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71St Annual Meeting Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Paris Las Vegas Las Vegas, Nevada, USA November 2 – 5, 2011 SESSION CONCURRENT SESSION CONCURRENT
ISSN 1937-2809 online Journal of Supplement to the November 2011 Vertebrate Paleontology Vertebrate Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Society of Vertebrate 71st Annual Meeting Paleontology Society of Vertebrate Las Vegas Paris Nevada, USA Las Vegas, November 2 – 5, 2011 Program and Abstracts Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 71st Annual Meeting Program and Abstracts COMMITTEE MEETING ROOM POSTER SESSION/ CONCURRENT CONCURRENT SESSION EXHIBITS SESSION COMMITTEE MEETING ROOMS AUCTION EVENT REGISTRATION, CONCURRENT MERCHANDISE SESSION LOUNGE, EDUCATION & OUTREACH SPEAKER READY COMMITTEE MEETING POSTER SESSION ROOM ROOM SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS SEVENTY-FIRST ANNUAL MEETING PARIS LAS VEGAS HOTEL LAS VEGAS, NV, USA NOVEMBER 2–5, 2011 HOST COMMITTEE Stephen Rowland, Co-Chair; Aubrey Bonde, Co-Chair; Joshua Bonde; David Elliott; Lee Hall; Jerry Harris; Andrew Milner; Eric Roberts EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Philip Currie, President; Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Past President; Catherine Forster, Vice President; Christopher Bell, Secretary; Ted Vlamis, Treasurer; Julia Clarke, Member at Large; Kristina Curry Rogers, Member at Large; Lars Werdelin, Member at Large SYMPOSIUM CONVENORS Roger B.J. Benson, Richard J. Butler, Nadia B. Fröbisch, Hans C.E. Larsson, Mark A. Loewen, Philip D. Mannion, Jim I. Mead, Eric M. Roberts, Scott D. Sampson, Eric D. Scott, Kathleen Springer PROGRAM COMMITTEE Jonathan Bloch, Co-Chair; Anjali Goswami, Co-Chair; Jason Anderson; Paul Barrett; Brian Beatty; Kerin Claeson; Kristina Curry Rogers; Ted Daeschler; David Evans; David Fox; Nadia B. Fröbisch; Christian Kammerer; Johannes Müller; Emily Rayfield; William Sanders; Bruce Shockey; Mary Silcox; Michelle Stocker; Rebecca Terry November 2011—PROGRAM AND ABSTRACTS 1 Members and Friends of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, The Host Committee cordially welcomes you to the 71st Annual Meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology in Las Vegas. -
Miocene Development of Life
Miocene Development of Life Jarðsaga 2 - Saga Lífs og Lands - Ólafur Ingólfsson Thehigh-pointof theage of mammals The Miocene or "less recent" is so called because it contains fewer modern animals than the following Pliocene. The Miocene lasted for 18 MY, ~23-5 MY ago. This was a huge time of transition, the end of the old prehistoric world and the birth of the more recent sort of world. It was also the high point of the age of mammals Open vegetation systems expand • The overall pattern of biological change for the Miocene is one of expanding open vegetation systems (such as deserts, tundra, and grasslands) at the expense of diminishing closed vegetation (such as forests). • This led to a rediversification of temperate ecosystems and many morphological changes in animals. Mammals and birds in particular developed new forms, whether as fast-running herbivores, large predatory mammals and birds, or small quick birds and rodents. Two major ecosystems evolve Two major ecosystems first appeared during the Miocene: kelp forests and grasslands. The expansion of grasslands is correlated to a drying of continental interiors and a global cooling. Later in the Miocene a distinct cooling of the climate resulted in the further reduction of both tropical and conifer forests, and the flourishing of grasslands and savanna in their stead. Modern Grasslands Over one quarter of the Earth's surface is covered by grasslands. Grasslands are found on every continent except Antarctica, and they make up most of Africa and Asia. There are several types of grassland and each one has its own name. -
The Largest Fossil Rodent Andre´S Rinderknecht1 and R
Proc. R. Soc. B doi:10.1098/rspb.2007.1645 Published online The largest fossil rodent Andre´s Rinderknecht1 and R. Ernesto Blanco2,* 1Museo Nacional de Historia Natural y Antropologı´a, Montevideo 11300, Uruguay 2Facultad de Ingenierı´a, Instituto de Fı´sica, Julio Herrera y Reissig 565, Montevideo 11300, Uruguay The discovery of an exceptionally well-preserved skull permits the description of the new South American fossil species of the rodent, Josephoartigasia monesi sp. nov. (family: Dinomyidae; Rodentia: Hystricognathi: Caviomorpha). This species with estimated body mass of nearly 1000 kg is the largest yet recorded. The skull sheds new light on the anatomy of the extinct giant rodents of the Dinomyidae, which are known mostly from isolated teeth and incomplete mandible remains. The fossil derives from San Jose´ Formation, Uruguay, usually assigned to the Pliocene–Pleistocene (4–2 Myr ago), and the proposed palaeoenviron- ment where this rodent lived was characterized as an estuarine or deltaic system with forest communities. Keywords: giant rodents; Dinomyidae; megamammals 1. INTRODUCTION 3. HOLOTYPE The order Rodentia is the most abundant group of living MNHN 921 (figures 1 and 2; Museo Nacional de Historia mammals with nearly 40% of the total number of Natural y Antropologı´a, Montevideo, Uruguay): almost mammalian species recorded (McKenna & Bell 1997; complete skull without left zygomatic arch, right incisor, Wilson & Reeder 2005). In general, rodents have left M2 and right P4-M1. body masses smaller than 1 kg with few exceptions. The largest living rodent, the carpincho or capybara 4. AGE AND LOCALITY (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), which lives in the Neotro- Uruguay, Departament of San Jose´, coast of Rı´odeLa pical region of South America, has a body mass of Plata, ‘Kiyu´’ beach (348440 S–568500 W). -
Investigating Evolutionary Processes Using Ancient and Historical DNA of Rodent Species
Investigating evolutionary processes using ancient and historical DNA of rodent species Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) University of London Royal Holloway University of London Egham, Surrey TW20 OEX Selina Brace November 2010 1 Declaration I, Selina Brace, declare that this thesis and the work presented in it is entirely my own. Where I have consulted the work of others, it is always clearly stated. Selina Brace Ian Barnes 2 “Why should we look to the past? ……Because there is nowhere else to look.” James Burke 3 Abstract The Late Quaternary has been a period of significant change for terrestrial mammals, including episodes of extinction, population sub-division and colonisation. Studying this period provides a means to improve understanding of evolutionary mechanisms, and to determine processes that have led to current distributions. For large mammals, recent work has demonstrated the utility of ancient DNA in understanding demographic change and phylogenetic relationships, largely through well-preserved specimens from permafrost and deep cave deposits. In contrast, much less ancient DNA work has been conducted on small mammals. This project focuses on the development of ancient mitochondrial DNA datasets to explore the utility of rodent ancient DNA analysis. Two studies in Europe investigate population change over millennial timescales. Arctic collared lemming (Dicrostonyx torquatus) specimens are chronologically sampled from a single cave locality, Trou Al’Wesse (Belgian Ardennes). Two end Pleistocene population extinction-recolonisation events are identified and correspond temporally with - localised disappearance of the woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius). A second study examines postglacial histories of European water voles (Arvicola), revealing two temporally distinct colonisation events in the UK. -
Palaeontology, Palaeobiology and Evolution
Palaeontology, palaeobiology and evolution The chemical conditions for life (January 2003) Robert Williams (Oxford University) and João Fraústo da Silva (Technical University of Lisbon) have an unconventional, but plausible take on the conditions for life’s origin and evolution (Williams, R.J.P & Fraústo da Silva J.J.R. 2003. Evolution was chemically constrained. Journal of Theoretical Biology, v. 220, p. 323-343; doi: 10.1006/jtbi.2003.3152). However life began, presumably as cytoplasm containing DNA, RNA and proteins within a semi-permeable wall, it was surrounded by the chemistry of whatever environment it appeared in. The proto-cell would have drawn hydrogen ions from water, to perform the proton pumping that is essential to all living organisms, and thereby created more oxidising conditions in its immediate vicinity. Oxidation would have generated nitrogen from ammonia, released metals from their sulphides and converted other sulphides to sulphates. Conversely, ions in its surroundings would have been able to “leak” into the cell itself. By creating oxidised radicals, this inward leakage would have rebounded the cell’s activity on itself, with potentially toxic consequences. Survival depended on two things: exploiting the opportunities, such as nitrogen fixation, using oxygen and even photosynthetic chemistry; and fending off potential toxic shock. One of the most interesting aspects is the role assumed by calcium ions. Their presence inside a cell would have precipitated DNA, by binding to it, with fatal consequences. The upshot, according to Williams and Fraústo da Silva, is the special role of calcium as a messenger ion, perhaps having arisen through the necessity to pump it out again. -
Amazonia 1492: Pristine Forest Or Cultural Parkland?
