School of Science and Technology news
Biology professor gets article on journal cover
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| Leonard R. Brand, PhD, professor of biology and paleontology, School of Science and Technology, poses for a picture next to a fossil of a baleen whale in Peru. |
A scientific article authored by Leonard R. Brand, PhD, professor of biology and paleontology in the School of Science and Technology, appeared in the February, 2004, issue of Geology, a publication of the Geological Society of America. Geology is a prestigious journal that publishes concise articles describing new breakthroughs or insights in geology and paleontology.
The article, featuring a photograph of a fossil baleen whale on the journal cover, is titled "Fossil Whale Preservation Implies High Diatom Accumulation Rate in the Miocene-Pliocene Pisco Formation of Peru" and is co-authored by Raúl Esperante, PhD, research scientist, Geoscience Research Institute, Loma Linda; Arthur V. Chadwick, PhD, professor of biology, Southwestern Adventist University, Keene, Texas; and Orlando Poma Porras and Merling Alomía, of Universidad Peruana Union, Lima, Peru.
Dr. Brand and his colleagues have been involved in research in Peru since 1998.
"It all began with an invitation to guest lecture at Peruvian Union University, the Seventh-day Adventist university located in Lima," Dr. Brand says.
"Our hosts asked us if we wanted to see some fossil whales. One quick trip to the fossil site, and we were hooked. When we saw 16 fossil whales in an hour and a half, we knew it was a great find with potential for significant discoveries," Dr. Brand continues.
A group of Adventists scientists returned to Peru in the summers of 1999 and 2000, to pursue further studies at the whale site. Findings from these trips are the basis for the article in Geology. Findings from two subsequent research trips are still being analyzed. "The Miocene-Pliocene Pisco Formation in Peru contains abundant whales preserved in pristine condition," Dr. Brand notes.
"What we have found is that the well-preserved whales indicate rapid burial. The 346 whales found within a 1.5 square kilometer area were not buried as a single event," according to Dr. Brand, "but represent a continuous burial process over a fairly short period of time. It appears that the whales were killed by repeated toxic blooms of diatoms, and tidal currents or storms rapidly concentrated the whale carcasses and diatoms into shallow bays."
"The evidence eliminates any special conditions that could have preserved animals without rapid burial. The articulated and well-preserved whale carcasses and the burial environment require rapid burial," Dr. Brand says. "Any given whale must have been buried within weeks to months, to account for their preservation and articulation, including the fossilization of some non-bony tissues in exquisite, microscopic detail.
"This necessity of rapid burial indicates that, at times in the past, diatom accumulation rates were much higher than those typical in modern oceans. Previously accepted rates of accumulation would have taken thousands of years to cover a whale, but our evidence eliminates this possibility," Dr. Brand concludes. "The evidence was there all the time, and other scientists could have discovered it. Our view of earth history caused us to ask questions that tend to be different from what others are asking, and it opens our eyes to see what others have overlooked."
Individuals interested in reading the entire article may find it in the library of the Geoscience Research Institute.
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Natural science professors edit iguana book
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| Iguanas: Biology and Conservation can be found at the following stores: San Diego Zoo bookstore, Amazon.com, and Barnes&Noble.com. |
They are the most endangered large lizards in the world that most people don't know much about. But, now that can all change. Iguanas: Biology and Conservation is a book edited by two LLU faculty members: Ronald L. Carter, PhD, professor and chair of natural science department; and William K. Hayes, PhD, associate professor, natural science. The other editors of the book are Allison C. Alberts, head of Applied Conservation at the Zoological Society of San Diego, and Emília P. Martins, associate professor of biology at Indiana University.
The insert of the book describes the publication: "In what is certain to be the key reference on iguanas for years to come, some of the world's leading experts offer a clear and accessible account of the latest research on the evolution, behavioral ecology, and conservation of these highly visible and increasingly endangered creatures, much loved by professional herpetologists and hobbyists alike."
Drs. Hayes and Carter have studied iguanas for the past 11 and 14 years. "I'm interested in iguanas because they are very unique in their appearance and behavior," says Dr. Hayes. "For some reason, they evoke a soulful response. In addition, the iguanas we've chosen to study in the Bahamas are highly endangered and desperately in need of help. We want to be there for them and, simultaneously, help to preserve their natural habitat for future Bahamians (and others) to enjoy."
Both Dr. Carter and Dr. Hayes have studied iguanas in the Galapagos Islands, Bahamas, and Baja California.
"Iguanas are fantastic survival machines highly adapted to specialized environments," Dr. Carter explains.
"Their diversity and persistence is so fascinating," says Dr. Hayes. "Every place you find them, they seem somewhat different, carefully tailored to survive in their unique environment. They are often found on tiny islands, and you have to wonder how they got there in the first place."
Iguanas: Biology and Conservation is illustrated throughout with photographs, distribution maps, tables, and figures. The book will be the definitive resource for anyone -
professional or curious amateur - interested in iguanas.
"Studying the whole animal in its environmental context is the real value of this book," states Dr. Carter. "This book is a reference of current information on what we know about the behavior and evolution of iguanas and how this information may help in the management of these highly endangered, unique, and almost prehistoric looking reptiles.
"A knowledge of their survivorship characteristics and what we can do to offset the anthropogenic forces challenging them may help us save the rock iguana as well as to protect other similar species," Dr. Carter explains.
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