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

芝加哥大学的John Flynn博士和Anjali Goswami女士获得了DEB-0308765A的资助，用于研究哺乳动物头骨形态整合的进化。形态整合的研究考察了一组彼此紧密相关的特征，这些特征通常是由于功能上的相似性(例如，饮食、大脑)、环境适应或发展史。然而，这些特征从来没有被研究过，因为它们在更具包容性的有机体群体中的一致性，在地质时间上，或者它们对头骨进化的影响。这项研究探索了活体物种和化石物种头骨各部分在解剖和发育模式上的关系。种类繁多，包括食肉目(狗、猫等)、灵长类(狐猴、猿等)和有袋类(对立面、袋鼠等)。被用来检验整合模式，并评估三个关键因素：1)饮食，2)脑大小，3)生殖策略，对头骨特征和形状多样性之间的关系的影响。发育整合是通过分析头骨形成的顺序来探索的。形态整合是通过统计分析头骨地标之间的相关性来检验的，这些地标是用高精度的3D数字仪捕获的。这项研究弥合了遗传学、发育和古生物学领域之间长期存在的鸿沟。发育和遗传学研究已经提出了许多关于性状相关进化的重要性的假说，但这些假说从未得到检验。利用哺乳动物的大量化石记录和代表所有发育阶段的不同收藏，这项研究解决了关于多样性、形态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。这项研究还应该阐明人类头面部疾病的后果和主要因素，如颅骨融合。

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.