Dissertation Research: Form and function of the strepsirhineprimate temporomandibular joint

颞下颌关节(TMJ)是下颌骨和头盖骨的结合点，是灵长类和哺乳动物头骨形态和功能关系的模型系统。在灵长类中，由于TMJ和整个颌骨的显著变化，TMJ非常适合于考虑形状和功能的联系。这项研究将在这些以前未被研究的灵长类物种中测试几个将TMJ运动和机械载荷与TMJ形态联系起来的功能假设。此外，链鼻目动物的TMJ形式和功能将与单亲灵长类动物进行比较，单亲灵长类动物是第二个密切相关的灵长类动物。将采用实验数据和比较测量相结合的方法来评估一些功能假说。这项研究将首次全面调查TMJ形态与TMJ运动、负荷和大小相关因素在链鼻目动物中的关系，以及在链鼻类和单节动物之间的关系。将这些新发现与之前对其他灵长类动物的研究相结合，可以记录灵长类动物TMJ的进化变化。TMJ的这些进化变化将与颌骨的时间相关变化进行比较，从而为灵长类颌骨的功能进化提供了一个历史视角。最后，本研究开发了一种评估灵长类化石TMJ功能多样性的方法。

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ), the point of articulation of the lower jaw and the cranium, presents a model system for addressing form and function relationships in primate and mammalian skulls. In the primate group Strepsirhini, the TMJ is highly suitable for consideration of form-function associations because of the marked variation in the TMJ, as well as in the entire jaw. This research will test several functional hypotheses relating TMJ movements and mechanical loading to TMJ morphology in these previously unexamined primate species. Additionally, TMJ form and function in strepsirhines will be compared to haplorhine primates, a second closely-related group of primates. A combined approach using experimental data and comparative measurements will be implemented to assess a number of functional hypotheses. This study will provide the first comprehensive survey of how TMJ form relates to TMJ movements, loading and size-related factors in strepsirhines as well as between strepsirhines and haplorhines. Integration of these new findings with previous research in other primates enables the documentation of evolutionary changes in the TMJ across primates. These evolutionary changes in the TMJ will be compared to temporally correlated changes in the jaw, thus providing an historical perspective to the functional evolution of the primate jaw. Finally, this research develops a protocol for the assessment of fossil primate TMJ functional diversity.