Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Bill Dimichele

Research Geologist and Curator of Paleobotany
Department / Division
Education
  • M.S., University of Illinois
  • Ph.D., University of Illinois
  • B.A., Drexel University
Research Interests

Paleoecology, morphology, and systematics of late Paleozoic plants (240-350 million years old), particularly the structure of late Paleozoic ecosystems and the relationship between long-term ecological and evolutionary patterns

Publications
Journal Article
Book Chapter
  • Greb, Stephen F., DiMichele, William A., Gastaldo, Robert W., Eble, Cortland F., and Wing, Scott L. 2022. "Prehistoric Wetlands." In Encyclopedia of Inland Waters. 2nd ed. Junk, Wolfgang and Wittman, Florian, editors. 23–32. Elsevier. In Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-819166-8.00066-9.
  • Gastaldo, R. A., Bamford, M., Calder, J., DiMichele, William A., Ianuzzi, R., Jasper, A., Kerp, H., McLoughlin, S., Opluštil, S., Pfefferkorn, H. W., Roessler, R., and Wang, J. 2020. "The Coal Farms of the Late Paleozoic." In Nature Through Time. Martinetto, E., Tschopp, E., and Gastaldo, R. A., editors. 317–343. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35058-1_13.
  • Gastaldo, R. A., Bamford, M., Calder, J., DiMichele, William A., Ianuzzi, R., Jasper, A., Kerp, H., McLoughlin, S., Opluštil, S., Pfefferkorn, H. W., Roessler, R., and Wang, J. 2020. "The non-analog vegetation of the Late Paleozoic icehouse–hothouse and their coal-forming forested environments." In Nature Through Time. Martinetto, E., Tschopp, E., and Gastaldo, R. A., editors. 291–316. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35058-1_12.
  • DiMichele, William A., Hook, Robert W., Kerp, Hans, Hotton, Carol L., Looy, Cindy V., and Chaney, Dan S. 2018. "Lower Permian flora of the Sanzenbacher Ranch, Clay County, Texas." In Transformative Paleobotany: Papers to Commemorate the Life and Legacy of Thomas N. Taylor. 95–126. Elsevier. (https://doi.org/10.1016/C2016-0-03920-7), https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813012-4.00006-1.
  • Archer, Allen W., Elrick, Scott, Nelson, W. J., and DiMichele, William A. 2016. "Cataclysmic burial of Pennsylvanian Period coal swamps in the Illinois Basin." In Contributions to Modern and Ancient Tidal Sedimentology. Tessier, Bernadette and Reynaud, Jean-Yves, editors. 217–231. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119218395.ch12.
  • Lucas, Spencer G., Krainer, Karl, DiMichele, William A., Voigt, Sebastian, Berman, David S., Henrici, Amy C., Tanner, Lawrence H., Chaney, Dan S., Elrick, Scott D., Nelson, W. John, and Rinehart, Larry F. 2015. "Lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy and sedimentology of the Upper Paleozoic Sangre De Cristo Formation, southwestern San Miguel County, New Mexico." In New Mexico Geological Society, 66th Annual Field Conference, 2015. Lindline, Jennifer, Petronis, Michael, and Zebrowski, Joseph P., editors. 211–228. Socorro, New Mexico: New Mexico Geological Society. In Annual Fall Field Conference Guidebook, 66.
  • DiMichele, William A., Cecil, C. B., Chaney, Dan S., Elrick, S. D., and Nelson, W. J. 2014. "Fossil floras from the Pennsylvanian-Permian Cutler Group of southeastern Utah." In Geology of Utah's Far South. 491–504. In Utah Geological Association Publication (43).
  • Lucas, Spencer G., Lerner, Allan J., DiMichele, William A., Cantrell, Amanda K., Suazo, Thomas L., and Chaney, Dan S. 2014. "Xiphosurid fossils from the Pennsylvanian Beeman formation, Otero County, New Mexico." In New Mexico Geological Society Guidebook, 65th Field Conference, Geology of the Sacramento Mountains Region. 311–314. Socorro, NM: New Mexico Geological Society, Inc..
  • Lucas, S. G., Krainer, K., Chaney, Dan S., DiMichele, William A., Voigt, S., Berman, D. S., and Henrici, A. C. 2012. "The Lower Permian Abo Formation in the Fra Cristobal and Caballo Mountains, Sierra County, New Mexico." In Geology of the Warm Springs Region: New Mexico Geological Society 63rd Annual Field Conference Guidebook. Lucas, S. G., McLemore, V. T., Lueth, V. W., Spielmann, J. A., and Krainer, K., editors. 345–376. Socorro, New Mexico: New Mexico Geological Society.
