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The
2002 Summer Session
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25
May 2002 - 3 August 2002
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House
 Cameron,
David Michael
dcameron@pepperdine.edu
cameron.dave@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
A
New Species of African Cyanotis (Commelinaceae).
SCIENTIFIC
ABSTRACT: Cyanotis
is the third largest genus of Commelinaceae in Africa, with approximately
25 species. The genus is widespread outside of forested habitats, occurring
often in dry habitats, but it also includes an aquatic species. Using
morphological and anatomical differences, Cyanotis repens, a new
perennial African species, is described from tropical Africa. Plants differ
from the similar species C. foecunda and C. nyctitropa in
lacking a distinct base, having solely axillary inflorescences, and in
the shape of the terminal swelling of the style. Two distinct subspecies
are recognized, C. repens subsp. repens and C. repens
subsp. robusta, based on geographic and cytological evidence.
 Carvalho,
Murilo
murilo@cirp.usp.br
murilocarvalho@yahoo.com
carvalho.murilo@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
Revision of Hypostomus species of the
streams in the upper Rio Parana basin on the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil
(Siluriformes: Loricariidae).
SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT:
The genus Hypostomus Lacépède, 1803, is the most
diverse group of the armored catfishes. Most species descriptions of this
genus provide limited or incomplete information, making correct identifications
difficult, if not impossible. According to literature, 32 nominal species
of Hypostomus occur the upper Rio Paraná region, an area
of demonstrated ichthyological endemism. As a consequence, it is likely
that at least some, and more likely a number, of the species of Hypostomus
that occur in the headwater streams in this drainage basin are endemics,
some of which may be undescribed. A geographically focused taxonomic review
of the Hypostomus species in the headwater streams is a prerequisite
to an understanding of the diversity of the genus in the basin in light
of the high species diversity in the region along with the complicated
taxonomic history of the reported species. The species of the genus Hypostomus
that occur in the streams of the upper Rio Paraná in State of São
Paulo, Brazil, were revised, and one potentially undescribed species was
identified. Identification of the species as new necessitated the application
of multivariate statistics to the problem since many of the characters
in these fishes demonstrate a pronounced degree of overlap. Canonical
Discriminant Analysis was utilized in the study and was found to be a
very good methodology for addressing this type of problem, allowing us
separate the species collected in the streams of the region and confirm
their identifications using data taken from a number of type series.
 Cisneros-Heredia,
Diego Francisco
oreomanes@hotmail.com
cisneros.diego@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
The Glass Frogs (Centrolenidae) from the "Río
Palenque" Science Center Ecuador; with the Description of a New Species
SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT:
Ecuador has the biggest number of amphibian species per unit of area in
the world (425 species in 276,840 km2). In the last decade, conservative
estimates indicate that at least 26 species of Ecuadorian amphibians have
declined or gone extinct. The reasons for this crisis are not clear but
have been related to habitat destruction, climate change, and/or fungal
disease such as the chytridiomycosis.
The Río Palenque
Science Center (RPSC) was among the last remnants of tropical rainforest
in the western lowlands of Ecuador. Twenty years ago, investigations done
by R. McDiarmid and others lead to the discovery of an amazing herpetofauna,
including several undescribed species. However, the expansion of the agricultural
frontier and transformation of the forest remnants into oil palm and banana
plantations destroyed this site. Among the species identified from RPSC
were five species of glass frogs (Family Centrolenidae): Centrolene
prosoblepon, Cochranella spinosai, Hyalinobatrachium fleischmanni,
Hyalinobatrachium valerioi, and an undescribed species of the genus
Centrolene restricted to the RPSC. This research analyzed the morphological
characters and natural history of the five glass frogs of RPSC in order
to describe the new species of Centrolene from RPSC which is critically
endangered, if not extinct. The new species is characterized by combination
of the following characters: 1) a distinctive coloration with yellow dorsolateral
stripes; 2) the presence of an exposed prepolicall spine; 3) a humeral
spine in the males; and, 4) a unique nuptial pad between the fingers II
and I.
 Doak,
Erin
mysticfox@hotmail.com
doak.erin@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
The picritic dikes of Northwest Trotternish,
Isle of Skye, Scotland
SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT: The Isle of Skye, Scotland, is a part of the
British Tertiary Volcanic Province, an area which experienced intense
igneous activity associated with continental separation and lithospheric
extension approximately 58 million years ago. Two main plutonic centers
and a variety of minor intrusions invade the Mesozoic strata of the island.
