American–Canadian paleontologist
Robert "Bob" Lynn Carroll
CM
FRSC (May 5, 1938 – April 8, 2020) was an American–Canadian
vertebrate paleontologist who specialised in
Paleozoic and
Mesozoic
amphibians and
reptiles .
[1]
Biography
Carroll was an only child and grew up on a
farm near
Lansing, Michigan . He was introduced to
paleontology by his
father shortly after his fifth
birthday , and by the time he was eight he had decided he wanted to be a
vertebrate paleontologist . In that same year he received as a Christmas present the left
femur of an
Allosaurus , courtesy of
Edwin H. Colbert , whom his father had told about his interest.
[2]
[3] In his teen years his parents took him on many fossil hunting trips to
Wyoming and
South Dakota .
After high-school, he went to
Michigan State University , where he received a B.Sc. in 1959, majoring in
Geology .
[3] From there he went to
Harvard University where he studied
biology and
palaeontology under
Alfred Sherwood Romer for his M.A. (1961) and Ph.D. degrees (1963); Carroll was Romer's last student.
[1]
[4] His doctoral thesis dealt with what is now known as
Dissorophoidea , a group of Paleozoic
amphibians that are often considered the closest relatives of
present day amphibians ,
[5]
[6]
[7] although they may also be
stem-tetrapods if lissamphibians instead arose from within
Lepospondyli .
[8]
[9]
[10]
After obtaining his
Ph.D. , Carroll held a
National Research Council (NRC)
postdoctoral fellowship at
Redpath Museum at
McGill University in
Montreal (1962-1963), and then a
National Science Foundation (NSF) postdoctoral position at the
Natural History Museum in
London .
[1] During this
time , he studied
tetrapod remains from the
Pennsylvanian lycopod “tree stumps” at
Joggins, Nova Scotia (a variety of
temnospondyls ,
microsaurs , and
basal
amniotes ). Most of this material was collected and first studied by
Sir William Dawson , the first Principal of McGill University, in the nineteenth century.
[1]
Returning from
London , in 1964 Carroll joined the permanent staff of
McGill University as curator of geology at the
Redpath Museum and became the curator of
vertebrate paleontology the following year.
[2]
[11] At McGill, he was an assistant professor of zoology from 1964 to 1969, an associate professor of biology from 1969-1974, a full professor from 1974 onwards, and was appointed Strathcona Professor of Zoology in 1987.
[1]
[11] From 1985 to 1991 he was director of the
Redpath Museum .
[11] He was an active professor until 2003, after which he was an emeritus professor.
Carroll died on April 8, 2020, in
Westmount, Quebec , of complications from
COVID-19 .
[12] He was survived by Anna DiTuri, a
retired
business school
teacher , and his one child, David and granddaughter Juliette.
Scientific research
Carroll was a prolific publisher and studied numerous major topics within paleontology and vertebrate evolution. He is best known for his work addressing the origins and early evolution of amphibians
[13]
[14]
[15] and reptiles
[16]
[17]
[18]
[19]
[20] and published extensively on lepospondyls,
[21]
[22]
[23]
[24] which have been variably considered as ancestors of amphibians or early reptiles. In a related vein, he also published numerous summary articles examining the evolution of tetrapods on land.
[25]
[26]
[27]
[28] He is also well published on marine reptiles.
[29]
[30]
[31]
[32]
[33]
He also published a number of books, including Vertebrate Paleontology and Evolution (1988),
[34] which remains a seminal textbook, Patterns and Processes of Vertebrate Evolution (1997),
[35] and The Rise of Amphibians: 365 Million Years of Evolution (2009).
[36] He coauthored another textbook, Paleontology (1998),
[37] and a volume of the Handbook of Paleoherpetology on lepospondyls (1998).
[38] He also edited a volume of the Amphibian Biology series on the evolutionary history of amphibians (2000).
