Research Training Program

Matthew Kosnik
Austin College
Sherman, Texas

Doug Erwin, Ph.D.
Project Advisor
Department of Paleobiology

"An awesome summer at a great place. . . I would do it again in a heartbeat."

Crossing the Permo-Triassic Boundary: A Phylogenetic Analysis of Family Neritopsidae

If surviving the Permo-Triassic mass extinction is not pure chance then some factor or combination of factors must affect survival. The genera of Family Neritopsidae from the United States are compared to determine if phylogenetic history, paleogeographic distribution, or species diversity affect survival at the Permo-Triassic boundary. This phylogenetically based analysis suggests that those genera that cross the boundary have older lineages, broader distributions and a higher species diversity than those that go extinct.

This research was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, Award number BIR-9300225.