Coals (blue), evaporites (yellow) and dinosaur distributions (red)
for the Late Jurassic period.
Image courtesy of Allister Rees, University of Arizona
|
Most dinosaur remains from the Late Jurassic are found at low paleolatitudes where
the climate was dry and where vegetation was of relatively low diversity,
something that hadn't been considered by researchers studying
patterns of dinosaur biogeography, interactions, diversity and evolution
through time. By bringing together different databases of fossils and rocks,
and providing mapping tools and paleogeographic maps, we can address such
paleontological, paleoclimatic, and paleobiogeographic issues. In this case, our
research suggested that dinosaur preservation
was favored in environments toward the drier end of the climate spectrum,
where savannas rather than forests predominated.
My research relies on the integration and interoperability of databases from
several geoscience disciplines, including paleontology, sedimentology, climate
modeling, structural geology, geophysics and plate tectonics. The Geosciences Network
(GEON) facilitates
such work by bringing together these databases. Tools
developed through GEON also enable users to
seamlessly retrieve and plot search results. This enables
geoscientists to address fundamental questions concerning the evolution of life,
biodiversity through time, and mass extinctions in the context of changing
geography and climate. At present, my databases are fully-accessible on a
GEONgrid server at the University of Arizona, and they'll also be registered
and accessible through the GEON portal very soon.
More information on the plant and dinosaur results, as well as other paleogeography
and paleoclimate maps, can be found on my Web site (the databases can also be
searched there).
—Allister Rees, University of Arizona
e-mail this article
|
