Steve Westrop

Professor of Geology and Geophysics
Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology,
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History

   B.S., 1976, University of Wales at Swansea
   M.S., 1980, University of Toronto
   Ph.D., 1984, University of Toronto

swestrop@ou.edu

Invertebrate Paleontology

Prior to joining the University of Oklahoma, my academic experience included a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto, an NSERC University Research Fellowship at Memorial University of Newfoundland and eight years as a faculty member at Brock University, Ontario, Canada.

My research interests lie at the intersection of paleontology, ecology and evolutionary biology. Patterns and processes of mass extinction, with special reference to Lower Paleozoic trilobite faunas of North America, have been a primary focus for several years. More recently, I have expanded my studies to deal with evolutionary radiations following mass extinctions and with the changing role of trilobites in Paleozoic marine communities. I have also published extensively on trilobite systematics and biostratigraphy. Other areas of research include taphonomy of shell beds, particularly in storm-influenced depositional systems, stratigraphy and sedimentary facies analysis.

My research has a strong field component and, along with collaborators at other institutions, I am currently engaged in studies of Lower Paleozoic trilobite faunas in New York State, the southern Appalachians in Tennessee and Virginia, the Great Basin of Nevada and Utah, Newfoundland, Ontario and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Future plans include projects on Paleozoic trilobite faunas of Oklahoma and adjoining states. Graduate students supervised over the last three years have worked on a variety of topics, including systematics, biostratigraphy and paleoecology of Cambrian trilobites in Wisconsin (M.Sc.); paleoecology and sedimentology of a Cambrian trilobite extinction event in Tennessee (M.Sc.); taphonomy and paleoecology of Ordovician brachiopod-rich shell beds in Ontario, Canada (M.Sc.); systematics, biostratigraphy and paleoecology of Cambrian trilobites of the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains, Alberta and British Columbia (Ph.D.).

Selected Publications

Adrain, J.M. and Westrop, S.R. 2000. An empirical assessment of taxic paleobiology. Science, 289:110-112.

Adrain, J.M., Westrop, S.R., Chatterton, B.D.E., and Ramsk�ld, L. 2000. Silurian trilobite alpha diversity and the end-Ordovician mass extinction. Paleobiology, 26:625-646.

Westrop, S.R. and Landing, E. 2000. Lower Cambrian (Branchian) trilobites and biostratigraphy of the Hanford Brook Formation, New Brunswick. Journal of Paleontology, 74:858-878.

Westrop, S.R. and Ludvigsen, R. 2000. The Late Cambrian (Marjuman) trilobite Hysteropleura Raymond from the Cow Head Group, western Newfoundland. Journal of Paleontology, 74: 1020-1030.

Westrop, S.R. and Cuggy, M.B. 1999. Comparative paleoecology of Cambrian trilobite extinctions. Journal of Paleontology, 72: 337-354.

Westrop, S.R. and Rudkin, D.M. 1999. Trilobite taphonomy of a Silurian reef: Attawapiskat Formation, James Bay Lowlands, Ontario. Palaios, 14, 389-397.

Adrain, J.M., Fortey, R.A. and Westrop, S.R. Post-Cambrian trilobite diversity and evolutionary faunas. Science, 280: 1922-192

	School of Geology and Geophysics
Prospective Undergraduates What are Geology and Geophysics? What do Geologists and Geophysicists do? Why do we need Geologists and Geophysicists? You might be a Geologist or Geophysicist if you... Why study Geology and Geophysics at OU? Scholarships Degrees Offered Areas Of Emphasis Prospective Graduate Students Areas of Emphasis Degrees Offered Admissions Assistantships and Fellowships Successful Graduates Field Trips Recruiting Current Students Student Organizations Geology Courses Geophysics Courses OU Course Catalog CEE Student Services Registration Degree Navigator Mission People Faculty Staff Students Research Areas of Emphasis Laboratories Alumni School Policies, Forms, and Archives	Steve Westrop Professor of Geology and Geophysics Curator of Invertebrate Paleontology, Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History B.S., 1976, University of Wales at Swansea M.S., 1980, University of Toronto Ph.D., 1984, University of Toronto swestrop@ou.edu Invertebrate Paleontology Prior to joining the University of Oklahoma, my academic experience included a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Toronto, an NSERC University Research Fellowship at Memorial University of Newfoundland and eight years as a faculty member at Brock University, Ontario, Canada. My research interests lie at the intersection of paleontology, ecology and evolutionary biology. Patterns and processes of mass extinction, with special reference to Lower Paleozoic trilobite faunas of North America, have been a primary focus for several years. More recently, I have expanded my studies to deal with evolutionary radiations following mass extinctions and with the changing role of trilobites in Paleozoic marine communities. I have also published extensively on trilobite systematics and biostratigraphy. Other areas of research include taphonomy of shell beds, particularly in storm-influenced depositional systems, stratigraphy and sedimentary facies analysis. My research has a strong field component and, along with collaborators at other institutions, I am currently engaged in studies of Lower Paleozoic trilobite faunas in New York State, the southern Appalachians in Tennessee and Virginia, the Great Basin of Nevada and Utah, Newfoundland, Ontario and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Future plans include projects on Paleozoic trilobite faunas of Oklahoma and adjoining states. Graduate students supervised over the last three years have worked on a variety of topics, including systematics, biostratigraphy and paleoecology of Cambrian trilobites in Wisconsin (M.Sc.); paleoecology and sedimentology of a Cambrian trilobite extinction event in Tennessee (M.Sc.); taphonomy and paleoecology of Ordovician brachiopod-rich shell beds in Ontario, Canada (M.Sc.); systematics, biostratigraphy and paleoecology of Cambrian trilobites of the southern Canadian Rocky Mountains, Alberta and British Columbia (Ph.D.). Selected Publications Adrain, J.M. and Westrop, S.R. 2000. An empirical assessment of taxic paleobiology. Science, 289:110-112. Adrain, J.M., Westrop, S.R., Chatterton, B.D.E., and Ramsk�ld, L. 2000. Silurian trilobite alpha diversity and the end-Ordovician mass extinction. Paleobiology, 26:625-646. Westrop, S.R. and Landing, E. 2000. Lower Cambrian (Branchian) trilobites and biostratigraphy of the Hanford Brook Formation, New Brunswick. Journal of Paleontology, 74:858-878. Westrop, S.R. and Ludvigsen, R. 2000. The Late Cambrian (Marjuman) trilobite Hysteropleura Raymond from the Cow Head Group, western Newfoundland. Journal of Paleontology, 74: 1020-1030. Westrop, S.R. and Cuggy, M.B. 1999. Comparative paleoecology of Cambrian trilobite extinctions. Journal of Paleontology, 72: 337-354. Westrop, S.R. and Rudkin, D.M. 1999. Trilobite taphonomy of a Silurian reef: Attawapiskat Formation, James Bay Lowlands, Ontario. Palaios, 14, 389-397. Adrain, J.M., Fortey, R.A. and Westrop, S.R. Post-Cambrian trilobite diversity and evolutionary faunas. Science, 280: 1922-192