Press Release from Mount Allison University

Mount Allison researchers study how changes in the environment affect evolution
2010-09-20 09:20:39
SACKVILLE, NB —

As many scientists believe we are experiencing the sixth mass extinction, researchers from Mount Allison University, the Joggins Fossil Institute, and Acadia University are examining the fossil record to see how changes in the environment affect evolution.

“The earth has experienced five mass extinctions in its history. The more we can understand about evolution, the more we can understand our effect on the biodiversity of the planet,” says Dr. Melissa Grey, adjunct professor at Mount Allison University, curator of paleontology at the Joggins Fossil Institute, and lead researcher on the project.

Grey has a prestigious Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship for this research at Mount Allison University. She is collaborating with Dr. Zoe Finkel, Environmental Science Program Coordinator at Mount Allison, and Dr. Peir Pufahl from Acadia University.

The focus of the study is the humble ostracod — a bivalved crustacean the size of a grain of sand which is related to shrimp and lobster. The researchers want to find out how environmental changes have affected the ostracod’s evolution.

Joggins, located 40 minutes from Mount Allison, is the ideal location for this research. As you walk north along the beach at Joggins, Grey likes to explain, you go back in time 310 million years. The UNESCO World Heritage site is home to fossil bones of the earliest reptiles, evidence of creatures found nowhere else in the world, and the famous fossilized forests. Charles Darwin mentioned Joggins twice in his book On the Origin of Species. It is not uncommon to find fossils on the beach and according to Grey, children are particularly good at discovering them.

“The advantage of looking at the ostracod is that it is a survivor, a living fossil like the cockroach and the millipede that has been around for over 310 million years,” says Grey. “It is also ubiquitous, living anywhere it is damp.”

The researchers are looking at fossils preserved in limestone rocks found at Joggins. Finkel and Grey are examining the ostracods, while Pufahl is looking at the chemical composition of the rock to aid in identifying the temperature,oxygen levels, and salinity of the time period. They will eventually be able to identify evolutionary patterns over time with changing environmental conditions.

Joggins Fossil Institute (JFI)
JFI is a registered charity that manages the Joggins Fossil Cliffs UNESCO World Heritage Site. The JFI provides educational programming to visitors, including school/university field trips, and tour groups. JFI also actively supports researchers, and research on fossils from Joggins is still being carried out by leading scientists around the world after over 150 years of work and discovery at the site.