Anne Weil, Research Associate

Areas of Interest:
Phylogeny and biogeography of multituberculate mammals

Terrestrial recovery from the end-Cretaceous mass extinction

Evolutionary properties governing biotic response to extinction on large spatiotemporal scales

Research Summary:
I am a vertebrate paleontologist and paleobiologist studying recovery from extinction events. I am particularly interested in recovery of terrestrial biodiversity after the last mass extinction event in Earth's history, at the end of the Cretaceous, about 65 million years ago. My focus is on mammals that lived in the Late Cretaceous and in the period immediately following, the beginning of the Cenozoic. I'm also interested in whether there are patterns of recovery that are consistent for extinctions throughout the fossil record.

My ongoing field work is in the San Juan Basin of New Mexico, which is also known for its dinosaurs. In addition to improving our understanding of biodiversity across the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, I research the phylogeny (relationships) of multituberculate mammals, an extinct group that was very diverse in the time period I'm studying. At Duke I teach Human Anatomy in the medical school and Comparative Mammalian Anatomy in Arts and Sciences. Ask me if you want to know more about the Comparative Mammalian Anatomy course.

Representative Publications   (More Publications)   (search)

  1. Kirchner, J. W., and Weil, A.. "Correlations through time in fossil extinctions and originations."  2000: 1301-1309.
  2. Montellano, M., Weil, A. and Clemens, W. A.. "An exceptional specimen of Cimexomys judithae (Mammalia: Multituberculata) from the Campanian Two Medicine Formation of Montana, and the phylogenetic status of Cimexomys."  2000: 333-340.
  3. Kirchner, J. W., and Weil, A.. "Delayed biotic recovery from extinctions throughout the fossil record."  2000: 177-180.
  4. Kirchner, J. W., and Weil, A.. "No fractals in fossil extinction statistics."  1998: 337-338.
  5. Cifelli, R. L., Nydam, R. L., Gardner, J. D., Weil, A., Eaton, J. G., Kirkland, J. I. and Madsen, S. K.. "Medial Cretaceous vertebrates from the Cedar Mountain Formation, Emery County, Utah: the Mussentuchit Local Fauna." Vertebrate Fossils of Utah. Ed. D. G. Gillette Utah Geological Survey1999: 219-242.
  6. A. Weil. ". A new species of Microcosmodon (Mammalia: Multituberculata) from the Paleocene Tullock Formation of Montana, and an argument for the Microcosmodontinae."  1998: 1-15.
Education:
Contact Info: 

08 Bio. Sciences Bldg., Science Dr. | (919) 660-7399 | annew@duke.edu | http://www.baa.duke.edu/weillab/index.htm