[39]
Carroll contributed to naming an extensive number of new species, outlined below:
Several taxa are named after Carroll, including the teleost fish Mahengecharax carrolli, the '
microsaurs '
Bolterpeton carrolli (now a synonym of the
parareptile Delorhynchus ) and
Carrolla craddocki , and the
captorhinid
Opisthodontosaurus carrolli . He was honored with a
festschrift in 2003.
[1]
Carroll was awarded a large number of awards, including the
Charles Schuchert Award of the
Paleontological Society (1978), of which he was one of the first recipients, the Elkanah Billings Medal of the
Geological Association of Canada (1991), the
Willet G. Miller Medal of the
Royal Society of Canada (2001), of which he was made an honorary member in 1993, and the Romer-Simpson Medal of the
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (2004), the society's most prestigious honor,
[4] and was appointed a member of the
Order of Canada (2019).
[51]
[52] Carroll also served as the president of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology from 1982 to 1983.
[53] The Canadian Society of Vertebrate Paleontology's Carroll Prize is named after Carroll.
[54]
Carroll is often credited with being the "father of Canadian vertebrate paleontology"
[4] because many contemporary Canadian paleontologists can trace their graduate training back to him. Carroll supervised numerous graduate students, many of whom went on to lead their own successful research labs, including Jason Anderson (
University of Calgary ), Michael Caldwell (
University of Alberta ),
Philip Currie (University of Alberta), and
Robert Reisz (
University of Toronto ).
References
^
a
b
c
d
e
f
Sues, Hans-Dieter ; Murray, A.M.; Anderson, J.S. (2003).
"Robert Lynn Carroll — an appreciation" (PDF) . Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences . 40 (4): 469–472.
Bibcode :
2003CaJES..40..469S .
doi :
10.1139/e02-098 . Archived from
the original (PDF) on 2005-05-15.
^
a
b
"science.ca : Robert L. Carroll" . www.science.ca .
^
a
b
"2004 A. S. Romer-G. G. Simpson Medal" . Archived from
the original on July 16, 2010.
^
a
b
c
^ Anderson, Jason S. (2008-11-12).
"Focal Review: The Origin(s) of Modern Amphibians" . Evolutionary Biology . 35 (4): 231–247.
doi :
10.1007/s11692-008-9044-5 .
ISSN
0071-3260 .
S2CID
44050103 .
^ SIGURDSEN, TROND; GREEN, DAVID M. (2011-01-21).
"The origin of modern amphibians: a re-evaluation" . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 162 (2): 457–469.
doi :
10.1111/j.1096-3642.2010.00683.x .
ISSN
0024-4082 .
^ Pardo, Jason D.; Small, Bryan J.; Huttenlocker, Adam K. (2017-06-19).
"Stem caecilian from the Triassic of Colorado sheds light on the origins of Lissamphibia" . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . 114 (27): E5389–E5395.
Bibcode :
2017PNAS..114E5389P .
doi :
10.1073/pnas.1706752114 .
ISSN
0027-8424 .
PMC
5502650 .
PMID
28630337 .
^ Laurin, Michel; Reisz, Robert R. (1997),
"A New Perspective on Tetrapod Phylogeny" , Amniote Origins , Elsevier, pp. 9–59,
doi :
10.1016/b978-012676460-4/50003-2 ,
ISBN
978-0-12-676460-4 , retrieved 2020-12-25
^ Marjanović, David; Laurin, Michel (2007-06-01). "Fossils, Molecules, Divergence Times, and the Origin of Lissamphibians". Systematic Biology . 56 (3): 369–388.
doi :
10.1080/10635150701397635 .
ISSN
1076-836X .
PMID
17520502 .
^ Pyron, R. Alexander (2011-05-03).
"Divergence Time Estimation Using Fossils as Terminal Taxa and the Origins of Lissamphibia" . Systematic Biology . 60 (4): 466–481.
doi :
10.1093/sysbio/syr047 .