While the majority of these minor intrusions are regional, such as the
vast NNW trending doleritic dike swarm, a smaller number of intrusions
are associated with the development of the local plutonic centers. The
picrite dikes of Northern Skye are one of three groups of picrite intrusions
on Skye and its surroundings, that have been grouped on the basis of previous
research. The other two are the picrite sills of Northwest Trotternish
(Simkin, 1965) and the picrite dikes and sills of Southern Skye (Drever
and Johnston, 1958; Gibb, 1968). The purpose of this research was to examine
the petrology of the picrite dikes of Northern Skye, with emphasis on
the chemical compositions of their olivines and spinels in order to assess
their possible genetic relationship with the other two groups. The picrite
lava flow of An Carnach, because of its olivine rich composition, and
thus, its possible relationship to the intrusions, was also included in
this study. Compositional analysis was completed on a JEOL8900-R electron
microprobe and assisted with digital transmitted light images.
The
results showed very little variation among olivine core compositions for
the Northern picrite dikes, ranging from Fo90 to Fo92. Olivine compositions
from the picrite sills of Northwest Trotternish and the picrite lava flow
of An Carnach indicate that they are not apart of the same intrusive group
as the Northern dikes, yet due to their own compositional similarities
these two groups may share a similar genetic history. The picrite sills
and dikes of Southern Skye showed a strong petrological and compositional
resemblance to the Northern dikes, suggesting that they may be a single
intrusive suite, sharing a similar origin and time of emplacement late
in the volcanic sequence.
 Edmonds,
Douglas Arthur
edmondsd@slu.edu
edmonds.doug@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
Mexican Volcanic Chains
SCIENTIFIC
ABSTRACT: Some subduction-related volcanic arcs demonstrate an increase
in potassium content as distance from the trench increases. Geologists
have proposed two different mechanisms that may act additively to explain
these trends: 1) the degree of partial melting of the mantle decreases
as distance from trench increases, and 2) crustal contamination of the
ascending magma increases with distance from trench. Insight into these
hypotheses can be gained by studying the Mexican Volcanic Belt (MVB),
which is unique among the world’s subduction-related volcanic arcs
because it forms a 15-degree angle with the N-W-trending Middle America
Trench. Crustal thickness increases eastward along the MVB, and over the
past several million years the focus of activity in the MVB has migrated
southward toward the trench. Accordingly, it should be possible to isolate
the contribution of the first mechanism within the MVB by focusing on
N-S-trending volcanic chains that have migrated southward over crust of
relatively constant thickness. This research yielded two important results:
1) K2O concentrations for each chain decrease significantly from N to
S, supporting the role of decreasing partial melting with increasing distance
to the trench, and 2) K2O content for the three volcanic chains increase
from W to E, also consistent with the eastward increase in trench distance,
but perhaps also evidence for enhanced eastward contamination by thicker
continental crust.
 Freeburg,
Adam Karl Raymond
akf115@psu.edu
freeburg.adam@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
Experimental Carbonization of Helianthus
annus.
SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH : The process of plant domestication was an important technological
innovation that revolutionized human society. The discovery of this process
through material remains in the archaeological record allows researchers
to investigate the process of cultural and societal change. The domestication
of Helianthus annus is documented by the change in size through
time of preserved seeds and achenes (sunflower fruit). Most material is
preserved through carbonization. This process causes seeds and achenes
to shrink. Reconstructive corrections are then necessary to estimate original
seed size, after which seeds can be comparatively analyzed. For the past
24 years, these corrections consisted of a set of static factors that
were added ubiquitously to all recovered carbonized materials. A recent
archaeological finding has called this practice into question. Experiments
completed as part of the RTP program have shown that sunflower seeds and
achenes, when carbonized, do not Further research will provide new, variable
reconstructive corrections that are dependent upon factors such as original
size, time in carbonizing environment, and temperature of carbonization
 Garrett,
Sarah Ellen
sagarret@vt.edu
garrett.sarah@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
An Inventory of Leafroller Species of Moths of the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park.
