Stegosaurus and Camptosaurus ecological segregation in Morrison Formation (free pdf)

[Ben Creisler <bcreisler@gmail.com>]

From: Ben Creisler
bcreisler@gmail.com


A new open-access online paper:


J.R. Foster (2013)
Ecological Segregation of the Late Jurassic Stegosaurian and
Iguanodontian Dinosaurs of the Morrison Formation in North America:
Pronounced or Subtle?
PalArch’s Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology 10(3): 1-11
ISSN 1567-2158
http://www.palarch.nl/2013/05/foster-j-r-2013-ecological-segregation-of-the-late-jurassic-stegosaurian-and-iguanodontian-dinosaurs-of-the-morrison-formation-in-north-america-pronounced-or-subtle-palarchs-jo/
Free pdf:
http://www.palarch.nl/wp-content/Foster-2013.pdf

The Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of western North America has
yielded a number of specimens assigned to the ornithischian dinosaurs
Stegosaurus and Camptosaurus, and many of these specimens come from
channel sandstone deposits. Six new specimens are recorded mostly from
channel sandstones as well. Indeed, early analyses of site occurrences
(reducing the effects of large single-site samples) suggested that
Stegosaurus and Camptosaurus were more often found in channel
sandstone deposits than other common Morrison Formation dinosaurs such
as Camarasaurus or Diplodocus. This also indicated the possibility of
ecological segregation of the former two genera from other herbivorous
dinosaurs of the Morrison. Revisiting this question with additional
data suggests the pattern may not be as strong as it once appeared.
Analysis of occurrence data indicates that Stegosaurus and
Camptosaurus occur in channel sandstone deposits slightly more
frequently than the two sauropods, but statistical analysis of this
pattern by either localities or individuals indicates little
significance to the trend. However, Camptosaurus appears more strongly
associated with channel sandstone deposits relative to other dinosaurs
than does Stegosaurus. These results suggest that any ecological
segregation of these genera was moderate, but that, if present, the
segregation was more pronounced in Camptosaurus.