Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Taxonomic Implications of Basicranial Variation in Australopithecus africanus

尽管早期几乎达成共识，但南方古猿非洲人化石的分类已成为有争议的。 许多研究人员现在认为，这组化石可能包含不止一个物种。 如果是这样的话，这将对我们理解人类的进化有重大意义。 为了解决A.非洲人的头骨，联合PI将访问非洲，欧洲和美国的六个博物馆，以收集3D形态（形状）数据从A。非洲人化石、现代倭黑猩猩和现代普通黑猩猩的三个亚种。 倭黑猩猩和黑猩猩的变异将被用来模拟人类化石记录中种间变异的极限。 在这些限制条件下，研究者将对A.非洲人 在第一阶段，他将应用形状数据来尝试识别A中的子组。非洲人 在第二阶段，他将使用传统的形态特征来确定这些亚群是否值得作为单独的物种进行区分。 三维形态测量学与传统形态分析相结合的方法尚未应用于A.非洲人 如果结果表明A.如果将非洲人分为两个亚组，将把拟议的亚组与其他研究人员提出的亚组进行比较，以了解这种变化的时间和地理基础。 这将允许发展一个支持或反对多个分类群的论据。该项目的智力价值集中在其开发的一种新的两阶段技术，用于测试分类学假设。 当应用于A。非洲人，这将是有用的古生物学的许多领域，并不一定限于古人类学。 该项目得出的结论将对人类分类学产生直接影响，并为重新评估和澄清人类进化奠定基础。 如果这个项目的结果表明要拆分，那么通过与其他人关于拆分A的建议进行综合，这一论点将得到相当大的加强。非洲人该项目还对教育和研究产生了广泛影响。 它将为共同PI提供国际研究经验和新的技能和知识。 这将反过来提高他的能力，教导和指导未来的学生，以及告知公众有关生物变异的丰富性和了解我们自己的物种的遗产的价值。 调查结果将在出版物、专业协会会议上的介绍和论文中广泛传播。 该项目还将促进新墨西哥州大学与其他六所国内和国际大学和博物馆之间的宝贵研究合作。

Despite earlier near-consensus, the taxonomy of the fossil hominin Australopithecus africanus has become controversial. Many researchers now argue that this group of fossils may contain more than one species. If this is the case, it will have substantial implications for our understanding of hominin phylogeny. In order to address the question of multiple species within A. africanus, the co-PI will visit six museums in Africa, Europe, and the United States in order to gather 3D morphometric (shape) data from the skulls of A. africanus fossils, modern bonobos, and three subspecies of modern common chimpanzees. Bonobo and chimpanzee variation will be used to model the limits of interspecific variability in the hominin fossil record. With these limits, the researcher will undertake a two-stage analysis of the hypothesis that there are multiple species within A. africanus. In the first stage, he will apply the shape data in an attempt to identify subgroups within A. africanus. For the second stage, he will use traditional morphological characters to determine whether these subgroups merit distinction as separate species. The combination of 3D morphometrics and traditional morphological analysis has not yet been applied to A. africanus. If the results suggest that A. africanus should be split, the proposed subgroups will be compared to those suggested by other researchers in order to understand the temporal and geographical basis of the variation. This will allow the development of a well-supported argument for or against multiple taxa. This project's intellectual merit centers on its development of a novel two-stage technique for testing taxonomic hypotheses. While applied here to A. africanus, it would be useful in many areas of paleontology, and is not necessarily limited to paleoanthropology. The conclusions generated by this project will have direct implications for hominin taxonomy and lay the groundwork for a reassessment and clarification of hominin phylogeny. If the results of this project suggest a split, that argument will be considerably strengthened by the synthesis with others' proposals for splitting A. africanus. This project also has broad impacts with respect to education and research. It will provide the co-PI with an international research experience and new skills and knowledge. This will in turn enhance his ability to teach and mentor future students as well as to inform the general public about the richness of biological variation and the value of understanding our own species' heritage. Findings will be broadly disseminated in publications, presentations at professional association meetings, and a dissertation. This project will also foster valuable research collaborations between the University of New Mexico and six other universities and museums, both domestic and international.