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188-2 Integrating Radiocarbon Chronologies, Paleoclimate Reconstructions, and Fossil Assemblages to Quantify Quaternary Biodiversity Change in the Portland Bight Protected Area, Jamaica

Session: Linking Biodiversity Loss to Environmental Stressors Through Integrated Approaches (Posters)

Poster Booth No.: 80

Presenting Author:

Elizabeth Austin

Authors:

Austin, Elizabeth Lott¹, Boville, Ally², Xu, Tianyi³, O'Quin, Megan⁴, Kemp, Melissa⁵

(1) The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA, (2) Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA, (3) The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA, (4) The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA, (5) Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA,

Abstract:

The Caribbean is a biodiversity hotspot where environmental change has contributed to significant biodiversity loss. While there is a rich fossil record throughout the region, previous research has struggled to integrate taxonomic data with radiocarbon chronologies and paleoenvironmental proxies. However, an integrated analysis of these data types can contribute to our knowledge of what drives extinction, extirpation, and resiliency in the native flora and fauna. Here, we assess the feasibility of generating a paleoclimate reconstruction for several caves on the Portland Bight of Jamaica, the third largest island in the Caribbean. Located on the southern coast of Jamaica, the Portland Bight is part of the largest protected area in Jamaica, and is home to several endangered species. Previous paleontological research in this region has yielded important vertebrate fossil discoveries, yet lacks cohesive radiocarbon and paleoclimate data; thereby limiting our ability to link biodiversity change to environmental change. We report findings from preliminary excavations at two cave sites: Drum Cave and Lloyd’s cave. Initial radiocarbon dates obtained from charcoal at Drum Cave were ~ 13,500 calBP, with no apparent superposition in the stratigraphy. Charcoal from Lloyd’s Cave, on the other hand, yielded one ~500 calBP radiocarbon date. Both caves contain diverse vertebrate assemblages that include several presently endangered Jamaican taxa (e.g. Geocapromys brownii, Cyclura collei, Celestus sp.). We also encountered fossilized endocarps of Celtis, a plant genus that is a known and reliable paleoclimate indicator. Preliminary oxygen-18 and carbon-13 isotopes have been taken from these Celtis and will be used in tandem with radiocarbon dates to establish a site-specific paleoclimate record. We hope to use this paleoclimate record and radiocarbon chronology in tandem with the vertebrate faunal record to dissentangle the roles of different environmental stressors on Jamaican biodiversity, and we seek to apply these findings to biodiversity conservation in the Portland Bight.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Program. Vol. 57, No. 6, 2025

doi: 10.1130/abs/2025AM-5740

Integrating Radiocarbon Chronologies, Paleoclimate Reconstructions, and Fossil Assemblages to Quantify Quaternary Biodiversity Change in the Portland Bight Protected Area, Jamaica

Description

Session Format: Poster

Presentation Date: 10/21/2025

Presentation Room: HBGCC, Hall 1

Poster Booth No.: 80

Author Availability: 9:00–11:00 a.m.

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