William A. Clemens' research

My field and laboratory research is focused on paleobiological and biostratigraphic questions concerning the evolution of Mesozoic and Cenozoic terrestrial biotas. Currently I am studying the systematic interrelationships of Mesozoic mammals, making use of characters of both skeletal morphology and enamel microstructure. A stratigraphically controlled series of early Paleocene (Puercan) local faunas calibrated through 40Ar/39Ar age determinations provides the basis for analyses of the patterns and tempos of terrestrial faunal change during the first million years after the extinctions used to mark the end of the Cretaceous.

Graduate student research projects include: an investigation of mammalian evolution across the K/T boundary, via body size, dental morphospace, and faunal dynamics; functional analysis of Smilodon locomotion, with emphasis on the tarsal region; analysis of phylogenetic interrelationships of archaic ungulates; and investigations into the biogeography of Gondwana's Cretaceous biota.