two schemes were based on average sediment accumulation rates, and three more were created by applying a cubic spline curve to published 206Pb/238U zircon ash dates. For the purpose of correlating the marine and Toadstool sections, I constructed a high-resolution (±0.5 m) carbon isotope stratigraphy across the E-O boundary using fossil enamel from the oreodont Merycoidodon. Results show that turnover in taxonomic abundance occurs throughout the study interval and is not concentrated across the EOCT. The largest pulse of faunal change and largest abundance changes for the most common taxa, Merycoidodon and the horse Mesohippus, slightly predate the EOCT. This raises the possibility that climate change began earlier in the continental interior than indicated by the marine benthic oxygen isotope record. Chord distance analyses reveal that the faunal composition of Orellan zones are more similar to one another than they are to the faunas of Chadron zones. This similarity is likely caused by the extinction, or near extinction, of Chadron taxa like Megacerops around the EOCT. Despite the lack of significant change in evenness, numerous taxa underwent extended changes in relative abundance through time. Archaeotherium, a water-dependent artiodactyl, decreased in relative abundance through time just as Poebrotherium, a water-independent camelid, increased in abundance through time. Changes in the relative abundances of Poebrotherium and Archaeotherium are consistent with a drier environment beginning in EOCT. The level of water- dependence in other taxa is less clear, and their changes in abundance cannot be confidently explained through diet, dentition, body mass, or locomotion. COPYRIGHT 2019 by Gillham, Robert B. All rights reserved. DEDICATION Dedicated to my wife, Kathleen Gillham, who has made every day of our time here even better and to the best family anyone could ask for. V TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION TITLE/SECTION PAGE Preface Title Page I Abstract II Copyright III Dedication IV Table of Contents V List of Figures VI List of Tables VII Appendix Figures VIII Appendix Tables X Introduction 1 Stratigraphic Setting and Paleoclimatic Context 3 Lithostratigraphy 3 Geochronology 6 Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironments 7 Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotopes 10 Materials and Methods 13 Specimens for Abundance Measurement 13 Sample Collection for Isotope Analysis 14 Moving Averages 15 Binning Models 16 Results 21 Uncertainty in Magnetic Polarity Zones 22 Stable Isotope Results from Merycoidodon Teeth 23 Schultz and Stout (1955) Zones 24 Fourth Bin Series 26 Sixth Bin Series 28 Discussion 30 Assessment of Taphonomic and Collecting Biases 35 Interpretation of Changes in Relative Abundance 38 Conclusions 40 Acknowledgements 41 Literature Cited 42 Appendices 55 Appendix A: Biostratigraphy 55 Appendix B: Datasets with Leptomeryx Included 57 Appendix C: All Taxa Plotted Together 59 Appendix D: NALMA Abundance Figures 60 Appendix E: Combined Bins Before and After Climate Shift 60 Appendix F: Principal Components Analysis 60 VI LIST OF FIGURES PAGE Figure 1. Various stratigraphic divisions of the White River Group depicting the second and third 61 bin series used in this work Figure 2. 66 Merycoidodon enamel samples from the third molar of each specimen showing δ13C 62 vs m from UPW Figure 3. Fourth bin series 63 Figure 4. Percent change in relative abundance of well sampled taxa across the S&S zones without 64 Leptomeryx. Figure 5. Percent Relative abundance through the Shultz and Stout (1955) zones without 65 Leptomeryx included in the dataset Figure 6. Histogram of the natural log of tooth area in each S&S zone. Note that some tooth areas (4.7-5.0 66 and 5.2-5.9) are combined for increased legibility of the other populated data. Figure 7. Different ages calculated by using different tie points for the cubic spline curve 67 Figure 8. 66 Merycoidodon enamel samples from the third molar of each specimen showing δ18O 67 vs m from UPW Figure 9. Histogram of the natural log of tooth area in each fourth series bin. 68 Figure 10. Measure of diversity using Simpson-D diversity index generated in Past 3.23 across 69 the Schultz & Stout (1955) zones with 95% confidence intervals Figure 11. Measure of diversity using Shannon H index generated in Past 3.23 across the Schultz 69 & Stout (1955) zones with 95% confidence intervals Figure 12. Percent change in relative abundance of well-sampled taxa across the fourth bin 70 series. This dataset does not include Leptomeryx. Figure 13. Fourth Bin series relative abundance results with error bars for 95% confidence 71 intervals Figure 14. Measure of diversity using Simpson-D diversity index generated in Past 3.23 across 71 the fourth series bins with 95% confidence intervals Figure 15. Measure of diversity using Shannon H index generated in Past 3.23 across the fourth 72 series bins with 95% confidence intervals Figure 16. Sixth bin series relative abundance results with error bars for 95% confidence 73 intervals. Figure 17. Percent change in relative abundance of well-sampled taxa across the sixth bin 74 series. Figure 18. Measure of diversity using Simpson-D diversity index generated in Past 3.23 74 across the sixth series bins with 95% confidence intervals. Figure 19. Measure of diversity using Shannon H index generated in Past 3.23 across the 75 sixth series bins with 95% confidence intervals. Figure 20. Histogram of the natural log of tooth area in each sixth series bin. 76 VII LIST OF TABLES PAGE Table 1. List of Merycoidodon samples used for stable isotope analysis 98 Table 2. Tooth width and length measurements to calculate area. Average value for each 99 taxon on rightmost column. Table 3. chord distance (CRD) between zones without Leptomeryx for each Schultz & 100 Stout (1955) zone Table 4. Chord distance (CRD) between without Leptomeryx for the fourth bin series. 101 Table 5. chord distance (CRD) between without Leptomeryx for the sixth bin series 101 Table 6. Abundance of genera within the Shultz and Stout (1955) Zones. 101 Table 7. Relative abundance of genera without Leptomeryx for each Schultz & Stout 102 (1955) zone Table 8. 95% confidence intervals with upper and lower interval values for each Schultz 102 & Stout (1955) zone. Table 9. Percent change from one interval to the next without Leptomeryx 102 Table 10. Diversity Indices for Schultz & Stout 1955 zones without Leptomeryx 103 Table 11. Percent change from one interval to the next of the fourth bin series without 103 Leptomeryx. Table 12. Abundance of genera within the fourth bin series. 103 Table 13. Relative abundance of genera without Leptomeryx for within the fourth bin 104 series. Table 14. 95% confidence intervals with upper and lower interval values for the fourth 104 bin series Table 15. Diversity Indices for the fourth bin series without Leptomeryx in the dataset 105 Table 16. Abundance of genera within the sixth bin series 105 Table 17. Relative abundance of genera without Leptomeryx for within the sixth bin 106 series. Table 18. 95% confidence intervals with mean values for the sixth bin series. 106 Table 19. Percent change from one interval to the next of the sixth bin series without 106 Leptomeryx Table 20. Diversity Indices for the sixth bin series without Leptomeryx in the dataset. 107 VIII APPENDIX FIGURES Figure B1. Percent Relative abundance through the Shultz and Stout (1955) zones of those 77 taxa with relatively consistent significant patterns in abundance with 95% confidence interval bars Figure B2. Measure of diversity using Simpson-D diversity index generated in Past 3.23 78 across the Schultz & Stout (1955) zones with 95% confidence intervals Figure B3.
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