Ontogenetic and Paleontologic Studies of the Mammalian Ear Region: Implications for the Higher-Level Phylogeny of Mammals

哺乳动物耳区的个体发生和古生物学研究：对哺乳动物高级系统发育的启示

• 批准号: 9119212
• 负责人: John Wible
• 金额: $ 8.14万
• 依托单位: University of Louisville Research Foundation Inc
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1992
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1992-07-01 至 1995-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9119212&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Ontogenetic; Paleontologic; Studies; Mammalian; Ear

Traditionally, the ear region is the preeminent source of comparative morphological information for evolutionary studies on mammals. It also presents one of the most oft cited examples of evolutionary change in Biology textbooks: the evolution of the three middle-ear bones (ossicles) of mammals from the lower jaws of more primitive forms. Despite its preeminence, knowledge of the ear region remains incomplete. During recent years, remarkable fossil finds have dramatically increased what is known of the ear and its ossicles in extinct mammals and raised questions about previous views on the evolution of this region and of mammals in general. To fully evaluate these fossils and new evolutionary questions, it is necessary to increase comparative knowledge of the ear in modern mammals, both in numbers and in level of detail. This research gathers comparative information on the embryology of the ear region in modern mammals to evaluate the evolution of this complex system and its role in the evolutionary history of mammals.

传统上，耳朵区域是哺乳动物进化研究中比较形态信息的主要来源。它还提供了生物学教科书中最常被引用的进化变化的例子之一：哺乳动物的三个中耳骨(听骨)从更原始形式的下巴进化而来。尽管它是卓越的，但对耳朵区域的了解仍然不完整。近年来，引人注目的化石发现极大地增加了人们对灭绝哺乳动物的耳朵及其听骨的了解，并对之前关于该地区乃至整个哺乳动物进化的观点提出了质疑。为了充分评估这些化石和新的进化问题，有必要增加对现代哺乳动物耳朵的比较知识，无论是在数量上还是在细节水平上。这项研究收集了现代哺乳动物耳区胚胎学的比较信息，以评估这一复杂系统的进化及其在哺乳动物进化史中的作用。