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Philip M. Novack-Gottshall
Department of Geosciences
University of WestGeorgia
Carrollton, GA30118-3100
pnovackg_at_westga.edu
Research Interests
Comparative paleoecology and ecology of animals and marine communities; body size evolution; ecological convergence; quantitative methods and null models in paleoecology and paleobiology; techniques of morphometrics, digital imaging and photomacrography
Professional Employment
Assistant Professor of Paleontology, Department of Geosciences, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA
Temporary Assistant Professor of Paleontology, Department of Geosciences, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA
Education
Ph.D., Biology, Program in Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology – Duke University, Durham, NC, Sept. 2004
- Thesis: Ecology and evolution of deep-subtidal, soft-substrate communities during the Cambrian through Devonian; Advisor: Daniel W. McShea
M.S., Geology – University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, June 1999
- Thesis: Comparative geographic and environmental diversity dynamics of gastropods and bivalves during the Ordovician Radiation; Advisor: Dr. Arnold I. Miller
B.S., Summa cum laude with Honors – Moravian College, Bethlehem, PA, May 1996
Publications (and reprints)
- Undergraduate co-authors in bold.
Bennington, J.B., W.A. DiMichele, C. Badgley, R.K. Bambach, P. Barrett, A.K. Behrensmeyer, R. Bobe, R. Burnham, T. Daeschler, J. Van Dam, J. Eronen, D.H. Erwin, S. Finnegan, S. Holland, G. Hunt, D. Jablonski, S.T. Jackson, B. Jacobs, S.M. Kidwell, P. Koch, M. Kowalewski, C. Labandeira, C. Looy, S.K. Lyons, P.M. Novack-Gottshall, R. Potts, P. Roopnarine, C. Strömberg, H. Sues, P. Wagner, P. Wilf, and S. Wing. 2009. Critical issues of scale in paleoecology. Palaios 24: 1-4.
Payne, J.L., A.G. Boyer, J.H. Brown, S. Finnegan, M. Kowalewski, R.A. Krause, Jr., S.K. Lyons, C.R. McClain, D.W. McShea, P.M. Novack-Gottshall, F.A. Smith, J.A. Stempien, and S.C. Wang. 2009. Two-phase increase in the maximum size of life over 3.5 billion years reflects biological innovation and environmental opportunity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (U.S.A.) 106: 24-27 (.pdf)
Novack-Gottshall, P.M. and M.A. Lanier. 2008. Scale-dependence of Cope’s rule in body size evolution of Paleozoic brachiopods. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (U.S.A.) 105: 5430-5434 (.pdf)
Novack-Gottshall, P.M. 2008. Ecosystem-wide body size trends in Cambrian-Devonian marine invertebrate lineages. Paleobiology 34: 210-228 (.pdf)
Novack-Gottshall, P.M. 2007. Using simple body size metrics to estimate fossil body volume: Empirical validation using diverse Paleozoic invertebrates. Palaios 23: 163-173 (.pdf)
Novack-Gottshall, P.M. 2007. Using a theoretical ecospace to quantify the ecological diversity of Paleozoic and modern marine biotas. Paleobiology 33: 274-295 (.pdf)
Kosnik, M.A., D. Jablonski, R. Lockwood, and P.M. Novack-Gottshall. 2006. Quantifying molluscan body size in evolutionary and ecological analyses: Maximizing the return on data collection efforts. Palaios 21: 588-597 (.pdf)
Novack-Gottshall, P.M. 2005. Book review of The Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event, B.D. Webby, F. Paris, M.L. Droser, and I.G. Percival, eds. Palaios 20: 506-511 (.pdf)
Novack-Gottshall, P.M. and A.I. Miller. 2003. Comparative geographic and environmental diversity dynamics of gastropods and bivalves during the Ordovician Radiation. Paleobiology 29: 576-604 (.pdf)
Novack-Gottshall, P.M. and A.I. Miller. 2003. Taxonomic richness and abundance of Late Ordovician gastropods and bivalves in mollusc-rich strata of the Cincinnati Arch. Palaios 18: 559-571 (.pdf)
Alroy, J., C.R. Marshall, R.K. Bambach, K. Bezusko, M. Foote, F.T. Fürsich, T.A. Hansen, S.M. Holland, L.C. Ivany, D. Jablonski, D.K. Jacobs, D.C. Jones, M.A. Kosnik, S. Lidgard, S. Low, A.I. Miller, P.M. Novack-Gottshall, T.D. Olszewski, M.E. Patzkowsky, D.M. Raup, K. Roy, J.J. Sepkoski, Jr., M.G. Sommers, P.J. Wagner, and A. Webber. 2001. Effects of sampling standardization on estimates of Phanerozoic marine diversification. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (U.S.A.) 98: 6261-6266 (.pdf)
Novack-Gottshall, P.M. 2000. Large-scale perspectives in community ecology (Book review of Maurer, 1997: Untangling Ecological Complexity). Complexity 6(1): 58-59 (.pdf)
Ongoing Research Experiences
Participant/Data Contributor, Paleobiology Database, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Working Group Participant – National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent)
- “Phanerozoic body size trends in time and space: Macroevolution and macroecology”
- Funded two-year working group includes 16 macroecologists and paleobiologists
Workshop Participant – Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Program, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution
Working Group Participant – Denver Museum of Nature and Science
- “Sino-US collaborative research on critical transitions in the history of life”
- NSF/National Natural Science Foundation of China funded working group includes 12 Chinese and 12 US participants
- Convened by S.A. Bowring, D.H. Erwin, K.R. Johnson, Z.-X. Luo, and G.P. Wilson
Research Mentor – University of West Georgia
- Supervised undergraduate research in paleoecology and paleobiology:
- Body size trends in Lower and Middle Paleozoic brachiopods
- Digital imaging of plant fossils using polarizing photography
- Using scanning electron microscopy to identify predation borings in Mississippian brachiopods (co-advisor)
Principal Investigator - West Georgia Digital Imaging, Morphometrics, and Photomacrography Lab (DIMPL)
- Research lab equipped with digital camera, SLR and macro lenses, copy stand with lighting and illuminators, scanner, computers, and morphometrics, statistics, and graphics programs
- Supervision of undergraduate and interdepartmental research projects:
- Data entry of Paleozoic fossil collections to Paleobiology Database
- Development of technical protocols for digital imaging of fossils
- Biomechanics and allometric growth in Cretaceous oyster Exogyra
- Automated geometric matching of footprint tread patterns in forensics
- Digital imaging of carbonate residue in undisclosed Iraqi soils
Research Mentor –University of West Georgia
- Supervision of GEOL 4024 undergraduate class research projects:
- Paleontology and sedimentary petrology of the Cambrian Conasauga Formation (GA)
- Systematics and paleoecology of the Mississippian Bangor Limestone (AL and GA)
- Community ecological consequences of the Late Ordovician mass extinction
Museum Research
National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution – Paleozoic invertebrates (especially gastropods)
Cincinnati Museum of Natural History – Ordovician invertebrates
Peabody Museum, Yale University – Paleozoic gastropods
American Museum of Natural History – Paleozoic gastropods
Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences – Paleozoic gastropods