SCIENTIFIC
ABSTRACT: Based on 232 samples of leafrollers collected from 1986
to the present, we documented 171 species of tortricid moths from Great
Smoky Mountains National Park. Estimates of the actual fauna ranged from
185 (bootstrap) to 224 (Chao1). Of the 39 sampling localities, we compared
species richness of the ten most frequently sampled sites (n 6 sampling
bouts) and found a correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.7765 between number
of species and number of sampling bouts. Community phenology, based on
cumulative records, indicated that adult activity is lowest from February
to April (<10 species per month), increases considerably in May, continues
to increase in June, and gradually decreases through November. No species
were captured in January or December. This pattern differed slightly from
that reported for the tortricid fauna of Kentucky, and this deviation,
coupled with evidence that GSMNP has been under-sampled during the spring,
partially explains differences between documented and estimated species
richness (i.e., the spring fauna may be under-sampled). We also examined
the spatial and temporal distribution of each species within the park.
 Hankins,
Amie
rainbowamiehankins@hotmail.com
hankins.amie@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
How many blennies is the redlip blenny?
SCIENTIFIC
ABSTRACT: The redlip blenny, Ophioblennius atlanticus, is a
small (< 25 cm) fish that perches on coral or rocky reefs in shallow
tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This fish has a broad geographical
distribution, ranging north to the Azores, south to St. Helena Island
and Brazil, west to the western Caribbean, and east to the west coast
of Africa and Gulf of Guinea. Based on morphology, a single species comprising
two subspecies traditionally has been recognized (Springer, 1962). More
recently, Muss et al (2001) compared a 680-bp region of mitochondrial
cytochrome b among 171 individuals from 10 localities to determine genetic
differences. Their results suggest that O. atlanticus comprises
not one but five species, geographically distributed as follows: 1) Brazil,
2) Caribbean/western Atlantic, 3) eastern Atlantic (Saõ Tomé,),
4) southern mid-Atlantic (Ascension/St. Helena), and 5) northern mid-Atlantic
(Azores/Cape Verde). The purpose of the present study was to determine
if morphology supports the recognition of five species of Atlantic Ophioblennius.
Using digital or film techniques, 280 preserved specimens were radiographed,
and counts were made of dorsal- and anal-fin rays, and vertebrae. Specimens
were then chosen from representative locations to clear and stain, a process
that enzymatically digests muscle tissue and stains both cartilage and
bone, leaving a clearly visible skeleton that can be examined microscopically
to determine differences in the shapes of bones or cartilage. Finally,
external structures and patterns of pigmentation were examined. The results
of this research suggest that five geographically distinct groups of Atlantic
Ophioblennius can be identified on the basis of pigment patterns:
1) Brazil, 2) Caribbean/western Atlantic, 3) eastern Atlantic (Senegal),
4) southern mid-Atlantic (St. Helena/Ascension), and 5) northern mid-Atlantic
(Azores/Canaries/Madeira). One of these, the Caribbean/western Atlantic,
also can be distinguished based on fin-ray and vertebral counts. Lineages
recognized in this morphological study generally correspond geographically
with groups recognized in the genetic study, supporting the existence
of at least five species of Ophioblennius in the Atlantic. Further
study of specimens with well-preserved pigment patterns is needed to determine
to which species populations from certain eastern Atlantic localities
(e.g. Saõ Tomé, Cape Verde) belong. Future work will include
describing or re-describing all Atlantic species of Ophioblennius
and reconstructing phylogenetic relationships among them; from the latter,
the pattern of speciation of "the redlip blenny" in the Atlantic
Ocean will be hypothesized. Future studies of similarly distributed shorefishes
may greatly increase our estimates of fish diversity in the tropical Atlantic.
 Hodgkins,
Jamie
Jamie.Hodgkins@Colorado.edu
hodgkins.jamie@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
The Antiquity and Paleoepidemiology of the Infections
Disease Brucellosis.
