9870173 Cifelli The Early Cretaceous (about 140 to 100 million years ago) represents a pivotal time period in Earth history: many modern groups of animals (such as higher mammals, lizards, birds, and amphibians) appeared or underwent their earliest radiations. The source of this change is not well understood, but it is thought to be linked to dramatic changes in the flora that resulted from the appearance of flowering plants, to climatic change, and to immigration events between major landmasses such as North America and Asia. Existing data for interpreting the mid-Cretaceous change is extremely slim because the fossil record for this time period is so poor. The proposed project focuses on the recovery of diverse vertebrate assemblages from the Antlers and Cloverly formations, both of which are believe to be about 110 million years old. The project involves a 3-year program of collecting and curation, using diverse methods in order to maximize sampling of all vertebrate groups. Preliminary investigations suggest that a total of 70-100 species, represented by about 5,000 specimens, will be recovered, including about 20 that will be diagnosable as new to science. Results of the project will be made available through loan of specimens to interested investigators, distribution of cast sets to relevant institutions worldwide, and placement of specimen data (together with images) on the WWW. Educational aspects of the project include graduate and undergraduate research, and involvement of both students and members of the community in all aspects of field, laboratory, and research activities. The collection and its data will constitute a major research resource that will be of general interest. The specimens will provide new evidence as to the origin, relationships, and biogeography of diverse kinds of vertebrates. More broadly, the resource will provide evidence for natural processes that affect diversity--such as the nature and magnitude of plant-animal interactions, and the effects of co ntinental-scale immigration on North America's native fauna.
