Brianna Deghetto
Research Mentor: Jennifer Bauer
Mentor Department: Museum of Paleontology, LSA
Author(s): Brianna DeGhetto, Jennifer Bauer
Session: Session 2 (10:00 AM – 10:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 27
Abstract
Mexico represents the southernmost portion of the Western Interior Seaway (WIS), which cut through the North American continent during the Mesozoic. The WIS caused ecological and evolutionary shifts in marine and terrestrial ecosystems, which can be quantified and explored using occurrence records. The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), a global data aggregator, lacks a robust dataset for mollusc material from the Mesozoic of Mexico required for asking complex questions in deep time. The University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology (UMMP) holds a large collection of mollusc fossils collected during expeditions from the Mesozoic (252–66 million years ago) of Mexico. The digitized UMMP specimen data combined with publicly available records will allow us to explore the following questions: Is there a spatial relationship of different feeding and mobility strategies across Mexico? and is there a clear separation of fauna by the lower Sierra Madre mountains? To explore these questions, we use the statistical software R to curate, analyze, and visualize the dataset. Spatial analyses document a distinct difference in molluscan fauna along the Pacific coast active margin near Baja California and the passive shelf margin of the Gulf of Mexico. There is also a notable gradient of filter and suspension feeders residing close to shore and mobile predators and scavengers in more offshore locations. Data that were curated through this work increased publicly available data for Cretaceous molluscs of Mexico by 100%, improving future research on biogeography, abundance, and diversity patterns through geologic time.