  • Cecil, C. B., DiMichele, William A., Fedorko, Nick, and Skema, Viktoras. 2011. "Autocyclic and allocyclic controls on the origin of the Dunkard Group." In Geology of the Pennsylvanian-Permian in the Dunkard Basin. Guidebook for the 76th Annual Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists. Harper, John A., editor. 26–45. Middletown, PA: Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists, Inc.
  • DiMichele, William A., Blake, Bascomb M., Cecil, C. B., Fedorko, Nick, Kerp, Hans, and Skema, Viktoras. 2011. "Callipterids of the Dunkard Group of the Appalachian Basin: Their identity and paleoenvironmental significance." In Geology of the Pennsylvanian-Permian in the Dunkard Basin. Guidebook for the 76th Annual Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists. Harper, John A., editor. 144–167. Middletown, PA: Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists, Inc..
  • DiMichele, William A., Cecil, C. B., Chaney, Dan S., Elrick, Scott D., Lucas, Spencer G., Lupia, Richard, Nelson, W. J., and Tabor, Neil J. 2011. "Pennsylvanian-Permian vegetational changes in tropical Euramerica." In Geology of the Pennsylvanian-Permian in the Dunkard Basin. Guidebook for the 76th Annual Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists. Harper, John A., editor. 60–102. Middletown, PA: Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists, Inc..
  • DiMichele, William A., Skema, Vik, and Harper, John A. 2011. "Pleasant Hill Gap." In Geology of the Pennsylvanian-Permian in the Dunkard basin. Guidebook, 76th Annual Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists. Harper, John A., editor. 168–173. Middletown, PA: Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists, Inc.
  • DiMichele, William A., Tabor, N. J., Chaney, Dan S., and Nelson, W. J. 2006. "From wetlands to wet spots: Environmental tracking and the fate of Carboniferous elements in Early Permian tropical floras." In Wetlands trough time: Geological Society of America Special Paper 399. Greb, S. F. and DiMichele, William A., editors. 223–248. Geological Society of America.
  • DiMichele, William A. and Bateman, Richard M. 2005. "Evolution of land plant diversity: Major innovations and lineages through time." In Plant Conservation: A Natural History Approach. Krupnick, Gary A. and Kress, W. John, editors. 3–14. University of Chicago Press.
  • DiMichele, William A., Hans, Kerp, and Chaney, Dan S. 2004. "Tropical floras of the Late Pennsylvanian-Early Permian transition: Carrizo Arroyo in context." In Carboniferous-Permian Transition at Carrizo Arroyo, Central New Mexico. Lucas, Spencer G. and Zeigler, K. E., editors. 105–110. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 25.
  • Bateman, Richard M. and DiMichele, William A. 2002. "Generating and filtering major phenotypic novelties: neoGoldschmidtian saltation revisited." In Developmental Genetics and Plant Evolution. Cronk, C. B., Bateman, Richard M., and Hawkins, J. A., editors. 109–159. Taylor and Francis.
  • DiMichele, William A., Stein, W. E., and Bateman, Richard M. 2001. "Ecological sorting during the Paleozoic radiation of vascular plant classes." In Evolutionary Paleoecology. Allmon, W. D. and Bottjer, D. J., editors. 285–335. Columbia University Press.
  • DiMichele, William A. 2000. "Carboniferous Coal Swamp Forests." In Palaeobiology II. Briggs, E. G. and Crowther, P. R., editors. 79–82. Blackwell Science.
  • DiMichele, William A. 2000. "Ecosystem dynamics." In McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science and Technology. McGraw, Hill staff, editor. 129–131. McGraw-Hill.
  • Philips, T. L. and DiMichele, William A. 1999. "Coal ball sampling and quantification." In Fossil Plants and Spores: Modern Techniques. Jones, T. P. and Rowe, N. P., editors. 206–209. Geological Society.
  • DiMichele, William A. and Philips, T. L. 1995. "The response of hierarchically structured ecosystems to long term climate change: a case study using tropical peat swamps of Pennsylvanian age." In Effects of Past Global Change on Life. Stanley, Steven M., Knoll, A. H., and Kennett, J. P., editors. 134–155. National Research Council, Studies in Geophysics.
  • DiMichele, William A. and Phillips, Tom L. 1995. "The Response of Hierarchially Structured Ecosystems to Long-Term Climatic Change: A Case Study Using Tropical Peat Swamps of Pennsylvanian Age." In Effects of past global change on life. 134–155.
