DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Evolution of Morphological Integration in the Mammalian Skull

摘要DEB-0308765 A基金已授予芝加哥大学的John Flynn博士和Anjali Goswami女士，用于研究哺乳动物头骨中形态整合的进化。 形态整合的研究考察了彼此紧密相关的性状集，通常是由于功能上的相似性（例如，饮食，脑），环境适应，或发展历史。 然而，这些特征从未被研究过，因为它们在更具包容性的生物群体中的一致性，在地质时期，或者它们对头骨进化的影响。 这项研究探讨了头骨各部分之间的关系，在他们的解剖和发展模式，在生活和化石物种。 哺乳动物食肉目（狗、猫等）中的各种物种，灵长类动物（狐猴、猿等），和有袋目动物（对生动物、袋鼠等）用于检查整合模式，并评估三个关键因素的影响：1）饮食，2）大脑大小，3）生殖策略，对头骨特征和形式多样性之间的关系。 通过分析头骨形成的顺序来探索发展的整合。 形态整合是通过对头骨标志之间的相关性进行统计分析来研究的，这些标志是使用高精度3D数字化仪捕获的。这项研究弥合了遗传学、发育学和古生物学领域之间的长期差距。 发育和遗传研究已经提出了许多关于性状相关进化重要性的假设，但这些假设从未得到验证。 利用广泛的哺乳动物化石记录和代表所有发展阶段的各种收藏品，这项研究解决了有关多样性，形态学和进化过程的灵活性的问题，这些问题对于理解生物体适应环境变化的能力至关重要。 这项研究也应该阐明人类颅面疾病的后果和主要因素，如颅缝。

Abstract For DEB-0308765A grant has been awarded to Dr. John Flynn and Ms. Anjali Goswami of the University of Chicago, for a study of the evolution of morphological integration in the mammalian skull. The study of morphological integration examines sets of traits that are tightly correlated with each other, often due to similarity in function (e.g., diet, braincase), environmental adaptations, or developmental history. However, these sets of traits have never been studied for their consistency across more inclusive groups of organisms, over geological time, or for their influence on skull evolution. This research explores the relationships between parts of the skull, in their anatomy and developmental patterns, in both living and fossil species. A wide range of species from the mammalian orders Carnivora (dogs, cats, etc.), Primates (lemurs, apes, etc.), and Marsupialia (opposums, kangaroos, etc.) are used to examine patterns of integration and to assess the influence of three key factors: 1) diet, 2) brain size, and 3) reproductive strategy, on the relationships among skull traits and diversity of form. Developmental integration is explored through analysis of the order in which skull bones form. Morphological integration is examined through statistical analysis of correlations among skull landmarks, captured using a high-accuracy 3D digitizer.This study bridges a long-standing gap between the fields of genetics, development, and paleontology. Developmental and genetic studies have produced many hypotheses of the importance of the correlated evolution of traits, but these have never been tested. Using the extensive fossil record of mammals and diverse collections representing all stages of development, this study addresses questions about diversity, morphology, and the flexibility of the evolutionary process, which are crucial to understanding the ability of organisms to adapt to environmental change. This research also should shed light on the consequences and primary factors in human craniofacial disorders, such as craniosyntosis.