ISSN
1076-836X .
PMID
21540408 .
^
a
b
c
"Directors of the Museum, Past and Present" . Redpath Museum .
^
"COVID-19 has taken our parents, our grandparents, our friends. Here are a few, to help remember the many | National Post" . April 25, 2020.
^ CARROLL, ROBERT L. (2007).
"The Palaeozoic Ancestry of Salamanders, Frogs and Caecilians" . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 150 (suppl_1): 1–140.
doi :
10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00246.x .
ISSN
1096-3642 .
^ Schoch, Rainer R.; Carroll, Robert L. (2003).
"Ontogenetic evidence for the Paleozoic ancestry of salamanders" . Evolution and Development . 5 (3): 314–324.
doi :
10.1046/j.1525-142x.2003.03038.x .
ISSN
1520-541X .
PMID
12752770 .
S2CID
22067298 .
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1977),
"Chapter 13 Patterns of Amphibian Evolution: An Extended Example of the Incompleteness of the Fossil Record" , Patterns of Evolution as Illustrated by the Fossil Record , Developments in Palaeontology and Stratigraphy, vol. 5, Elsevier, pp. 405–437,
doi :
10.1016/s0920-5446(08)70333-9 ,
ISBN
978-0-444-41495-3 , retrieved 2020-12-25
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1969).
"Problems of the Origin of Reptiles" . Biological Reviews . 44 (3): 393–431.
doi :
10.1111/j.1469-185X.1969.tb01218.x .
ISSN
1464-7931 .
S2CID
84302993 .
^
a
b Carroll, Robert L. (1969).
"A Middle Pennsylvanian Captorhinomorph, and the Interrelationships of Primitive Reptiles" . Journal of Paleontology . 43 (1): 151–170.
ISSN
0022-3360 .
JSTOR
1302357 .
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1970-02-19).
"The ancestry of reptiles" . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences . 257 (814): 267–308.
Bibcode :
1970RSPTB.257..267C .
doi :
10.1098/rstb.1970.0026 .
ISSN
0080-4622 .
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1964).
"The earliest reptiles" . Journal of the Linnean Society of London, Zoology . 45 (304): 61–83.
doi :
10.1111/j.1096-3642.1964.tb00488.x .
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1982).
"Early Evolution of Reptiles" . Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics . 13 (1): 87–109.
doi :
10.1146/annurev.es.13.110182.000511 .
ISSN
0066-4162 .
^
a
b Carroll, Robert L.; Bybee, Paul; Tidwell, William D. (1991).
"The oldest microsaur (Amphibia)" . Journal of Paleontology . 65 (2): 314–322.
Bibcode :
1991JPal...65..314C .
doi :
10.1017/s0022336000020552 .
ISSN
0022-3360 .
S2CID
131838020 .
^ Carroll, Robert L.; Chorn, John (1995-03-14).
"Vertebral Development in the Oldest Microsaur and the Problem of "Lepospondyl" Relationships" . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 15 (1): 37–56.
Bibcode :
1995JVPal..15...37C .
doi :
10.1080/02724634.1995.10011206 .
ISSN
0272-4634 .
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1989).
"Developmental aspects of lepospondyl vertebrae in Paleozoic tetrapods" . Historical Biology . 3 (1–2): 1–25.
doi :
10.1080/08912968909386511 .
ISSN
0891-2963 .
^ CARROLL, ROBERT (1966).
"Microsaurs from the Westphalian B of Joggins, Nova Scotia" . Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London . 177 (1): 63–97.
doi :
10.1111/j.1095-8312.1966.tb00952.x .
ISSN
0370-0461 .
^ Carroll, Robert L. (2001).
"The origin and early radiation of terrestrial vertebrates" . Journal of Paleontology . 75 (6): 1202–1213.
Bibcode :
2001JPal...75.1202C .
doi :
10.1017/s0022336000017248 .
