Dissertation Research: Elephants in East African Hominid Sites: A Comparative Study of Evolutionary Pattern, Biostratigraphy and Biogeography

9311709布鲁克斯大型稀树草原哺乳动物的进化，如猪、马和牛，与人类故事有关，既是环境指标，也是时间/战略指标。这项提案将把重点放在通常与原始人有关的最普遍的大型哺乳动物之一--非洲象血统上。这项研究将评估Eepas recki的变异，以描述在这一化石谱系中看到的进化模式，并将检验其作为早期原始人遗址指标的实用性。目标是研究大象如何反映非洲生态系统对不断变化的生物条件的长期反应，而早期人类祖先是生物条件变化的关键部分。它还将涉及研究生的高级培训。***

9311709 Brooks The evolution of large savanna mammals, such as pigs, horses, and bovids, relates to the human story as both environmental and time/strategraphy indicators. This proposal will focus on one of the most prevalent large mammals commonly associated with hominids, the African Elephant lineage. This study will assess the variation in Elephas recki in order to describe the pattern of evolution seen in this fossil lineage, and will examine its utility as an indicator for early hominid sites. The goal is to study how elephants reflect the long term response of African ecosystems to changing biotic conditions, of which early human ancestors were a critical part. It will also involve advanced training of a graduate student. ***