SCIENTIFIC
ABSTRACT: Brucellosis, as a pathogen to humans, is a disease caused
by three bacteria in the genus Brucella and is passed to humans
through a variety of intermediate hosts including many animals. Brucella
melitensis is the species that primarily affects goats, which are
thought to be the second oldest domesticate (domesticated ca. 9,000BP),
and is passed to humans through the consumption of milk and contaminated
meat. Today brucellosis is endemic in many Middle Eastern countries, but
little is known about the origins of brucellosis as a pathogen to humans
or about the dispersal patterns of brucellosis in the past. To better
address these issues we reviewed clinical literature and observed radiographs
of modern cases of brucellosis to determine the skeletal manifestations
of the disease. Next we evaluated 184 sacra and 288 innominates for signs
of sacroilitis (one manifestation of brucellosis) from five different
Middle Eastern human samples. These samples included: two from Egypt (12th
dynasty 1991-1782 BCE and 25th dynasty 747-657 BCE), one from Jordan (Bab
edh-Dhra 3,150-3,000 BCE), and two from Bahrain island (2,300-2000 BCE
and 2000-1700 BCE). We then radiographed seven innominates that showed
possible signs of brucellosis. We found that one female out of 19 individuals
from the 25th dynastic Egyptain collection has sacroilitis that could
have been caused by brucellar infection. This is a prevalence of 5.2%
of Egyptians in this 25th dynasty site and is a rate close to what would
be expected in a sample in which the disease is endemic.
 Iriarte,
Kristen Elizabeth
keiria@wm.edu
iriarte.kristen@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
Analyzing the Fatal Pyroclastic Flow of Arenal
Volcano, Costa Rica.
SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT: Modern technology, along with the exponentially
growing population, has led to human travel and occupancy in areas of
the world never inhabited before. The major issues here are events rare
such great earthquakes and certain volcanic eruptions that now result
in fatalities more frequently. The focus here is an event at Arenal Volcano,
Costa Rica, where two individuals sustained fatal injuries in a pyroclastic
flow erupted on August 23, 2000, in spite of active seismic monitoring.
Arenal volcano has been continuously active since it first erupted in
1968, killing 78 individuals. In order to identify any predictive tools
useful in preventing this type of tragedy, seismic data from the event
were examined. Individual signals were characterized and plotted in order
to create a 7-month history before the event. The August 23rd event has
a distinct signal that occurred briefly in June and July, but not nearly
with the length or magnitude of that of the fatal event. While the number
of events steadily increased in the three months leading up to the August
23rd event, we found no patterns that could be used to predict pyroclastic
flows. Samples from the flow were examined with an electron microprobe
using WDS and EDS in order to gain information on water content. Classically,
the presence of higher levels of calcium within plagioclase grains indicates
higher water content upon crystallization. Also, a higher water content
is often an indicator of a higher level of explosive potential. Thus,
comparing samples from the fatal pyroclastic flow to a "normal"
lava flow will indicate whether the magma composition could have been
responsible for the pyroclastic flow. In this study, the Ca levels of
the pyroclastic flow block were not statistically different from those
of the lava flow, and thus the mechanism of eruption could have been simply
an abnormally large volume of buoyant magma moving out of the crater,
responsible for the unusual seismic signal (Type X). While the prediction
of hazardous pyroclastic flows using scientific data was not illustrated
through this research, the methods of data reduction engaged here were
only some of the few available to predict and study events.
 Knapp,
Michelle Christine
mknapp@fas.harvard.edu
knapp.michelle@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
Testing the taxonomic significance of buccal
structures in phyllostomid bats.
SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT: In recent years, the monophyly of bat genera,
families, and even the order has been called into question. In light of
this debate, any information that can be gained by molecular or morphological
data may be helpful. While pelage and dentition are well-described, soft
mouthpart morphology has been largely ignored.
We
looked at structures occurring in the buccal cavity between the gums and
the lips. Two buccal cavity structures found in several taxa are papillae
on the insides of the lips and a ridge between the lips and teeth. Their
distribution within the Chiroptera supports Teeling et al.'s (2002)
revision of bats into Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera
rather than the traditional Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera.
 McCarren,
Heather Kristen
mccarren.6@osu.edu
mccarren.heather@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
Phylogeny and depth ecology of the Late Cretaceous
planktonic foraminifer species of Globigerinelloides.
SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT: At least eight species of foraminifera in
the genus Globigerinelloides (G. multispinus, G. prairiehillensis,
G. messinae, G. subcarinatus, G. volutus, G. alvarezi,
G. aspensis, and G. impensus) are frequently identified
in various studies of Late Cretaceous marine sediments, but opinions vary
as to which of these species should be treated as junior synonyms. In
an effort to stabilize the taxonomy of this group primary type specimens
of most of these species were compared with Globigerinelloides
morphotypes from the upper Campanian- Maastrichtian of ODP Site 690 (Weddell
Sea), at least two Maastrichtian sample levels at DSDP, Sites 463 and
465 (tropical Pacific), and the Turonian-Maastrichtian of DSDP Site 511
(Falkland Plateau). Ontogenetic morphometric data, coiling metrics and
shape analysis based on high-resolution x-ray images from umbilical and
edge views were extremely useful in characterizing population variability
for each of these planktonically coiled morphotypes.