  • Bateman, Richard M. and DiMichele, William A. 1994. "Saltational evolution of form in vascular plants: a neoGoldschmidtian synthesis." In Linnean Society, Symposium Series. 61–100. 16
  • Wing, Scott L., Sues, Hans-Dieter, Potts, Richard, DiMichele, William A., and Behrensmeyer, Anna K. 1992. "Evolutionary Paleoecology." In Terrestrial Ecosystems Through Time: Evolutionary Paleoecology of Terrestrial Plants and Animals
    . Behrensmeyer, Anna K., editor. 1–13. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
  • DiMichele, William A., Philips, T. L., and Peppers, R. A. 1985. "The influence of climate and depositional environment on the distribution and evolution of Pennsylvanian coal swamp plants." In Geologic Factors and the Evolution of Plants. Tiffney, B., editor. 223–256. Yale University Press.
Book
  • Lucas, Spencer G., DiMichele, William A., Krainer, Karl, Barrick, James E., Vachard, Daniel, Donovan, Michael P., Looy, Cindy, Kerp, Hans, and Chaney, Dan S. 2022. The Pennsylvanian System in the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, USA: Stratigraphy, Petrography, Depositional Systems, Paleontology, Biostratigraphy and Geologic History. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press. In Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 104. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.14079809.
  • DiMichele, William A., Lucas, Spencer G., Looy, Cindy V., Kerp, Hans, and Chaney, Dan S. 2017. Plant Fossils from the Pennsylvanian–Permian Transition in Western Pangea, Abo Pass, New Mexico. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. In Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology, 99. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.1943-6688.99.
  • Damuth, J., Behrensmeyer, Anna K., DiMichele, William A., Labandeira, Conrad C., Potts, Richard, and Wing, Scott L. 1997. ETE Database Manual. Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystems Consortium. Washington, D.C..
  • Behrensmeyer, Anna K., Damuth, J., DiMichele, William A., Potts, Richard, Sues, Hans-Dieter, and Wing, Scott L., editors. 1992. Terrestrial Ecosystems Through Time. Chicago: University of Chicago.
Conference Proceedings
  • May, Paul, Lucas, Spencer G., Kerp, Hans, DiMichele, William A., and Rogers, John B. 2022. "An early Permian fossil flora from the Arroyo de Alamillo Formation of the Yeso Group, Socorro County, NM." in 2022 New Mexico Geological Society Annual Spring Meeting & Ft.Stanton Cave Conference. 2787. https://doi.org/10.56577/SM-2022.2787.
  • Sirmons, Roberta L., Dodge, Clifford H., Henderson, Geoffrey, and DiMichele, William A. 2021. "A Geologist's Journey: David White's Field Trip to Ohiopyle, Summer 1900." from 85th Annual Field Conference of Pennsylvania Geologists. 121–152.
  • Lerner, A. J., Lucas, Spencer G., Spielmann, J. A., Krainer, K., DiMichele, William A., Chaney, Dan S., Schneider, J. W., Nelson, W. John, and Ivanov, Anton B. 2009. "The biota and paleoecology of the Upper Pennsylvanian (Missourian) Tinajas Locality, Socorro County, New Mexico." from New Mexico Geological Society Guidebook, 60th Field Conference, Geology of the Chupadera Mesa Region. 267–280.
  • Lucas, Spencer G., DiMichele, William A., Krainer, K., Chaney, Dan S., and Spielmann, J. A. 2009. "A coal-measure forest near Socorro, New Mexico." from New Mexico Geological Society Guidebook, 60th Field Conference, Geology of the Chupadera Mesa Region. 235–242. New Mexico Geological Society Field Conference Guidebook 60
Dataset
Book Review
  • DiMichele, William A. 2003. [Book review] "The Structure of Evolutionary Theory." American Journal of Science, 303, 259–261.
  • DiMichele, William A. 1998. [Book review] "Macroevolution: Pattern and Process." American Paleontologist, 6, 13–14.
  • DiMichele, William A. 1995. [Book review] "Basic Questions in Palaeontology." Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, 84, 481–483.
  • DiMichele, William A. 1993. [Book review] "Plant Fossils in Geological Investigation: the Paleozoic." Journal of Geological Education, 41, 378–379.
  • DiMichele, William A. 1992. [Book review] "Causes of Evolution, A paleontological Perspective." Brittonia, 44, 76–80.
  • DiMichele, William A. 1991. [Book review] "The Other Side of the Medal." Earth Science History, 10, 91–92.
  • DiMichele, William A., Burnham, Robyn, and Sues, Hans-Dieter. 1988. [Book review] "Origins of Angiosperms and Their Biological Consequences." Palaios, 4, 449–452.