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IN PROGRESS: A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE SPATIOTEMPORAL DISTRIBUTION OF LATE PLEISTOCENE FOSSIL-BEARING LOCALITIES IN SOUTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA USING PAIRED DATA FROM THE NEOTOMA PALEONTOLOGICAL DATABASE AND SUPPLEMENTARY PUBLISHED RESOURCES

Abstract

Neotoma Paleoecology Database (NEOTOMA) is an open-access data resource that supports research on taxonomic composition, community diversity, and ecosystem dynamics across the Quaternary. Within the continental United States, NEOTOMA currently includes more than 3,300 vertebrate-bearing localities dated to the past 100,000 years, offering a substantial dataset for reconstructing Late Pleistocene environments. Despite its utility, NEOTOMA has several limitations, including uneven geographic coverage, incomplete data contributions, chronological uncertainty, and structural constraints that restrict the inclusion of detailed contextual information. These issues highlight the need for supplementary data sources to ensure comprehensive paleoecological analyses. This study addresses some of these disparities by pairing published literature records of fossil localities with those documented in NEOTOMA for southeastern North America. These sources frequently offer updated or more reliable chronological data, including recalibrated radiocarbon dates and clarified stratigraphic associations, which are essential for temporal analyses of Pleistocene ecosystems. All newly compiled localities will be integrated into a master dataset constructed using NEOTOMA as a baseline A comprehensive analysis will then be conducted to assess the extent to which NEOTOMA alone can serve as a reliable reference for evaluating late Pleistocene ecological diversity. This approach will allow for a systematic comparison between database-derived patterns and those revealed through expanded datasets. Ultimately, the study aims to clarify NEOTOMA’s strengths and limitations as a standalone research tool and to demonstrate the value of hybrid data integration for more accurate paleoecological reconstruction. Future analyses will also focus on spatiotemporal ecological diversity across the Quaternary in North America.

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