Lineage and ecomorphological diversification of burrowing snakes

穴居蛇的谱系和生态形态多样化

• 批准号: EP/Z00103X/1
• 负责人: Vivek Cyriac
• 金额: $ 26.26万
• 依托单位: Natural History Museum
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2025
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2025 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FZ00103X%2F1
• 关键词: Lineage; ecomorphological; diversification; burrowing; snakes

Snakes are a large radiation (ca. 4,000 species) of reptiles that evolved from lizard ancestors. Although the early evolutionary history of snakes is hotly debated, the remarkable transition to an elongated, limbless body form is generally thought to have evolved as an adaptation to a fossorial (burrowing) lifestyle. Life in soil imposes several, severe functional constraints on morphology and this has led to the view that limbless, headfirst burrowers are less likely to undergo rapid or adaptive radiation. Surprisingly, very few studies have explored the ecomorphological diversification of any major extant burrowing snake lineage, despite implications for understanding evolution in soils (including the possible origin of snakes). SOILRAD will trace the diversification of lineages and the adaptive possibilities of ecomorphology in Uropeltoidea, a major lineage of soil-dwelling snakes with great diversity in body and hea shape. In SOILRAD, I will explore uropeltoid diversification through three Research Objectives: (1.) apply 3-dimensional geometric morphometrics to microCT data from the huge collection of museum specimens at NHM, to quantify and identify the main axes of variation in skeletal morphology (skull, mandible and 'neck' vertebrae); (2.) use ancient DNA and Next-Generation sequencing techniques to reconstruct a more-complete evolutionary tree of Uropeltoidea; and (3.) assess rates and modes of lineage and ecomorphological diversification, and test hypotheses of adaptive radiation. SOILRAD will produce the most comprehensive phylogenetic hypothesis and first extensive quantitative data on uropeltoid osteology, and first detailed assessment of diversification in any major lineage of burrowing snakes. Through SOILRAD, I will be trained in CT imaging, 3D morphometrics, ancient DNA methods, museum collection management, public engagement and other professional skills that will establish me as a potential research-group leader in evolutionary biology research.

蛇是一类大型爬行动物（约 4,000 种），由蜥蜴祖先进化而来。尽管蛇的早期进化史备受争议，但蛇向细长、无肢身体形态的显着转变通常被认为是为了适应穴居（穴居）生活方式而进化的。土壤中的生命对形态施加了一些严重的功能限制，这导致人们认为无肢、头朝下的穴居动物不太可能经历快速或适应性辐射。令人惊讶的是，尽管对理解土壤进化（包括蛇的可能起源）有影响，但很少有研究探索现存主要穴居蛇谱系的生态形态多样化。 SOILRAD 将追踪 Uropeltoidea 中的谱系多样性和生态形态的适应性可能性，Uropeltoidea 是土生蛇的一个主要谱系，其身体和头部形状具有很大的多样性。在 SOILRAD 中，我将通过三个研究目标探索 uropeltoid 的多样化：(1.) 将 3 维几何形态测量学应用于来自 NHM 大量博物馆标本的 microCT 数据，以量化和识别骨骼形态变化的主轴（头骨） 、下颌骨和“颈部”椎骨）； (2.)利用古代DNA和二代测序技术重建更完整的Uropeltoidea进化树； (3.) 评估谱系和生态形态多样化的速率和模式，并检验适应性辐射的假设。 SOILRAD 将产生最全面的系统发育假说和第一个关于 uropeltoid 骨学的广泛定量数据，以及第一个对穴居蛇主要谱系的多样化的详细评估。通过 SOILRAD，我将接受 CT 成像、3D 形态测量、古代 DNA 方法、博物馆藏品管理、公众参与和其他专业技能方面的培训，这将使我成为进化生物学研究领域潜在的研究小组领导者。