CNIC COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: US-Ethiopia planning visit for the investigation of non-marine Mesozoic ecosystems from the Northwestern Plateau, Ethiopia

CNIC合作研究：美国-埃塞俄比亚计划访问埃塞俄比亚西北高原非海洋中生代生态系统

• 批准号: 1444125
• 负责人: Randall Irmis
• 金额: $ 1.01万
• 依托单位: University of Utah
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-09-01 至 2018-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1444125&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CNIC; COLLABORATIVE; RESEARCH; US; Ethiopia

This project, part of a three proposal collaborative, effort, will support a planning visit to Ethiopia to determine if early Mesozoic non-marine fossils from the Northwestern Plateau of Ethiopia can help fill a critical knowledge gap regarding mammalian evolution and distribution at the time of the breakup of the supercontinent of Pangaea. The project will look specifically at Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic formations, seeking to find vertebrate fossils that will provide better information on the evolution, diversification and dispersal of vertebrates across ancient Africa and into Eurasia and the Americas. The overall effort will support travel to Ethiopia by four faculty members and four graduate students. In addition to their excellent qualifications and diverse expertise in paleontology and geosciences, the team includes two early career investigators, three underrepresented ethnic minorities and a woman. The team will work closely with counterparts in Ethiopia from the University of Addis Ababa. The month-long planning visit will include several days for seminars and information exchange between the US team and their Ethiopian collaborators in Addis Ababa, three weeks of collaborative field work to conduct in depth reconnaissance at two sites, then several days to plan and initiate sample processing and begin writing a larger follow-on proposal. This specific project provides travel support to one of the PI's, Dr. Irmis, and a graduate student. The Mesozoic non-marine vertebrate fossil record of Africa remains a virtual ?blank slate? in comparison to other regions of the world; however, fossil data from this region is critical to understanding how terrestrial communities responded to the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea about 100 million years ago. This part of the world remains relatively un-sampled compared to fossil-bearing horizons of similar age in North and South America and Asia. Ethiopia is strategically positioned with extensive Mesozoic sedimentary rock formations and these fossils may prove very valuable to improving understanding of the paleobiogeography and evolution of many major non-marine vertebrate groups, such as dinosaurs, mammals, lizards, snakes and amphibians.The team has identified two target sampling sites in Ethiopia where early Mesozoic formations are well exposed and may be effectively explored and preliminary samples collected: the Late Jurassic Mugher Mudstone of the upper Blue Nile (Abay) Gorge, and the Early Jurassic Adigrat Formation of the Tigray Province. This collaborative US-Ethiopia planning visit provides a valuable opportunity to begin the multidisciplinary effort that is required to expand the Mesozoic fossil record from Africa. The fossils and science from this proposed project are essential to testing hypotheses regarding early Mesozoic biotas, paleobiogeography following the breakup of Pangaea, and the evolution and dispersal of several modern vertebrate groups hypothesized to originate in Africa. The effort will provide a valuable professional development opportunity for the US team, especially the two early career faculty and the four graduate students. This planning visit will also provide an opportunity for approximately eight undergraduates to gain new research skills and training, in fossil preparation and analysis, as well as experience in museum curation, education and public outreach.

该项目是三个提案合作，努力的一部分，它将支持埃塞俄比亚的计划访问，以确定埃塞俄比亚西北高原的中生代早期非海洋化石是否可以帮助填补有关Pangea超级官方分手时的哺乳动物进化和分布的关键知识差距。该项目将专门研究上层三叠纪的侏罗纪地层，试图找到脊椎动物化石，这些化石将提供有关整个古代非洲以及欧亚大陆以及欧亚大陆和美洲的脊椎动物的进化，多样化和分散的更好信息。总体努力将支持四名教职员工和四名研究生前往埃塞俄比亚的旅行。除了他们的出色资格和古生物学和地球科学方面的多样化专业知识外，该团队还包括两名早期职业调查员，三个代表性不足的少数民族和一名女性。该团队将与亚的斯亚贝巴大学的埃塞俄比亚同行紧密合作。为期一个月的计划访问将包括几天的研讨会和美国团队与他们在亚的斯亚贝巴的埃塞俄比亚合作者之间的信息交流，三周的合作实地工作，以在两个站点进行深入侦察，然后几天来计划和启动样本处理并开始编写更大的后续提案。这个特定的项目为PI的Irmis博士和研究生提供了旅行支持。 非洲的中生代非海洋脊椎动物化石记录仍然是虚拟的？与世界其他地区相比；但是，该地区的化石数据对于了解大约1亿年前对超大陆Pangea的破裂的反应至关重要。与北美洲和南美相似年龄的化石视野相比，世界的这一部分仍然相对不采样。埃塞俄比亚在战略上以广泛的中生代沉积岩层的形式定位，这些化石可能被证明在提高对许多主要非野生脊椎动物的古地理和进化的了解方面可能非常有价值有效地探索和初步的样本：上蓝色尼罗河（Abay）峡谷的侏罗纪已故的穆格·穆格斯通（Jurassic Mugher Mudstone），以及提格莱省的早期侏罗纪阿达神经形成。这次美国埃塞俄比亚的合作访问为开始多学科的努力提供了一个宝贵的机会，这是从非洲扩大中生代化石记录所必需的。该拟议项目的化石和科学对于测试有关早期中生代生物群的假设，pangea破裂后古生物地理以及几个现代脊椎动物群体的演变和分散至关重要。这项努力将为美国团队，尤其是两个早期职业教师和四个研究生提供宝贵的专业发展机会。这次计划访问还将为大约八名大学生提供一个新的研究技能和培训，化石准备和分析以及博物馆策划，教育和公共宣传方面的机会。