R E P O R T S tant role in locomotor propulsion than the fore- Ϫ1.678 ϩ 2.518 (1.80618), W ϭ 741.1; anteropos- phylogeny place Lagostomus together with Chin- limbs, which were probably important in food terior distal humerus diameter (APH): log W ϭ chilla (22). Ϫ1.467 ϩ 2.484 (1.6532), W ϭ 436.1 kg. 25. M. S. Springer et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98, manipulation. Because of this, the body mass 17. A. R. Biknevicius, J. Mammal. 74, 95 (1993). 6241 (2001). estimation based on the femur is more reliable: 18. The humerus/femur length ratio (H/F) and the (humer- 26. We thank J. Bocquentin, A. Ranci, A. Rinco´n, J. Reyes, P. pattersoni probably weighed ϳ700 kg. With us ϩ radius)/(femur ϩ tibia) length ratio [(H ϩ R)/(F ϩ D. Rodrigues de Aguilera, and R. S´anchez for help with Phoberomys, the size range of the order is in- T )] in P. pattersoni (0.76 and 0.78, respectively) are fieldwork; J. Reyes and E. Weston for laboratory work; average compared with those of other caviomorphs. For E. Weston and three anonymous reviewers for com- creased and Rodentia becomes one of the mam- a sample of 17 extant caviomorphs, the mean values Ϯ ments on the manuscript; O. Aguilera Jr. for assist- malian orders with the widest size variation, SD were H/F ϭ 0.80 Ϯ 0.08 and (H ϩ R)/(F ϩ T ) ϭ ance with digital imaging; S. Melendrez for recon- second only to the Diprotodontia (kangaroos, 0.74 Ϯ 0.09. -
A RODENT and a PECCARY from the CENOZOIC of COLOMBIA By
A RODENT AND A PECCARY FROM THE CENOZOIC OF COLOMBIA by R. A. STIRTON Museum of Paleontology, University of California. A RODENT AND A PECCARY FROM THE CENOZOIC OF COLOMBIA (1) (LAMINA LXXXIII) RESUMEN Se estudian restos de mamíferos del Cenozoico colombiano descubiertos por el Dr. José Royo y Górilez, del Servicio Geoló- gico Nacional. Se trata primeramente de un premolar superior y un incisivo de un roedor histricomorfo de la superfamilia Ca- vioidea y familia Dinomyidae; es una especie nueva, Gyriabrus? royoi Stirton, de edad miocena superior a pliocena inferior pro- cedente del Km. 35 de la carretera de Tolú, Municipio de Sincelejo, Departamento de Bolívar. Se estudia luego la parte posterior de una mandíbula inferior izquierda con el último molar de un pecarí referible a la familia Tayassuidae y a un género y especie nuevos, Selenogonus nariñoensis Stirton, encontrada cerca de la Cocha Verde, carretera de Túquerres, Municipio de Tangua, Departa- mento de Nariño, correspondiente al Plioceno superior o al Pleis- toceno. My attention was directed to two interesting fossil vertebrate spe- cimens when I was in Bogotá as a Guggénheim fellow in september 1944. These were obtained in the field by Dr. José Royo y Gómez, geologist for the Ministerio de Minas y Petróleos, Servicio Geológico Nacional de Co- lombia. I am indebted to Dr. Alejandro del Río, director of the Servicio Geológico Nacional and to Dr. Royo y Gómez for the privilege of describ- ing these specimens. The locality information was supplied by Dr. Royo y Gómez and the illustrations were made by Owen J. Poe. -
Volume 26C-Nogrid
Priscum Volume 26 | Issue 1 May 2021 The Newsletter of the Paleontological Society Inside this issue Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matter in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion matter in Paleontology Paleontology PS Development Developments Building an inclusive and equitable Where are we now? PaleoConnect Paleontological Society (see Section 12 of the Member Code of Conduct for definitions) is Since the Paleontological Society (PS) was Journal Corner essential to realizing our core purpose — founded in 1908, its membership has been advancing the field of paleontology (see Article dominated by white men from the United PS-AGI Summer 2020 Interns II of the Articles of Incorporation). However, like States. Racial and ethnic diversity in the PS many other scientific societies, ours has remain extremely low. More