Our ScientistsMichael Newbrey Ph.D.
Betsy Nicholls Postdoctural Fellow
Michael Newbrey specializes in the field of palaeoicthyology, the study of fossil fish. His general research interests include freshwater teleost systematics, biogeography, and ecology for both extant and extinct fishes. He is particularly interested in the effects of climate change on fish populations and evolution. The geologic record contains many instances of major climate change and, as such, the fishes deposited before, during, and after climate change offer insight into the effects of climate change on fishes.
Contact Information
Toll free in Alberta:
310-0000 then (403) 823-7707
Toll free in North America
(outside Alberta):
1-888-440-4240
Outside North American:
1-403-823-7707
Email: mike.newbrey@gov.ab.ca
Current Research
Michael is working on describing diversity of salmonifom (salmon/pikes/mudminnows) fossils in the Oldman and Dinosaur Park Formations. In collaboration with Don Brinkman, of the Royal Tyrrell Museum, he aims to expand the analysis to other older and younger formations in Canada and the United States. Michael is also quantifying morphological variation and growth characteristics in living and fossil specimens to use the data to infer taxonomic diversity. Seven morphotypes were already identified from the Oldman and Dinosaur Park Formations, which suggests the hypothesis of seven taxa. Seven taxa should result in a variety of growth characteristics to suggest different life histories and a considerable amount of quantifiable variation in shape. The variation in living specimens should support or refute the hypothesized taxonomic diversity in the Oldman and Dinosaur Park Formations.
He is also attempting to describe a partial fossil skeleton as a new genus and species of clupeomorph for the Horseshoe Canyon Formation. Centra from skeleton are very similar to some of those isolated centra noted in papers by Don Brinkman and Andy Neuman. This is exciting because the formerly isolated centra can now be matched to a taxonomic group based on a more complete skeleton. The fish appears to have an affinity with an extinct group of Ellimmichthiformes, non-clupeoid clupeomorph fish distantly related to extant herrings. The group is well known from the Eocene Green River Formation but also from some older Cretaceous localities as well.
Recent Publications
Newbrey, M.G., A.M. Murray, M.V.H. Wilson, D.B. Brinkman and A.G. Neuman. 2009. Seventy-five-million-year-old tropical tetra-like fish from Canada tracks Cretaceous global warming. Proceedings of the Royal Society, B 276 (1672):3829-3833, 3 pages in Supplementary Data.
Newbrey, M.G., M.V.H. Wilson and A.C. Ashworth. In Press for August 2008. Climate Change and Evolution of growth in Late Cretaceous to Recent North American Esociformes. In Mesozoic Fishes 4 - Systematics, Homology, and Nomenclature; edited by G. Arratia, H.P. Schultze, and M.V.H. Wilson. Verlag Dr. Friedrich Pfeil, München, Germany. Accepted 12 February 2007, 77 pp.
Newbrey, M.G., M.V.H. Wilson and A.C. Ashworth. 2007. Centrum growth patterns provide evidence for two small taxa of Hiodontidae in the Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 44(7):721-732.
Newbrey, M.G., M.A. Bozek, M.J. Jennings and J.E. Cook. 2005. Branching complexity and morphological characteristics of coarse woody structure as lacustrine fish habitat. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 62(9):2110-2123.
Newbrey, M.G. and A.C. Ashworth. 2004. A fossil record of colonization and response of lacustrine fish populations to climate change. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 61(10):1807-1816.
Newbrey, M.G. and M.A. Bozek. 2003. Age, growth, and mortality of Joffrichthys triangulpterus (Teleostei: Osteoglossidae) from the Paleocene Sentinel Butte Formation, North Dakota, USA. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 23(3):494-500.
Newbrey, M.G. and M.A. Bozek. 2000. A new species of Joffrichthys (Teleostei: Osteoglossidae) of the Sentinel Butte Formation (Paleocene), of North Dakota, USA. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 20(1):6-14.
