Doctoral Dissertation Research: The ecological context of early ape evolution

博士论文研究：早期猿进化的生态背景

• 批准号: 2142037
• 负责人: Kieran McNulty
• 金额: $ 2.26万
• 依托单位: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-03-15 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2142037&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; ecological; context

This doctoral dissertation project examines the early diversification of apes within the broader context of mammalian community evolution. Leveraging rich fossil collections, the investigators characterize mammal assemblages from multiple, well-studied localities to examine how time, space and environmental factors impacted mammalian community structure. The scientific importance of this project lies in providing a comparative backdrop of mammalian evolution to better understand the ecological setting for major adaptations in the ape and human lineage. More broadly, this project can have significant impacts for science and society by expanding participation in science through graduate training and research opportunities for undergraduate students from groups underrepresented in STEM research. A relational database of paleontological data assembled through this project is planned for public distribution to scientists and educators via the Data Repository at the University of Minnesota (DRUM). Other results will be made available through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations, and public outreach opportunities aimed at providing scientific engagement at public schools and museums. The early divergence of ape lineages, during which several major adaptive characteristics of the ape-human clade were established, is primarily recorded in the early Miocene (ca. 23-16 Ma). Although fossil apes from this time have been the subject of intense study, little work has been done to properly situate the diversity of these species within the broader context of mammalian community evolution. This project asks the central question: how did environment, time, and geographic distance influence the structure of early Miocene mammalian communities? Using large fossil assemblages, this project pursues four specific questions: 1) do fossil assemblages from major collecting areas represent differences in mammalian community structure? 2) do changes in mammalian community structure track environmental differences inferred from associated paleoecological proxies? 3) are mammalian community structures most similar among assemblages that are closest in age? and 4) does similarity in mammalian community structure decrease with increasing geographic distance between assemblages? These questions are addressed by analyzing the mammalian community structure across 13 fossil localities that are already well-characterized in terms of age and paleoenvironment. By situating mammalian community succession within temporal, geographic, and environmental contexts, this project can inform our understanding of how these factors influenced changes among mammal species, thereby clarifying the ecological parameters within which major adaptations in the ape and human lineage arose.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该博士论文项目在哺乳动物群落进化的更广泛背景下研究了猿类的早期多样化。研究人员利用丰富的化石收藏，对来自多个经过充分研究的地点的哺乳动物组合进行了表征，以研究时间、空间和环境因素如何影响哺乳动物群落结构。该项目的科学重要性在于提供哺乳动物进化的比较背景，以更好地了解猿和人类谱系主要适应的生态环境。更广泛地说，该项目可以通过为 STEM 研究中代表性不足的群体的本科生提供研究生培训和研究机会，扩大对科学的参与，从而对科学和社会产生重大影响。通过该项目收集的古生物学数据的关系数据库计划通过明尼苏达大学的数据存储库（DRUM）向科学家和教育工作者公开分发。其他结果将通过同行评审的出版物、会议演示和旨在提供公立学校和博物馆科学参与的公共宣传机会提供。猿类谱系的早期分化主要记录于中新世早期（约 23-16 Ma），在此期间建立了猿-人进化枝的几个主要适应性特征。尽管这一时期的猿类化石一直是深入研究的主题，但很少有工作能够在哺乳动物群落进化的更广泛背景下正确定位这些物种的多样性。该项目提出了一个核心问题：环境、时间和地理距离如何影响中新世早期哺乳动物群落的结构？该项目利用大型化石组合来探讨四个具体问题：1）来自主要采集区的化石组合是否代表哺乳动物群落结构的差异？ 2）哺乳动物群落结构的变化是否跟踪从相关古生态指标推断的环境差异？ 3）年龄最接近的哺乳动物群落结构是否最相似？ 4）哺乳动物群落结构的相似性是否会随着组合之间地理距离的增加而减少？这些问题是通过分析 13 个化石地点的哺乳动物群落结构来解决的，这些化石地点的年龄和古环境已经得到了很好的表征。通过将哺乳动物群落演替置于时间、地理和环境背景下，该项目可以让我们了解这些因素如何影响哺乳动物物种之间的变化，从而阐明猿和人类谱系发生重大适应的生态参数。该奖项反映了通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，NSF 的法定使命被认为值得支持。