DISCOVERING HIDDEN DIVERSITY THROUGH COLLECTIONS DIGITIZATION: THE BIODIVERSITY AND PALEOECOLOGY OF THE CRETACEOUS HORNBROOK FORMATION, OREGON AND CALIFORNIA

The digital revolution in paleobiology has made accessible a rich, yet incomplete, record of fossil biodiversity from the published literature. Large-scale collections digitization has furthered data accessibility, in large part due to the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and other federal agencies. This funding, particularly NSF’s program for Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC), has brought to light the magnitude of ‘dark data’ housed in museums. Mobilization of these data will enhance paleobiologists ability to document patterns and processes of evolutionary and ecological change. One such ADBC project brings together a network of collections with a focus on the Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway (The Cretaceous World). As a partner to this network, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County seeks to add Cretaceous fossil data from Western North America, in doing so literally and figuratively connecting the Cretaceous Seas. Here we describe one component of this project that was funded through an NSF Research Experience for Post-Baccalaureate Students (REPS) supplement to our Cretaceous World partnership.

The Hornbrook Formation of southwest Oregon and northern California comprises conglomerate, sandstone, and mudstone that span the Turonian to Campanian. This formation is a great example where little data has previously been accessible in published literature. Furthermore, existing museum collections from this unit have not been intensively studied or identified. As a result of collections digitization we have now documented more than 90 species of mollusk (47 bivalves, 34 gastropods, and 12 ammonites) from the unit. This more than triples previously documented diversity for the formation. This diversity is less than other California Cretaceous units, such as the Chico (205 spp.), Ladd (174 spp.), and Redding (143 spp.) formations, although we anticipate many more discoveries as more cabinets are opened.

Transforming dark data into biodiversity knowledge has required significant investment, not only with training students in collection stewardship, but also in developing taxonomic skills. The NSF-REPS program as a supplement to an ADBC-funded digitization grant is helping to fulfill the promise of mobilizing research-ready paleobiology data.