Compiling an extensive ecomorphology data set for Strigiformes

The Schmitz Ecomorphology Lab at W.M. Keck Sciences, Claremont, CA
Funding by The Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Summer Research | 2013

Click here to download my poster at the 2013 Keck Science Department Poster Session in Claremont, CA

Weekly ice cream at Handel's Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt

Most birds are day-active (diurnal), but some day-active birds are nested deeply phylogenetically within night-active groups (nocturnal). Evolutionary history suggests that these diurnal species evolved their diel activity patterns secondarily. My project explored the diverse bird clades Strigiformes (large birds of prey like owls) and eagles and hawks categorized into three ecology groups: diurnal, cathemeral/crespuscular and nocturnal. I primarily focused on how skeletal visual morphology evolves in secondarily diurnal birds. Specifically, do these secondarily diurnal birds feature…

·         Smaller eye sockets?

·         Smaller optical ratio?

·         Larger optic nerve foramen?

This summer, we compiled an extensive and detailed data set on bone structure of the birds (87 species, 141 individuals) from the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History and analyzed different functional parameters to explore if the evolution of morphology is closely coupled with the evolution of diel activity patterns (which were diurnal, cathemeral/crepuscular and nocturnal).

Participating members of the HHMI Poster Session at the W.M. Keck Sciences on July 18, 2013

By the end of the 10-week research program, our preliminary results showed that diurnal birds…

·         Do not have significantly smaller eye sockets

·         Have significantly reduced light sensitivity

·         Have some indication of larger optic nerve sizes.

               

At the end of the program, we made a trip to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. to gather measurements and photos from their ornithology collection, which is the largest in the nation. We also visited our collaborators from Beijing, China to collect data for dinosaur fossils with scleral rings. We met with Professor Jiang Dayong from Peking University and with Professor Xu Xing from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology and observed each institution's fossil collections of icthyosaurs, mixosaurs, chaohusaurus, microraptors, sauropods and much more.

Team EcoMorph with Team Peking Paleo with Prof. Schmitz and Prof. Jiang standing side by side.

Presentation at IVPP with world-renown paleontology Professor Xuxing and more!

So this is what I basically did owl..summer...long... (get it?)

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Now, I just want to talk a little about my trip to Beijing, China! Unfortunately, my camera lens got stuck and what resulted was a bunch of blurry photos. Yes, that was the sound of my a broken heart of a photographer. 

On the Sunday that we arrived, we were picked up by Professor Jiang himself to go to Peking University! I don't know about Lars or Patrick, but I definitely felt a little nervous to meet one of the most established researchers of paleontology in Beijing, China. The claim that Beijing is a large city is no joke. When we arrived at Peking University, we went into the university's hotel room for guests and study abroad students. It is at this hotel/dorm that our Pitzer students in the Beijing program stay at! It was pretty sweet to see what home they come back to every night. Although all of us were pretty jet-lagged, we had enough energy to have dinner at the hotel with Professor Jiang and his student researchers. I don't have a photo of that event because I was really nervous to take one, haha. 

The next day, on Monday, the three of us went to the geological museum of Peking University to observe a handful of beautiful geology and fossil specimens. 

This is Lars analyzing the pictured fossil specimen with Peking grad student Miranda and Lee.

For lunch, the grad students took us to the largest cafeteria on campus. It was probably the size of Harvey Mudd's dining hall but with a lot more people. Dishes were served individually. One basically would take a tray, grab any small plate of food, and pay at the end. The prices were extraordinarily cheap, and the food was more the delicious! 

Lars with his lunch! It seems like noodles with some pork meat.

As much as I love our dining halls, I wouldn't mind if I had this all the time, too.

After our meal, the grad students gave us a tour of the humongous campus. There are trees and bushes everywhere! It's not like the Claremont Colleges where you'll see buildings and some nicely planted trees. There literally are trees surrounding buildings, walkways, and roads. 

This is what I mean by trees.

My favorite place was the huge lake they have in the middle of the campus. I forget what the name is called, but people hang around the lake sitting on benches, taking photos, biking, or strolling. Especially when the sun is setting or rising, the glimmer on the lake looks so warm and relaxing. We roamed the around, checking out a boat in the lake made of concrete, lion statues at the gate, water lilies, and a tall red tower. 

People hanging out at the lake.

On the boat made of concrete.

A lion statue guarding the gates of the school.

Water lilies on campus!!!

That night, we went to have dinner with Professor Tang, Professor Wang, and Xiaomei to have Beijing duck. Professor Tang is actually a Keck professor and Professor Wang is a Harvey Mudd Professor! Xiaomei is the Pitzer College Study Abroad Director for Peking University. As it was only our second night in Beijing, the three of them helped us a lot with some toThe restaurant we went to seems really famous, and the decor seems so vibrant and cultural. This place probably is a tourist attraction though. 

All of us connected by one thing - the Claremont Colleges!

Our food!!!! I don't think we finished everything that night...

On Tuesday, Team EcoMorph (our lab team name) went to the geological museum and actually took measurements and photographs of certain specimens. We had the privilege of observing the specimens displayed in the museum as well as the other ones that were still being shelved and researched in the basement. We spent countless hours holding fossils of major history in our hands. I was really surprised when I saw some of Lars' research work displayed in the museum, too! I love how the paleontologists all over the world make sure to network with each other to discover the secrets of the beginning of time. 

Someone is excited!

Another cool aspect of this part of the trip was that the three grad students - Lee, Miranda, and Vanessa - were able to see how we, as researchers from California, worked our analyses. For the most part, Lars explained many features of fossils that may have implications of what happened to that particular specie to the three grad students. I served as a mini-translator between the grad students and Lars. My Chinese abilities were really challenged. 

Lars analyzing fossil specimens with Lee and Miranda.

At the end of the day, we decided to check out a tourist shopping plaza called Wang Fu Jing. There, people were selling live and fried scorpions on sticks, fans, necklaces, chopsticks, and just so much more. I always get pretty intimidated coming to places like these because one really has to know how to bargain. At the end of the night, Patrick and I settled on buying these really cool laser pointers.

Yes, they're live scorpions on sticks. And yes, that's a starfish.

The crowd at Wang Fu Jing!

That green light is from the laser pointer we bought! They seem really powerful.

We ended up buying dinner at the food court. Apparently, there is a meal card system where you load money onto a temporary card and you swipe at these food places. It was very difficult for me to figure that out....

After dinner, we traveled to see the Tiananmen Square. Even at night, there were still loads of people visiting the site and taking photos. The place is guarded with numerous security officers.

The famous picture of Mao Tse Dong!

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Spring, 2014
Chloe Shih

Academics Research STEM Steps into STEM The Schmitz Ecomorphology Lab