Our
results indicate that Late Cretaceous Globigerinelloides include
two distinct lineage groups, one with 10 to 15 chambers and the other
with 20 to 25 chambers in adult specimens. Differences in chamber shape,
chamber size increase rates, and external shell ornamentation are used
to delineate species populations within these two lineage groups. Stable
isotope analyses of the biometrically differentiated Globigerinelloides
taxa will be obtained to determine their relative depth ecologies. Pre-Campanian
Globigerinelloides taxa will be similarly analyzed to reconstruct
their Late Cretaceous phylogenetic history.
 Newsom,
Amanda Joy
anewsom01@gw.hamline.edu
newson.amanda@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
Changes in Cetacean Specimen Collection at the
Smithsonian Institution Since 1900.
SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT: This study was designed to identify trends
in the procedures used by the Smithsonian Institution to acquire specimens
for display and research, and in popular sentiment about cetaceans since
1900. Publications from Scientific American and National Geographic Magazine
provided information on how cetaceans have been presented to the general
public during the 20th century. The specimens considered in this study
were those collected for the Smithsonian Institution for whom the year
of collection is known. The collection's database, accessions records
and associated literature were consulted in an attempt to ascertain circumstances
of death for each specimen. Q- and R- mode cluster analyses were performed
using correlation and Bray-Curtis coefficients to determine the relatedness
of decades and variable distinctions, respectively. At the beginning of
the 1900's, whaling was a worldwide operation, and articles about cetaceans
focused mainly on the economic and technological standing of the industry.
Most of the cetaceans acquired by the Smithsonian in these years were
purposefully captured from the wild. Specimens acquired from strandings
now dominate the museum's collection. Popular articles in the 1990's were
largely concerned with general cetacean biology, indicative of a new public
awareness of these animals as possessing some intrinsic value. This study
revealed that as the public has become more interested in cetaceans as
organisms rather than as commodities, the collections of the Smithsonian
Institution rely more heavily on incidentally caught and stranded animals
than on those captured from the wild. It also demonstrates the power of
museum collections in historical interpretation of changing human awareness
of particular animals.
 Nowak,
Michael Dennis
mnowa237@uwsp.edu
nowak.mike@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
The Effect of Depositional Environment and Preservation
on the Composition of Paleogene Pollen Assemblages
SCIENTIFIC
ABSTRACT: In light of recent evidence validating the reality of anthropogenic
warming, there is a concerted effort to understand Global Climate change
and its effect on plants and animals. In the early Paleogene, approximately
55 million years ago, there was a rapid Global warming event called the
Initial Eocene Thermal Maximum. My project is part of a larger effort
to understand floral response to rapid climate change in the past. The
most effective way to study floral trends in the past is through dispersed
fossil pollen, or palynoflora. Compared to most megafossils (leaves and
fruits), pollen preserves very well in fine-grained sedimentary rocks.
Stratigraphic sampling density is therefore much greater. However, when
there are apparent changes in the palynoflora within a stratigraphic section,
it is difficult to know whether they represent large regional changes
in the plant community, or whether they merely represent local changes
such as a windstorm, or a fire. In an attempt to clarify this problem,
this study investigates the lateral palynofloral variation within an early
Paleogene lignite. Preliminary analysis of the data indicates significant
palynofloral variability between the samples. The Betulaceous and Taxodiaceous
taxa seem to be responsible for the majority of variation between the
samples. There also seems to be a relatively strong correlation between
the thickness of the lignite and the abundant taxa in the sample. Samples
within a thick section of the lignite tend to be dominated by Betulaceae,
and thin sections tend to be dominated by Taxodiaceae. To understand this
relationship much more data will have to be collected.
 Paustian,
Megan Elisabeth
mpaustia@brynmawr.edu
paustian.megan@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
A characterization of the Permian-age Lueders Formation.
SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT: The intent of this study was to contribute
to the understanding of climate-driven ecological change by generating
baseline data on the vegetation of one contemporaneous ancient flora,
to be compared with earlier and subsequent species assemblages in future
studies. The floral taxa of the Early Permian (Leonardian) Lueders Formation,
north-central Texas, were described, identified, and quantified. The study
was performed upon seven fossil collections gathered from four localities
in the Lueders Formation. This region had been a tropical coastal floodplain.
Worldwide, the Early Permian biota experienced increased aridity caused
by global warming. The dominance of floral communities shifted in favor
of dryness-tolerant, seed-producing plants over swamp-loving, spore-producing
plants. The Lueders flora captured this trend: seed plant foliage was
the most common element. Gymnosperm taxa, mainly Walchia sp. and
Brachyphyllum sp., dominated the flora. Pteridosperms, seed ferns,
were also common. The occurrence of remnant swamp flora, including calamite
and lycopod stems and Pecopteris foliage, was relatively infrequent.
 Ramjohn,
David Damian
ddramjohn@hotmail.com
ramjohn.david@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
Zoogeographical Analysis of the Coastal Marine
Fishes of Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies
SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT: To test the hypothesis that the marine fish
fauna of Trinidad is the same as that of Tobago, 494 lots of specimens
from Trinidad and Tobago, housed in the Fish Collection of the Smithsonian
Institution's National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), were examined
for capture locations and to verify species identification. Additional
data from four research cruises done by the R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen around
Trinidad and Tobago in 1988 supplemented the collection-based data. These
data supported spatial analyses of occurrence by species, families and
higher taxa around both islands. The findings indicate significant differences
in the fish species composition around both islands thus rejecting the
null hypothesis; however, no conclusive statements can be made due to
unequal attempts to document the marine fishes of both islands in terms
of sampling methods and intensity. Tobago has been subjected to serious
systematic inventory, most recently through the efforts of Dave Hardy
and NMNH personnel, resulting in over 1300 lots of Tobago specimens compared
to 200 for Trinidad in the NMNH Fish Collection. Trinidad has neither
been subjected to similar rigorous research nor have the specimens been
collected via similar, comparable sampling techniques. Despite this caveat,
these results have implications for marine resource management, in terms
of necessitating different strategies based on the dominant groups around
each island, and provide direction for future research. This research
suggests that the marine fish fauna of Trinidad is not the same as that
of Tobago.
 Runyan,
Andrea Michelle
amr0046@unt.edu
runyan.andrea@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
Dental Disease: the root of all evil?
SCIENTIFIC
ABSTRACT: Epidemiological and clinical studies suggest an association
between periodontal disease and heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and respiratory
disease. Since these diseases affect mainly soft tissue and cause few
observable changes to bone, they are difficult to diagnose in archaeological
specimens. However, if periodontal disease is correlated with certain
systemic diseases, it may be possible to infer cause-of-death from dental
condition. To investigate this possibility, the numbers of carious lesions
penetrating the pulp, abscesses, and pre-death tooth losses and the extent
of bone change processes on the inner skull surface and were recorded
for 414 skeletal specimens from the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Skeletal
Collection, a group of skeletons with recorded age-at-death, sex, race,
year-of-birth, and cause-of-death. This study utilized a new measure of
overall periodontal disease, termed "periodontal distress sum,"
which represented the number of sockets exhibiting one or more of the
studied dental disease conditions. Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance
tests revealed that the periodontal distress sum differed significantly
(p=0.033) between individuals who had died from myocarditis (average:
10.123) and people with a cause of death unassociated with periodontal
disease (average: 8.250). Surprisingly, respiratory disease fatalities
exhibited a statistically different (p=0.017), lower mean periodontal
distress sum (6.241) than the control group (8.250). No significant differences
were observed between the control group and vascular disease fatalities.
Nor did dental disease statistics vary significantly between controls
and disease groups when individuals were grouped into age-at-death cohorts.
Generally severe periodontal disease and other characteristics of the
Terry Collection may render it less suited than other skeletal collections
for the type of study likely to demonstrate a correlation--namely one
which, like clinical studies which have demonstrated correlations, accounts
for even minor periodontal disease. However, the Terry Collection was
exceptionally suited for this study's demonstrations that endocranial
bone activity is positively correlated with both age and periodontal disease.
This and other trends revealed by the study provoke additional investigations
of the relationship between periodontal disease and race, sex, inflammation,
and cause-of-death.
 Seebauer,
Jessica Lynne
jls6@geneseo.edu
seebauer.jessica@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
Redefining mongoloid: can inter landmark distances be used to discriminate
between Native Americans and East Asiatic individuals?
SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT: The Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) of 1990 mandates the repatriation (return) of
Native American human remains currently housed in federally-funded agencies,
museums, and institutions to proper tribal representatives upon request.
The Smithsonian Institution, home of the largest skeletal collection in
the world, has a Repatriation Office devoted to the documentation, analysis,
and return of Indian remains - a process involving information from accession
files, archeological data, and other miscellaneous archival records to
ensure repatriation of skeletal material to the correct tribes. However,
reliance on museum records as the sole source of information regarding
tribal affiliation can result in the misclassification of remains; in
many cases, museum specimens can be poorly documented or misdocumented.
Thus, it has become increasingly obvious that museums should use biological
data-such as craniometrics-as a check against museum documents, to verify
that the remains are actually affiliated to the tribes indicated. Previous
research has demonstrated that digitizing three-dimensional landmarks
is successful in discriminating between Native American, African-American,
and European-American populations with up to 96% accuracy. My research
centers on the morphometric discrimination between Native American populations
and East Asian populations. This discrimination is more challenging because
Native Americans are morphologically more similar to East Asians (due
to a more recent common ancestor), and are therefore more likely to be
misclassified as Asian than either "white" or "black"
(and vice versa). Using a three-dimensional digitizer, landmark coordinates
were collected from over 350 skulls of East Asian and South Pacific individuals
in the NMNH collections to identify the best interlandmark distances (ILD's)
to distinguish between many groups having similar morphologies. Eighty-six
landmark coordinates were identified yielding 3, 655 possible interlandmark
distances. The best coordinate landmarks were identified using stepwise
discriminant function analysis. The analysis suggested that Type 1 landmarks
(points where two bones join) provide the best discriminate functions
for separation of Native American and Asiatic populations with 95% accuracy.
Morphometric data collection and analysis like this is important because
the presence of human remains excavated in American soil does not always
indicate Native American affiliation, a point illustrated by Chinese cannery
cemeteries in Alaska.
 Skeeles,
Angela Dawn
aggie_skeelz@hotmail.com
skeeles.angela@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
Character DIsplacement in Neotropical Cats.
SCIENTIFIC
ABSTRACT : We used Principle Components Analysis (PCA), a multivariate
method, to analyze the cranial size and shape of eight Neotropical cat
species. Preliminary patterns of sexual dimorphism and geographic variation
were considered qualitatively by interpreting scatterplots generated using
a PCA on SYSTAT. Size variation accounted for at least 80% of the variation
between individual specimens except in Leopardus tigrinus (71.6%).
In all species except L. tigrinus and L. pardalis, most
non-size variation was due to canine diameter. Leopardus wiedii,
Puma concolor, Panthera onca, and Oncifelis geoffroyi
males tended to have larger canines than females. L. wiedii from
Mexico were smaller in general, while Panamanian individuals were larger.
L. pardalis from Panama were larger and had greater breadth across
canines and canine diameter than individuals from Texas, USA. P. onca
from Argentina tend to be larger with larger canines, whereas individuals
from Guyana were smaller with smaller canines. P. concolor from
Argentina were larger than others. Among the small species (group 1),
L. tigrinus was readily differentiated from the other three by size
and shape. The remaining three species are remarkably similar in skull
size and shape. L. pardalis and Puma yaguarondi are distinct
in both size and shape. Finally, we found P. concolor and P.
onca to be extremely similar in patterns of variation of size and
shape of the skull.
 Versieux,
Leonardo
leoversieux@hotmail.com
versieux.leonardo@nmnh.si.edu
Title:
A Study of Genetic Variation in Musella
(Musaceae): an endemic monotypic genus from Southwestern China.
SCIENTIFIC ABSTRACT: Musella lasiocarpa is a large perennial
herb endemic to southwestern China, primarily in central and western Yunnan,
occurring inside the confier-oak mixed forest domain at elevations of
1500-2500 m. Several ethnobotanical uses have been reported for Musella
lasiocarpa; however true wild populations are unknown at the present
time. The objective of this project was to study genetic variation found
between and within populations, through isozyme analyses. Musella
presented great genetic variation and its geographical distribution does
not coincide with the genetic distribution. It has probably been transported
and introduced into new areas by humans.
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