ISSN
0022-3360 .
S2CID
232345028 .
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1992).
"The Primary Radiation of Terrestrial Vertebrates" . Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences . 20 (1): 45–84.
Bibcode :
1992AREPS..20...45C .
doi :
10.1146/annurev.ea.20.050192.000401 .
ISSN
0084-6597 .
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1993).
"Evaluation of geological age and environmental factors in changing aspects of the terrestrial vertebrate fauna during the Carboniferous" . Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh . 84 (3–4): 427–431.
Bibcode :
1993EESTR..84..427C .
doi :
10.1017/s0263593300006222 .
ISSN
1755-6910 .
S2CID
128761914 .
^ CARROLL, ROBERT L.; IRWIN, JASON; GREEN, DAVID M. (2005).
"Thermal physiology and the origin of terrestriality in vertebrates" . Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society . 143 (3): 345–358.
doi :
10.1111/j.1096-3642.2005.00151.x .
ISSN
1096-3642 .
^ Caldwell, Michael W.; Carroll, Robert L.; Kaiser, Hinrich (1995-09-14).
"The pectoral girdle and forelimb ofCarsosaurus marchesetti(Aigialosauridae), with a preliminary phylogenetic analysis of mosasauroids and varanoids" . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 15 (3): 516–531.
Bibcode :
1995JVPal..15..516C .
doi :
10.1080/02724634.1995.10011245 .
ISSN
0272-4634 .
^ Carroll, Robert L.; Debraga, Michael (1992-03-06).
"Aigialosaurs: mid-Cretaceous varanoid lizards" . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 12 (1): 66–86.
Bibcode :
1992JVPal..12...66C .
doi :
10.1080/02724634.1992.10011432 .
ISSN
0272-4634 .
^ DeBraga, Michael; Carroll, Robert L. (1993),
"The Origin of Mosasaurs as a Model of Macroevolutionary Patterns and Processes" , Evolutionary Biology , Boston, MA: Springer US, pp. 245–322,
doi :
10.1007/978-1-4615-2878-4_7 ,
ISBN
978-1-4613-6248-7 , retrieved 2020-12-25
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1997),
"Mesozoic Marine Reptiles as Models of Long-Term, Large-Scale Evolutionary Phenomena" , Ancient Marine Reptiles , Elsevier, pp. 467–489,
doi :
10.1016/b978-012155210-7/50025-9 ,
ISBN
978-0-12-155210-7 , retrieved 2020-12-25
^ Carroll, Robert L.; Gaskill, Pamela (1985-04-16).
"The nothosaur Pachypleurosaurus and the origin of plesiosaurs" . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences . 309 (1139): 343–393.
Bibcode :
1985RSPTB.309..343C .
doi :
10.1098/rstb.1985.0091 .
ISSN
0080-4622 .
^ Carroll, Robert L. (Robert Lynn), 1938- (1988).
Vertebrate paleontology and evolution . New York, N.Y.: W.H. Freeman and Company.
ISBN
0-7167-1822-7 .
OCLC
14967288 . {{
cite book }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link ) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^ Carroll, Robert L. (Robert Lynn), 1938- (1997).
Patterns and processes of vertebrate evolution . New York: Cambridge University Press.
ISBN
0-521-47232-6 .
OCLC
35714493 . {{
cite book }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link ) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^ Carroll, Robert L. (Robert Lynn), 1938- (2009).
The rise of amphibians : 365 million years of evolution . Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
ISBN
978-0-8018-9140-3 .
OCLC
231947315 . {{
cite book }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link ) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^ Stearn, Colin William, 1928- (1989).
Paleontology : the record of life . Carroll, Robert L. (Robert Lynn), 1938-. New York: J. Wiley.
ISBN
0-471-84528-0 .