than 88% of Tribute to William Clemens, Jr. historically only fostered a sense of belonging respondents to PS membership surveys Educational Materials for a subset of individuals. conducted in 2013 and 2019 self-identified as White (Stigall, 2013; unpublished data, 2019). PS Ethics Committee Report Consider your outreach experiences. Imagine These surveys revealed that, unlike the visiting a series of first grade classrooms — proportion of women, which has increased in Research and Grant Awardees overwhelmingly, the children are fascinated by younger age cohorts (Stigall, 2013), racial and PS Annual meeting at GSA Connects dinosaur bones, scale trees, and trilobites — ethnic diversity varied little among age groups, 2021 regardless of their identities. Now, reflect on suggesting that substantial barriers to the your experiences in paleontological settings as inclusion of most racial and ethnic groups have Upcoming Opportunities an adult; do they include as much diversity as persisted across generations of PS members. -
Evolution of the Rodents
Zurich Open Repository and Archive University of Zurich Main Library Strickhofstrasse 39 CH-8057 Zurich www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2015 Diversity and evolution of femoral variation in Ctenohystrica Wilson, Laura A B ; Geiger, Madeleine Abstract: Despite possessing a rather generalised postcranial skeleton, rodents are on average capa- ble of a wide variety of locomotory behaviours, such as swimming, digging and climbing (Nowak, 1999). Particularly, rodents belonging to Ctenohystrica (sensu Huchon et al., 2002, and Fabre et al., 2012: Cten- odactylidae, Diatomyidae and Hystricognathi) display a diversity of locomotory styles and encompass a large range in body mass from approximately 50 g for the naked mole-rat Heterocephalus glaber to around 60 kg for the largest living rodent, the capybara Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris, consequently filling many different ecological niches (e.g. MacDonald, 2009; Wilson and Sánchez-Villagra, 2009, 2010). Moreover, this diversity is greatly expanded by the inclusion of giant extinct members such as Phoberomys, Araza- mys and Josephoartigasia that reached body masses at least seven or eight times that of the capybara (Sánchez-Villagra et al., 2003; Rinderknecht and Blanco, 2008; Rinderknecht and Bostelmann, 2011). The adaptive diversity that characterises the evolution of Ctenohystrica, and particularly the Caviomor- pha, a group that dispersed from Africa to colonise South America (Poux et al., 2006; Rowe et al., 2010) and evolved on that continent during a period of splendid isolation in the Cenozoic, has been the subject of numerous morpho-functional and evolutionary studies (e.g. Verzi et al., 2010; Wilson et al., 2010; Ál- varez et al., 2011a, b; Hautier et al., 2011, 2012; Cox et al., 2012; Geiger et al., 2013; Wilson, 2013). -
Ice Age Megafauna and Time Notes Contents
Ice Age megafauna and time notes Contents 1 Ice age 1 1.1 Origin of ice age theory ........................................ 1 1.2 Evidence for ice ages ......................................... 2 1.3 Major ice ages ............................................ 3 1.4 Glacials and interglacials ....................................... 4 1.5 Positive and negative feedback in glacial periods ........................... 5 1.5.1 Positive feedback processes ................................. 5 1.5.2 Negative feedback processes ................................. 5 1.6 Causes of ice ages ........................................... 5 1.6.1 Changes in Earth’s atmosphere ................................ 6 1.6.2 Position of the continents ................................... 6 1.6.3 Fluctuations in ocean currents ................................ 7 1.6.4 Uplift of the Tibetan plateau and surrounding mountain areas above the snowline ...... 7 1.6.5 Variations in Earth’s orbit (Milankovitch cycles) ....................... 