EDWARD B. DAVIS

Evolutionary Hotspots in California: Working with Craig Moritz, Michelle Koo, David Ackerly, and Nate Kraft, all of UCB, I am searching for areas in California with elevated evolutionary rates. Funded by California State Parks, the project is intended to eventually develop criteria based on evolutionary processes that can help inform conservation decisions. While I am focusing on mammal distributions, as I have in my previous work, I have also been called upon to learn extensive new molecular informatics methods to support our research. 2006-2007. See our website.

Mammal Evolution in the Miocene: Two thirds of my dissertation research involves work with MIOMAP in the Barnosky lab. Groundwork included comprehensive searches of primary literature, critical analysis of published locality and faunal data, and learning the current state of Neogene mammalian taxonomy. Data analysis required using the programs ArcGIS and ArcInfo to answer questions concerning 1) whether mammalian species have evolved in response to climate changes, and 2) whether the tectonic activity in the Basin and Range Province has, over time, increased the beta diversity amongst mammalian communities. I have also implemented a World Wide Web searchable map interface that allows researchers and interested members of the general public to look at patterns of North American mammalian species distribution through the Miocene. See abstracts arising from this work from the IGC 2004 and SVP 2004.

Species Diversity in the Miocene of Northwestern Nevada: In collaboration with Nick Pyenson, I have examined unpublished material from the Virgin Valley and Thousand Creek local faunas in order to make an accurate count of the number of individuals from each represented taxon. This analysis provides insight into both the taphonomic filters and paleoecological settings of the two local faunas, as well as the effect (if any) publication bias has on meta-analyses of paleoecology and taphonomy. See our abstract from GSA 2003.

Species Diversity in the Miocene of Nevada: The other third of my dissertation research expands on the work I have done in collaboration with Pyenson. I examined museum collections from a chronologically stratified random sample of the published mammal localities from the Miocene of all of Nevada. In this way, I have tested for publication biases by either geologic age or date of publication.

Sierra Nevada Uplift: Working with Brooke Crowley and Paul Koch of UCSC and Paige Chamberlain of Stanford University, examining the influence of Sierra Nevada uplift on the stable Oxygen isotopes recorded in the tooth enamel of large mammals. Koch, Crowley, and Chamberlain supply knowledge of stable isotope geochemistry, and I supply knowledge of mammalian fossils and locality occurrences. Together we have been sampling tooth enamel of large mammals, attempting to constrain the point at which Sierra Nevada uplift begins to produce a rain shadow, lightening the stable isotopes in the drinking water (and hence enamel) of the Nevada animals. Awaiting publication. 2002-2005. See our abstract from SVP 2004.

North American Proboscidean Datum: With Samantha Hopkins of UCB and Don Prothero of Occidental College, I have examined the proboscidean datum at the Hemingfordian/ Barstovian boundary (15.9Ma). Prothero contributes his knowledge of both paleomagnetic dating techniques and faunal succession in the Tertiary of western North America, I contribute knowledge of the literature and fossils in several key sites for constraining the first appearance of proboscideans, and Hopkins contributes her knowledge of rodent evolution that will also be used to constrain the age of the sites. Together we have been able to demonstrate that proboscideans began to spread across western North America in the late Hemingfordian. 2003-2006. See our abstract from SVP 2006.

Other research: I am also working independently on taxonomic and biometric problems, using mammalian postcrania to improve identification of fossil species. See my abstracts from CalPaleo 2004 and GSA 2004.