OCLC
18984236 . {{
cite book }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link ) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^
Handbuch der Paläoherpetologie = Encyclopedia of paleoherpetology . Kuhn, Oskar, 1908-, Sues, Hans-Dieter, 1956-, Wellnhofer, Peter,, Appleby, Robert M. Stuttgart. 1969.
ISBN
978-3-931516-26-0 .
OCLC
580976 . {{
cite book }}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link ) CS1 maint: others (
link )
^
Amphibian biology . Heatwole, Harold. Chipping Norton, NSW. 2009.
ISBN
978-0-949324-53-5 .
OCLC
31251065 . {{
cite book }}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link ) CS1 maint: others (
link )
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1990).
"A tiny microsaur from the Lower Permian of Texas: size constraints in Palaeozoic tetrapods" . Palaeontology . 33 : 893–909.
^ Carroll, Robert L.; Thompson, Pamela (1982).
"A Bipedal Lizardlike Reptile from the Karroo" . Journal of Paleontology . 56 (1): 1–10.
ISSN
0022-3360 .
JSTOR
1304491 .
^ Carroll, R. L. (1981-07-16).
"Plesiosaur ancestors from the Upper Permian of Madagascar" . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences . 293 (1066): 315–383.
Bibcode :
1981RSPTB.293..315C .
doi :
10.1098/rstb.1981.0079 .
ISSN
0080-4622 .
S2CID
86178836 .
^
a
b
c
d
e
f Carroll, Robert L. (Robert Lynn), 1938- (1978).
The order Microsauria . Gaskill, Pamela,, American Philosophical Society. Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society.
ISBN
0-87169-126-4 .
OCLC
4314948 . {{
cite book }}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link ) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link )
^ Harris, John M.; Carroll, Robert L. (1977).
"Kenyasaurus, a New Eosuchian Reptile from the Early Triassic of Kenya" . Journal of Paleontology . 51 (1): 139–149.
ISSN
0022-3360 .
JSTOR
1303471 .
^
a
b Clark, John S.; Carroll, Robert L. (1973).
"Romeriid reptiles from the Lower Permian" . Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College . 144 : 353––407.
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1967-01-01).
"An Adelogyrinid Lepospondyl Amphibian from the Upper Carboniferous" . Canadian Journal of Zoology . 45 (1): 1–16.
doi :
10.1139/z67-001 .
ISSN
0008-4301 .
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1967).
"A Limnoscelid Reptile from the Middle Pennsylvanian" . Journal of Paleontology . 41 (5): 1256–1261.
ISSN
0022-3360 .
JSTOR
1302096 .
^ Baird, D.; Carroll, R. L. (1967-07-07).
"Romeriscus, the Oldest Known Reptile" . Science . 157 (3784): 56–59.
Bibcode :
1967Sci...157...56B .
doi :
10.1126/science.157.3784.56 .
ISSN
0036-8075 .
PMID
6026664 .
S2CID
10481925 .
^
a
b
c
d Carroll, Robert L. (1964).
"Early evolution of the dissorophid amphibians" . Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College . 131 : 161–250 – via Biodiversity Heritage Library.
^ Carroll, Robert L. (1964).
"The relationships of the rhachitomous amphibian Parioxys" (PDF) . American Museum Novitates (2167).
^ Dunlevy, T'Cha (2019-06-27).
"Alanis Obomsawin, 15 other Quebecers to receive Order of Canada" . Montreal Gazette .
Archived from the original on 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2019-07-04 .
^ General, Office of the Secretary to the Governor (2019-06-20).
"Governor General Announces 83 New Appointments to the Order of Canada" . The Governor General of Canada . Archived from
the original on 2019-06-28. Retrieved 2020-12-25 .
^
"SVP - Past Presidents" . Archived from
the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2020-12-25 .
^
"Robert Lynn Carroll Prize" . 2016-02-24. Retrieved 2020-12-25 .
External links
Locations
Government response Outbreak sites Vaccination Public health officers Culture Miscellaneous
International National Other