7 1.6.6 Variations in the Sun’s energy output ............................. 8 1.6.7 Volcanism .......................................... 8 1.7 Recent glacial and interglacial phases ................................. 8 1.7.1 Glacial stages in North America ............................... 8 1.7.2 Last Glacial Period in the semiarid Andes around Aconcagua and Tupungato ........ 9 1.8 Effects of glaciation .......................................... 9 1.9 See also ................................................ 10 1.10 References ............................................. -
From the Urumaco Formation (Late Miocene), and Their Phylogenetic Affinities
Journal of Systematic Palaeontology ISSN: 1477-2019 (Print) 1478-0941 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjsp20 Two new megalonychid sloths (Mammalia: Xenarthra) from the Urumaco Formation (late Miocene), and their phylogenetic affinities Ascanio D. Rincón, Andrés Solórzano, H. Gregory McDonald & Marisol Montellano-Ballesteros To cite this article: Ascanio D. Rincón, Andrés Solórzano, H. Gregory McDonald & Marisol Montellano-Ballesteros (2018): Two new megalonychid sloths (Mammalia: Xenarthra) from the Urumaco Formation (late Miocene), and their phylogenetic affinities, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2018.1427639 View supplementary material Published online: 11 Feb 2018. Submit your article to this journal View related articles View Crossmark data Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=tjsp20 Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 2018 https://doi.org/10.1080/14772019.2018.1427639 Two new megalonychid sloths (Mammalia: Xenarthra) from the Urumaco Formation (late Miocene), and their phylogenetic affinities Ascanio D. Rincon a*, Andres Solorzano a,b, H. Gregory McDonaldc and Marisol Montellano-Ballesterosd aInstituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Cientıficas (IVIC), Laboratorio de Paleontologıa–Centro de Ecologıa, Km 11 de la Carretera Panamericana, Edo. Miranda. Aptdo. 21.827, Cod. Postal 1020-A, Caracas, Venezuela; bPrograma de Doctorado en Ciencias Geologicas, Facultad de -
Biology of Caviomorph Rodents: Diversity and Evolution
Biology of Caviomorph Rodents: Diversity and Evolution EDITED BY Aldo I. Vassallo Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, UNMdP, Argentina. Daniel Antenucci Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, UNMdP, Argentina. Copyright© SAREM Series A Mammalogical Research Investigaciones Mastozoológicas Buenos Aires, Argentina ISBN: 9789879849736 SAREM - Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de los Mamíferos Av. Ruiz Leal s/n, Parque General San Martín. CP 5500, Mendoza, Argentina http://www.sarem.org.ar/ Directive Committee President: David Flores (Unidad Ejecutora Lillo, CONICET-Fundación Miguel Lillo, Tucumán, Argentina) Vicepresident: Carlos Galliari (Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, CEPAVE-CONICET, La Plata, Argentina) Secretary: Agustín M. Abba (Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, CEPAVE-CONICET, La Plata, Argentina) Treasurer: María Amelia Chemisquy (Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, MACN-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina) Chairperson: Gabriel Martin (Centro de Investigaciones Esquel de Montaña y Estepa Patagónicas (CONICET-Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco, Esquel, Chubut, Argentina) and Javier Pereira (Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, MACN-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina) Alternate Chairperson: Alberto Scorolli (Universidad Nacional del Sur, Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires, Argentina) Auditors: Marcela Lareschi (Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores, CEPAVE-CONICET, La Plata, Argentina) E. Carolina Vieytes (Museo de La Plata, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina)