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  • 1. Nave, Floyd Pleistocene Mollusca of Southwestern Ohio and Southeastern Indiana /

    Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1968, Graduate School

    Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Paleontology

  • 2. Chatfield, Evie The American Mastodon (Mammut americanum) at Wittenberg University

    Bachelor of Science, Wittenberg University, 2023, Biology

    The purpose of this thesis was to determine the sex and age at death of a Mastodon whose skeletal remains were discovered in Brighton, Ohio in 1923 and are now displayed at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. The sex (male) was determined by a comparative analysis: measuring several features of its skull and left forelimb and comparing these measurements to that of mastodon specimens at the Indiana State Museum in Indiana and the Cincinnati Museum in Ohio. The approximate age (35-45 years old) was determined by the amount of dental wear on one remaining molar and the infilling of the root cavity where the other molars should have been.
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    Committee: Michelle McWhorter (Advisor); Richard Phillips (Committee Member); John Ritter (Committee Member) Subjects: Paleontology

  • 3. Macellari, Carlos Late Cretaceous stratigraphy, sedimentology, and macropaleontology of Seymour Island, Antarctic Peninsula /

    Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1984, Graduate School

    Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Geology

  • 4. Cooper, Barry Studies of Multielement Silurian conodonts /

    Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1975, Graduate School

    Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Paleontology

  • 5. Bowman, Richard Stratigraphy and paleontology of the Niagaran series in Highland County, Ohio.

    Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1956, Graduate School

    Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Geology

  • 6. Aukeman, Frederick Pleistocene molluscan faunas of the Oakhurst deposit, Franklin County, Ohio /

    Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1960, Graduate School

    Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

  • 7. Dunn, Paul The Cynthiana formation of north central Kentucky /

    Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1924, Graduate School

    Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

  • 8. Gibson, Gail Pleistocene non-marine mollusca of the Richardson Lake deposit, Clarendon Township, Pontiac County, Quebec, Canada /

    Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1967, Graduate School

    Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

  • 9. Cornejo, John Pleistocene Molluscan faunas of the Souder Lake Deposit, Franklin County, Ohio /

    Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1959, Graduate School

    Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

  • 10. Sheatsley, Larry Pleistocene molluscan faunas of the Aultman deposit, Stark County, Ohio /

    Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1960, Graduate School

    Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

  • 11. Layton, Kentaro Baculitid Phylogenetic Reconstruction from a Bayesian Perspective

    Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Geology

    Members of the Cretaceous ammonoid family Baculitidae are widely distributed and are known for being excellent index fossils. Despite the extensive work on baculitid biostratigraphy, little is known about the evolutionary relationships among baculitids. To address this knowledge gap, a Bayesian phylogenetic reconstruction of Late Cretaceous North American baculitid ammonoids was performed using the reversible jump Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm and fossilized birth-death process. Focusing on the genera Baculites, Sciponoceras, Trachybaculites, and Eubaculites, 25 characters from 43 baculitid species from the Eastern Pacific Coast, Western Interior Seaway, Gulf Coastal Plain, and Atlantic Coastal Plain were included in the dataset. Suture, shell shape, and ornamentation characters were partitioned to accommodate differences in evolutionary rates, and a timeline model was defined to allow origination and turnover rates to vary across ten defined time intervals. Model output demonstrated that suture characters had the highest evolutionary rates and ornamentation the lowest, with intermediate rates for shell shape characters. The Maximum Clade Credibility tree showed that Sciponoceras lineages are the most basal taxa and experienced budding cladogenesis. The genera Baculites, Eubaculites and Trachybaculites are not monophyletic, with species of the latter two genera derived from different Baculites species, including several instances of anagenesis. While baculitids of the Eastern Pacific are enigmatic compared to baculitids from other North American regions, the phylogenetic tree supports previous hypotheses of faunal interchange between the Eastern Pacific Coast and the Western Interior Seaway, despite the presence of Laramidia, the western iv North American landmass that separated the Pacific Ocean and Western Interior Seaway. Extinction, speciation, and sampling rates were also estimated. The highest speciation and extinction rate was during the Early Campania (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: Margaret Yacobucci Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jeffrey Snyder Ph.D. (Committee Member); Neil Landman Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Geology; Paleontology

  • 12. O'Quin, Megan Uncovering the Past: Utilizing Invertebrate Subfossil Assemblages from Belizean Lagoonal Reefs to Determine Timing and Drivers for Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystem Decline

    Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Earth Sciences

    The health of Caribbean coral reef ecosystems has declined rapidly in recent decades due to climate change and local human stressors. Although there are robust data sets following the onset of large-scale monitoring in the late-1970s, less is known about reef health before this time. Furthermore, most of this monitoring work has focused on such organisms as corals, parrotfish, and echinoderms; much less is known about how changing environments are reflected in other important coral reef community members (e.g., molluscs). Reef matrix cores can help fill this knowledge gap, as they provide records of reef communities and environments over the past centuries to millennia, prior to large-scale human disturbance. To obtain a more accurate baseline of reef ecosystem structure and functioning and to track ecosystem change over the past one and a half millennia, I assessed changes in the taxonomic and functional group composition of subfossil assemblages of bivalves, gastropods, corals, and urchins preserved in 3.5 m-long cores from three reefs within the central lagoon of Belize. Bivalve and gastropod composition was assessed using relative abundance of shells, whereas urchin and coral composition was assessed using the accumulation rate of spines and coral fragments measured by weight. These cores record a shift in the dominant substrate relationship in bivalves from epifaunal to infaunal over time, which becomes most prominent in the late-1800s, indicating a loss of hard substrate (i.e., corals). Additionally, this epifaunal decline coincides with an increase in soft-substrate-indicating gastropods (e.g., Cerithium spp.) and the gorgonian coral associated bivalve Dendostrea spp. In contrast, urchin composition shows little change through the equivalent time interval, with the currently common Echinometra spp. dominating throughout the cores. These trends mirror those that have been observed previously from reef matrix cores in Caribbean Panama, as well as Belizean verte (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: Jill Leonard-Pingel (Advisor); Loren Babcock (Committee Member); Andréa Grottoli (Committee Member) Subjects: Geological; Paleoecology; Paleontology

  • 13. Lloyd, Caitlin Surficial Geology and Stratigraphy of a Late Pleistocene Lake Deposit in the Buckeye Creek Watershed, Greenbrier County, West Virginia, USA

    Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2024, Geological Sciences

    This study investigates the extent, nature, and formation processes of Paleo Lake Buckeye during the Late Pleistocene, located in the Buckeye Creek watershed in the central Appalachian Mountains. This thesis integrates GIS mapping, field methods utilizing sediment coring and trenching, radiocarbon dating and grain size analysis to reconstruct the margins and depositional environments of Paleo Lake Buckeye and its surrounding landscape. Radiocarbon and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating indicate that the lake formed between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago, coinciding with the peak of the last glacial epoch. The stratigraphic analysis shows fine-grained lacustrine deposits, organic rich layers, and episodic coarse-grained beds, which reflects periods of quiet water deposition interrupted by high-energy events. Paleo Lake Buckeye's formation is linked to periglacial conditions, where freeze thaw cycles mobilized sediments and permafrost dynamics influenced hydrological processes. This research not only interpret the paleoenvironmental conditions of the Buckeye Creek watershed during the Late Pleistocene, but also contributes to broader discussions on glacial and periglacial processes, climate variability, and landscape evolution in the central Appalachian Mountains.
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    Committee: Gregory Springer (Advisor); Katherine Fornash (Committee Member); Eva Lyon (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Geology; Environmental Science; Geochemistry; Geographic Information Science; Geography; Geological; Geology; Geomorphology; Paleoecology; Paleontology

  • 14. Frazier, Walter North American Tayassuidae Ecological Niche Modeling and Correlations with Early Humans

    Master of Science (MS), Bowling Green State University, 2024, Geology

    The long-nosed peccary (Mylohyus nasutus) and flat-headed peccary (Platygonus compressus) are two of the most recently extinct members of Family Tayassuidae from North America. The aim of this study was to create ecological niche models (ENMs) for both species during the Heinrich Stadial 1, Bølling-Allerød, and Younger Dryas intervals of the latest Pleistocene across the contiguous United States and parts of northern Mexico to provide insight on their distribution, how it changed over the time intervals, and what environmental (climate and floral frequency) factors affected both species' ranges just prior to their extinction around the Pleistocene/Holocene transition. The Neotoma Paleoecology Database, Paleobiology Database, and published research articles were used to compile peccary occurrence data. Climatic raster data were derived from PaleoClim. Floral data (specifically pollen abundance) was compiled from Neotoma, then ISODATA clustering was used in GIS SAGA to create frequency ratio maps for several dominant floral groups to rasterize floral abundancy maps. Peccary occurrence data and environmental rasters were input into Maxent, which was used to create both jackknife and response curve ENM models. Lastly, the ENMs were combined with Paleoindian archeological data (via p3k14c) to provide insight on human and peccary relationships. M. nasutus was found to have insufficient dated occurrence points to create ENMs for the targeted time slices. P. compressus was found to have had a large potential range across much of the modeled region throughout all three time intervals. P. compressus was very tolerant of vast ranges in temperature and preferred to live in forested habitats, but avoided areas with low precipitation, high precipitation seasonality, forests abundant in oak, or more open grassland/scrubland. P. compressus' large potential range through both cold and warm intervals of the Late Pleistocene suggests that the changing environmenta (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: Margaret Yacobucci Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jeff Snyder Ph.D. (Committee Member); Peter Gorsevski Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Geographic Information Science; Paleontology

  • 15. Boll, Eric Depictions of Paleontology in Three Major American Newspapers in the 1990s

    Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2024, Journalism (Communication)

    This thesis examines how three major American newspapers reported on paleontology during the 1990s. Paleontology experienced a popularity spike in the 1990s with the Jurassic Park films breaking film records and bringing dinosaurs to the forefront of the public consciousness. A number of important specimens were found and improving technology revolutionized the field, leading to numerous discoveries. This study documents which topics within paleontology the media reported on the most and what news values drove this reporting. Additionally, this study analyzes the occurrence rate of a few common tropes, metaphors and mistakes often associated with paleontology within news articles. This thesis examines USA Today, The New York Times, and The Associated Press's coverage of paleontology due to their status as being amongst the largest news organizations and running wire services which distributed their work across the United States. This study applies the revised news values proposed by Harcup and O'Neill to gauge which news values are used by reporters and editors when covering paleontology and to determine if these revised news values are applicable to science journalism.
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    Committee: Bernhard Debatin (Committee Chair); Lawerence Witmer (Committee Member); Parul Jain (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication; Journalism; Multimedia Communications; Paleoclimate Science; Paleoecology; Paleontology; Science Education; Science History

  • 16. Mullis, Justin Thomas Jefferson, Cryptozoologist: The Intersection Of Science And Folklore In Early America

    Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2024, American Culture Studies

    Monstrous animals occupied a prominent role in the imaginations of the 18th and early 19th century European settlers in what would become the United States of America. This preoccupation with monsters among early Americans is clearly reflected in the life and career of Thomas Jefferson. A close examination of Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia (1785), scientific papers prepared for the American Philosophical Society, documentation relating to the Louisiana Purchase, financing of the Louis and Clark Expedition, and personal correspondence all reveal a persistent obsession with living mastodons, giant moose, and colossal lions among other curious creatures. As a key American representative of the western intellectual tradition known as the Enlightenment, Jefferson's conviction that the North American interior harbored such monstrous forms of undiscovered animal life may seem counterintuitive as one would presume Jefferson would be nothing but skeptical of the reality of fantastic beasts. However, Jefferson saw evidence for the reality of such hitherto unclassified species of megafauna in an amalgamation of fragmentary fossil remains, euhemerist interpretations of Indigenous American legends, and tall tales told by early pioneers; the same type of ephemeral evidence marshaled by today's cryptozoologists to prove the existence of such creatures as Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. It is with this later observation in mind that this dissertation seeks to reframe Jefferson as a pioneering cryptozoologist while also considering the important role which cryptozoological monster lore has played in the formation of American culture.
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    Committee: Timothy Messer-Kruse Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jeremy Wallach Ph.D. (Committee Member); Philip Peek Ph.D. (Other); Andrew Schocket Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; American Studies; Folklore; Paleontology; Science History

  • 17. Houser, Skyler Neoichnology of Tropical and Arid Burrowing Scorpions: Environmental Impacts on Burrow Construction and Form

    Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2023, Geological Sciences

    Studying extant tracemakers, environmental conditions, trace construction, and trace morphology is vital for ichnofossil interpretation. Many scorpions are known to burrow, but despite having existed since the Silurian, they have a poor trace fossil record likely due to a lack of understanding of modern scorpion traces. In this study, burrows of three extant scorpions, Heterometrus spinifer a tropical species from Asia, Pandinus viatoris a tropical species from Africa, and Paravaejovis spinigerus an arid species from North America, were studied to identify key burrow characteristics, determine if and how evolutionary distance changed burrow form, and determine how burrow construction and form was affected by sediment properties. Neoichnological experiments were used to determine the burrowing techniques, behaviors, and trace morphologies of each species under natural conditions and under conditions of altered soil moisture and composition. Scorpions were placed in 246-, 212-, 114-, or 38-liter terrariums based on scorpion size for three experiments, each lasting 14-30 days. The experiments consisted of 1) substrate and moisture conditions based on natural conditions, 2) raising or lowering moisture content from natural conditions, and 3) increasing or decreasing sediment grain size from natural conditions. At the end of each experiment, the scorpions were removed and burrows were cast in plaster for qualitative and quantitative description and analysis. Burrows produced in this study bore a moderate-to-high similarity to each other despite differences in excavation methods and architecture. Heterometrus spinifer and Pandinus viatoris used similar excavation methods where sediment was gathered in the first two pairs of legs and/or chelicerae, dragged away, and dropped. Heterometrus spinifer produced open, straight burrows comprised of a single entrance and subvertical tunnel. Pandinus viatoris produced large diameter, sinuous, branching burrow networks with 1-3 ent (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: Greg Springer (Advisor); Katherine Fornash (Committee Member); Daniel Hembree (Committee Member) Subjects: Biology; Ecology; Environmental Studies; Experiments; Geology; Paleoecology; Paleontology; Zoology

  • 18. Hennessey, Sarah Constraining Morphologic Change Across the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event: A Case Study from the Arbuckle Mountains of Oklahoma

    Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2023, Geological Sciences

    The Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) records a global increase in marine biodiversity, which peaked during the Middle Ordovician, and established the foundation of modern marine ecosystems. Prior studies have compiled brachiopod occurrence data in order to quantify diversity trajectories during the GOBE; however, these studies often fail to fully consider how local environmental change influences species diversity. In this study, stratigraphically constrained field-based data from the Middle Ordovician Simpson Group of Oklahoma were collected to relate changes in brachiopod volume with associated environmental change in a temporal context. This analysis focused on Simpson Group rocks aged before, during, and after the main GOBE biodiversification pulse, which occurred locally during the Darriwilian Stage. Detailed morphological measurements based on anteroposterior–transverse (AT) volume estimations were collected from brachiopods during fieldwork from each stratigraphic unit at a bedding plane level of resolution. A time series analysis was used to establish temporal trends in brachiopod volume. Volume data were then analyzed alongside paired δ18O, Δ13C, 87Sr/86Sr, taxonomic diversity, and lithologic data using a boosted regression Analysis to identify the influence of these factors on volume through time. Results of these analyses indicate that a rapid pulse of brachiopod volume increase occurred across the main GOBE pulse in Simpson Group Strata which was not coupled with an increase in brachiopod size variance. This pulse was primarily driven by global-scale factors such as temporal progression, δ18O, 87Sr/86Sr, and taxonomic diversity trends; whereas local-scale factors of Δ13C and lithologic trends had a limited influence over local volume trends. Notably, all factors had a non-zero influence over brachiopod volume, indicating that locally, GOBE diversification was driven by multifaceted interactions among abiotic and biotic controls. These res (open full item for complete abstract)
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    Committee: Gregory Springer (Advisor); Eung Lee (Committee Member); Alycia Stigall (Committee Member) Subjects: Geology; Paleontology

  • 19. Tungate, Joshua Systematic analysis of phyllocarid mandibles from the Mississippian Marshall Formation in Southern Michigan and the Late Devonian Silica Formation in Northwestern Ohio in the context of phyllocarid mandibles from throughout the continental United States

    MS, Kent State University, 2023, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Earth Sciences

    Phyllocarid mandibles are an underutilized morphological component of phyllocarid morphology which can aid in identification at the species or genus level. Mandibles from various species of Dithyrocaris from throughout the United States were described and compared to those of Paraechinocaris punctata. Morphological characteristics from these specimens concerning denticle arrangement, crown morphology, as well as size and shape of the corpus mandibulae, revealed that significant differences exist between genera and species within the same genus. Thus, mandible morphology is shown to be useful in identification at the genus and species level.
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    Committee: Rodney Feldmann (Advisor); Joseph Ortiz (Committee Member); Carrie Schweitzer (Advisor) Subjects: Geology; Paleontology

  • 20. Mayher, Andrea Middle Devonian Cryptostomata (Bryozoa) From the Silica Formation, Lucas County, Ohio

    Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1965, Geology

    Committee: Richard D. Hoare (Advisor) Subjects: Geology