Dr. Jonathan I. Bloch

I study fossil mammals in order to address questions surrounding the first appearance and early evolution of the modern orders of mammals. A major emphasis is the interval from the terminal Cretaceous through the early Eocene, which includes the evolution and diversification of "archaic" mammals following the extinction of the dinosaurs (ca. 65 mya), and the first appearance of nearly one-half of the modern orders of mammals, several appearing coincident with rapid, large-scale, global warming at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary (ca. 55 mya). Specific research topics include: (1) the response of mammal communities to climate change; (2) use of phylogenetic methods to infer hypotheses of relationships; and (3) use of functional morphology in order to study the evolution and paleoecology of small mammals. I am currently doing related field-based research in the Paleocene and Eocene of the Clarks Fork, Bighorn, and Crazy Mountains basins of Wyoming and Montana.

Students Currently Supervised

Alex Hastings (Ph.D., Geology)
Paleocene crocodyliforms from northern Colombia

Representative Publications

Bloch, J.I., M.T. Silcox, E.J. Sargis, and D.M. Boyer. 2007. New Paleocene skeletons and the relationship of plesiadapiforms to crown-clade primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104:1159-1164. Cover article.

Bloch, J I., D.M. Boyer. 2006. New skeletons of Paleocene-Eocene Plesiadapiformes: a diversity of arboreal positional behaviors in early primates. In M. Ravosa and M. Dagosto (eds), Primate Origins: Adaptations and Evolution. Springer, New York pp. 535-581.

Missiaen, P., T. Smith, D. Guo, J.I. Bloch, and P.D. Gingerich. 2006. Asian gliriform origin for arctostylopid mammals. Naturwissenschaften 93:407-411.

Bloch, J.I., M.T. Silcox. 2006. Cranial Anatomy of Carpolestes simpsoni (Mammalia, Primates) using ultra high-resolution X-ray computed tomography, and the relationships of plesiadapiforms to Euprimates. Journal of Human Evolution 50:1-35.

Wing, S.L., G.J. Harrington, F. Smith, J.I. Bloch, and D.M. Boyer. 2005. Transient Floral Change and Rapid Global Warming at the Paleocene-Eocene Boundary. Science 310:993-996. Cover article.

Zack, S.P., T.A. Penkrot, J.I. Bloch, and K.D. Rose. 2005. Affinities of "hyopsodontids" to elephant-shrews and a Holarctic origin of Afrotheria. Nature 434:497-501.

Bloch, J.I., D.M. Boyer, P.D. Gingerich, and G.F. Gunnell. 2002. New primitive paromomyid from the Clarkforkian of Wyoming and dental eruption in Plesiadapiformes. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22:366-379.

Bloch, J.I., M.T. Silcox. 2001. New basicrania of Paleocene-Eocene Ignacius: re-evaluation of the Plesiadapiform-Dermopteran link. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 116:184-198.

Bloch, J.I., D.C. Fisher, K.D. Rose, and P.D. Gingerich. 2001. New genus of late Tiffanian carpolestid and a stratocladistic analysis of North American Carpolestidae (Mammalia, Proprimates). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21:118-130.


Home Faculty by Research Areas
Jonathan I. Bloch personal site Assistant Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology Ph.D. University of Michigan, 2001 Florida Museum of Natural History Dickinson Hall Gainesville, FL 32611-8525 Voice: (352) 392-1721 (x 515) Fax: jbloch@flmnh.ufl.edu	Research Interests I study fossil mammals in order to address questions surrounding the first appearance and early evolution of the modern orders of mammals. A major emphasis is the interval from the terminal Cretaceous through the early Eocene, which includes the evolution and diversification of "archaic" mammals following the extinction of the dinosaurs (ca. 65 mya), and the first appearance of nearly one-half of the modern orders of mammals, several appearing coincident with rapid, large-scale, global warming at the Paleocene-Eocene boundary (ca. 55 mya). Specific research topics include: (1) the response of mammal communities to climate change; (2) use of phylogenetic methods to infer hypotheses of relationships; and (3) use of functional morphology in order to study the evolution and paleoecology of small mammals. I am currently doing related field-based research in the Paleocene and Eocene of the Clarks Fork, Bighorn, and Crazy Mountains basins of Wyoming and Montana. Students Currently Supervised Alex Hastings (Ph.D., Geology) Paleocene crocodyliforms from northern Colombia Representative Publications Bloch, J.I., M.T. Silcox, E.J. Sargis, and D.M. Boyer. 2007. New Paleocene skeletons and the relationship of plesiadapiforms to crown-clade primates. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 104:1159-1164. Cover article. Bloch, J I., D.M. Boyer. 2006. New skeletons of Paleocene-Eocene Plesiadapiformes: a diversity of arboreal positional behaviors in early primates. In M. Ravosa and M. Dagosto (eds), Primate Origins: Adaptations and Evolution. Springer, New York pp. 535-581. Missiaen, P., T. Smith, D. Guo, J.I. Bloch, and P.D. Gingerich. 2006. Asian gliriform origin for arctostylopid mammals. Naturwissenschaften 93:407-411. Bloch, J.I., M.T. Silcox. 2006. Cranial Anatomy of Carpolestes simpsoni (Mammalia, Primates) using ultra high-resolution X-ray computed tomography, and the relationships of plesiadapiforms to Euprimates. Journal of Human Evolution 50:1-35. Wing, S.L., G.J. Harrington, F. Smith, J.I. Bloch, and D.M. Boyer. 2005. Transient Floral Change and Rapid Global Warming at the Paleocene-Eocene Boundary. Science 310:993-996. Cover article. Zack, S.P., T.A. Penkrot, J.I. Bloch, and K.D. Rose. 2005. Affinities of "hyopsodontids" to elephant-shrews and a Holarctic origin of Afrotheria. Nature 434:497-501. Bloch, J.I., D.M. Boyer. 2002. Grasping Primate Origins. Science 298:1606-1610. Bloch, J.I., D.M. Boyer, P.D. Gingerich, and G.F. Gunnell. 2002. New primitive paromomyid from the Clarkforkian of Wyoming and dental eruption in Plesiadapiformes. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 22:366-379. Bloch, J.I., M.T. Silcox. 2001. New basicrania of Paleocene-Eocene Ignacius: re-evaluation of the Plesiadapiform-Dermopteran link. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 116:184-198. Bloch, J.I., D.C. Fisher, K.D. Rose, and P.D. Gingerich. 2001. New genus of late Tiffanian carpolestid and a stratocladistic analysis of North American Carpolestidae (Mammalia, Proprimates). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21:118-130.

Jonathan I. Bloch

Research Interests

Students Currently Supervised

Representative Publications