When Anthony Martin was growing up in Indiana, his father took him hunting. Martin said he remembers pointing out deer tracks and other signs in the woods or along stream banks. Later in grad school, he discovered his fascination had a name – ichnology.
“I have been hooked ever since,” Martin said.
The first ALLELE lecture of the fall semester will host Martin, a professor of environmental science at Emory University, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Biology Building auditorium. The ALLELE lectures are a speaker series hosted by The University of Alabama’s evolutionary studies club. In his lecture, titled “Dinosaurs Without Bones: What Dinosaur Trace Fossils Tell Us About Evolution,” Martin will define dinosaur trace fossils and explore their importance in the grand scheme of evolutionary history.
Ichnology deals with trace fossils, which are essentially any non-skeletal fossils. Scientists study these fossils to better understand the organisms that left them behind.
By studying trace fossils, scientists can track behavioral changes in a species over time – something they cannot do with skeletal fossils. These fossils are normally made in sediments, which allows them to remain whole instead of breaking up and scattering across a land mass.
“Ideally, paleontologists and other scientists interested in learning about the ‘deep time’ part of evolution, before humans were around to observe it directly, use both trace fossils and body fossils to figure out how certain lineages of plants or animals evolved,” he said. “What’s really great about trace fossils, though, is what they tell us about behavior, such as when certain behaviors began or how behaviors changed through time.”
Ichnology is a field not well known. Fred Andrus, an associate professor and the department chair of geological sciences, said it is a more specific branch of paleontology that examines trace fossils.
“Geologists find ichnology useful not only for insight into past organism behavior, but also for the purpose of understanding the environments in which different sedimentary rocks form,” Andrus said.
Both Martin and Andrus said they hope the audience walks away with a better understanding of the different levels of evolutionary evidence scientists have compiled.
Martin’s lecture should last between 45 minutes to an hour, with time allotted for audience questions. The SUPe Store will be selling Martin’s book, “Dinosaurs Without Bones: Dinosaur Lives Revealed by their Trace Fossils.” Martin will also be available to sign copies of his book after the lecture.
