Phylogenetic Systematics, Biochronology, and Evolution of Borophaginae (Carnivora: Canidae)

9420004王警队将研究保存丰富及保存精致的犬科动物化石，以及现存犬科动物(狗、狼、狐狸和狼)的远亲，以确定它们的进化关系、起源和灭绝模式，以及它们在生物群落中的生态角色。%生活在最近200-3000万年的北美第三纪，食肉动物代表了一大群食肉动物，超过66个物种，表现出比它们的现代犬类亲戚更大的生态多样性，从像活着的浣熊这样的小型食肉动物到像现在的鬣狗这样极其强大的捕食者/食腐动物。这项研究的结果将揭示一群食肉动物的进化史，这些食肉动物在同时代的食肉哺乳动物中扮演着主导角色，从而帮助塑造了过去3000万年来的脊椎动物群落。***

9420004 Wang The PIs will study abundantly and exquisitely preserved fossil borophagine canids, distant relatives of living canines (dogs, wolves, foxes, and jackals) to determine their evolutionary relationships, patterns of origination and extinction and their ecologic role in the biological community. %%% Living in the last 2-30 million years in the North American Tertiary, borophagines represent a large group of carnivores with over 66 species and exhibit an ecological diversity much greater than their modern canine relatives ranging from small ominivores like living raccoons to extremely power predators/scavengers like living hyena. Results of this study will shed light on the evolutionary history of a group of carnivores that played dominant roles among their contemporaneous predatory mammals and thus helped shape the vertebrate community over the last 30 million years. ***