paleonet Mammal Symposium for SVP 2007

["Bolortsetseg Minjin" <bolormin@xxxxxxxx>]

Proposed Symposium for the 2007 SVP Annual Meeting

We are putting together a proposal to have a symposium at the next SVP
meeting entitled  "Paleogene Dispersal of Terrestrial Mammals in the
Holarctic". A brief description of this symposium is at the end of this
email.

The symposium proposal is due to the Program Committee on Dec. 1. If
you are interested in participating, please respond directly to Jonathan
Geisler at geislerj@georgiasouthern.edu  in the next two weeks and
provide a tentative title and list of authors for the presentation you
would like to give. Please feel free to share this information with others
you think might be interested.

Jonathan Geisler and Bolortsetseg Minjin


Paleogene Dispersals of Terrestrial Mammals in the Holarctic

Throughout the Paleogene, the continents of the Northern Hemisphere
have exhibited periods of endemicity alternating with periods of faunal
interchange. Two times in particular, the Paleocene to Eocene transition
and the Grande Coupure, mark large scale immigrations of taxa that
resulted in extensive faunal turnover. Both intervals correspond to
periods of pronounced climate change, which together with consequent sea
level change and the tectonic setting at high latitudes, has been used
to explain these widespread dispersal events. Although the overall
temporal and geographic pattern of faunal similarity across the
Holarctic has been known for many years, recent advances in
biostratigraphy, paleoclimatology, and chronostratigraphy, allow the
role of climate change in Paleogene mammalian dispersal to be rigorously
tested.

This symposium would feature talks that provide new information on the
age and correlation of major Paleogene faunal changes as observed in
Europe, Asia, and/or North America; new faunas or faunal elements that
bear on unresolved questions of mammalian dispersal; quantitative
studies that address the tempo, magnitude, and directionality of
dispersal patterns; and studies that use phylogenetic analyses to test
biogeographic scenarios. This symposium should be of broad interest to
those interested in land mammal age biostratigraphy, the evolutionary
relationships within placental mammal clades, and the role of climate in
determining biogeographic patterns.


-- 
Bolortsetseg Minjin
Division of Paleontology
American Museum of Natural History
Central Park West at 79th Street
New York, NY 10024

Phone: 912 678 9022
Fax: 212 769 5842