INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. DM! films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or Indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginning at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6" x 9" black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. Bell & Howell Information and Leaming 300 North Zeeb Road. Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-521-0600 UMÏ UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE FAUNAL COMPOSITION, NON-MARINE VERTEBRATES, OF THE UPPER CEDAR MOUNTAIN FORMATION (CRETACEOUS: ALBIAN-CENOMANIAN), CENTRAL UTAH A Dissertation SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By PATRICIA GOLDBERG Norman, Oklahoma 2000 UMI Number 9988305 UMI* UMI Mtcroform9988305 Copyright 2001 by Belt & Howell Information and Leaming Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Leaming Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor. Ml 48106-1346 © Copyright by PATRICIA GOLDBERG 2000 AU Rights Reserved FAUNAL COMPOSITION, NON-MARINE VERTEBRATES, OF THE UPPER CEDAR MOUNTAIN FORMATION (CRETACEOUS: ALBIAN-CENOMANIAN), CENTRAL UTAH A Dissertation APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY BY PREFACE The following dissertation is organized into six chapters. The first is a general introduction and is not intended for publication. It serves to provide background information and context for the reader unfamiliar with the Cretaceous period. Chapters 2 and 3 are intended for independent publication. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the Mussentuchit fauna from an ecological perspective and examines the role of taphonomy in evaluating ecological patterns. Chapter 3 demonstrates sampling completeness. Chapters 4 through 6 are intended for publication as a set, in collaboration with R. Cifelli. Some redundancy between chapters necessarily follows. Chapter 4 demonstrates similarities and differences in faunal composition among sites. Chapter 5 examines taphonomic similarity among sites, and Chapter 6 examines faunal distributions from an ecological perspective. Format style in all chapters follows publication guidelines for submission to Paleobiology. IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation was very much a community effort and drew from the strengths and knowledge of many people. In particular I thank my committee members, Richard Cifelli, Nick Czaplewski, Gary Schnell, Mike Kaspari, and Bruce Hoagland, each of whom contributed significant guidance, support, and knowledge in their respective fields. Every last one of them made time for me when I showed up at their doorway. This study is based on data and specimens collected over a 10 year period by R. Cifelli and crews from the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History at an enormous cost in time, energy, and money. R. Cifelli provided me with access to specimens, databases, field notes, maps, unpublished manuscripts, and research materials and facilities. He was greatly instrumental in helping me get support in the manner of grants and scholarships for this work. In addition, he personally took me to all the microsites analyzed in this paper, taking care of permits, paperwork, and even arranging for the assistance of the Utah state geologist Needless to say, this dissertation simply never would have happened without him. Jim Kirkland spent two days in the Utah desert patiently sharing his geological knowledge with a novice (me). Rick Lupia came to the museum my last year in residence, and provided a great deal of assistance with (and enthusiasm about) paleoecologicai statistics. Coral McCalister drafted figures 3 (Chapter I) and I (Chapters 2 and 3), saving me a lot of headache and doing a better job than I could. My fellow graduate students, Cindy Gordon, Randy Nydam, Kent Smith, Julian Hilliard, and Matt Wedel, provided invaluable discussion and moral support Arthur Harris, my former professor, has always very quietly provided encouragement in my goals and confidence in my abilities. Funding for much of this work was provided through research and travel grants from the Hniversitj' of Oklahoma Graduate Student Senate and the University of Oklahoma Department of Zoology, as well as scholarships from the Alfred and Rose Miniaci Scholarship Fund (Dinamation International Society) and Blanche and Francis Adams Scholarship Fund. National Science Foundation grants (BSR 8906992, DEB 9401094, and DEB 9870173) and National Geographic grants (4761-91 and 5021-92) to R. Cifelli funded all the work to generate the data used in the first place. Finally, I would like to thank my family. My parents prodded me to go to college and encouraged my interest in nature. My husband has been my partner, advocate, and friend. He has tolerated all the demands and complications that have arisen along the way with good humor. Lastly, I thank my son, Raymond, who sacrificed time with his mom this past year with a maturity, thoughtfulness, and sense of humor way beyond his years. Vt TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction ...........................................................................................................................1 Goals ..........................................................................................................................I Geologic Tim e .........................................................................................................2 Global Geography ................................................................................................... 2 Global Climate.........................................................................................................4 Vegetation ................................................................................................................6 Fauna........................................................................................................................9 Local Geography ....................................................................................................10 Geology...................................................................................................................11 Vegetation of the Cedar Mountain Formation ......................................................12 Mussentuchit Local Fauna .................................................................................... 13 Summary................................................................................................................26 Literature Cited..................................................................................................... 28 The Effects of Taphonomy on Ecological Patterns in the Mussentuchit Fauna ..............46 Abstract..................................................................................................................47 Introduction ............................................................................................................48 Methods .................................................................................................................51 Results and Discussion ..........................................................................................52 Literature Cited................................................................................................... 74 An Evaluation of Sampling Effectiveness in a Vertebrate Fossil Assemblage Using Ecological Techniques .........................................................................................96 vu Abstract.................................................................................................................... 97 Introduction ..............................................................................................................98 Methods ...................................................................................................................99 Results.................................................................................................................... 101 Discussion .............................................................................................................. 102 Literature C ited......................................................................................................107 Taxonomic Patterns Among Microvertebrate Sites in the Mussentuchit Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation ................................................................................... 115 Abstract...................................................................................................................116