Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Nest site taphonomy of modern archosaurs(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2016) Ferguson, Ashley Lynn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David Varricchio; David J. Varricchio, Carlos I. Piña and Frankie D. Jackson were co-authors of the article, 'From eggs to hatchlings: nest site taphonomy of American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) and broad snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris)' submitted to the journal 'Palaios' which is contained within this thesis.; David J. Varricchio and Alex J. Ferguson were co-authors of the article, 'Nest site taphonomy of colonial ground nesting birds at Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge' submitted to the journal 'Palaios' which is contained within this thesis.The goal of this thesis is to investigate the taphonomic processes that affect crocodylian and modern bird nesting localities in the hope that they would shed light into the identification of fossil nesting grounds and the interpretation of juvenile developmental stage. This project in particular observed nests of American crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus) at the Turkey Point Power Plant in Homestead, Florida, broad snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) nests in the Northern Santa Fe and Chaco Provinces of Argentina, and colonial ground nesting birds (American white pelicans, double-crested cormorants, ring-billed and California gulls) at Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge (BNWR) east of Malta, Montana. A major component of this project is the documentation of potentially preservable components, i.e., specimens (bones, eggshell, etc.) and structures (e.g. nesting traces) that might be represented in the fossil record. This thesis documents the agents and processes influencing bone and egg accumulations and nesting trace preservation across diverse biologies and environments.Item Oral pathology of the Archosauria : bony abnormalities and phylogenetic inference(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2007) Wolff, Ewan Douglas Stephens; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: David VarricchioAs a reaction to comparative paleopathology, which homologizes human and dinosaur disease, this project proposed that a broad-scale survey of oral pathology in archosaurs would reveal unique relationships in disease. The approach that was created to pursue this study was termed zoological paleopathology. The justification of this approach lies in the differences between the immune and inflammatory response in mammals and archosaurs. This response governs disease progression within the body and the morphology of many lesions. 2,443 skulls and heads were examined for abnormalities from specimens representing four major groups of archosaurs; the crocodiles, pterosaurs, dinosaurs and birds,. Skulls of iguanids, monotremes and marsupials provided outgroup comparisons for the study. Lesions were analyzed, photographed and interpreted for 123 total cases. The majority of cases related to either traumatic or inflammatory diseases. The disease patterns within the study were compared using cladograms and addition reports from the veterinary literature.