Dissertation Research: Taxonomy, Phylogeny, and Paleobiology of Late Paleocene Plesiadapidae (Mammalia, Primates): Implications for the Origin of Euprimates

论文研究：晚古新世 Plesiadapidae（哺乳动物、灵长类）的分类学、系统发育和古生物学：对真灵长类起源的启示

• 批准号: 0622544
• 负责人: David Krause
• 金额: $ 0.84万
• 依托单位: SUNY at Stony Brook
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-08-01 至 2009-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0622544&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Taxonomy; Phylogeny; Paleobiology

This project seeks to determine the ancestral skeletal structure and ecological niche of a family of archaic primates, the Plesiadapidae, which lived primarily during the Paleocene epoch, 65-55 million years ago, in North America and Europe.Modern primates, including apes and humans, New and Old World monkeys, lemurs, lorises, and tarsiers, are recognized by a unique suite of anatomical features of the skeleton. The common ancestor of modern primates also had these features, as well as certain other features retained by only some primate groups today. Several hypotheses exist regarding the adaptive significance of these "ancestral primate features", which can be most directly tested using the fossil record. This study of the Plesiadapidae, a close fossil relative of the common ancestor of modern primates, can help illuminate the pattern of acquisition of primate features through the history of change in a lineage leading from non-primates to modern primates. It thereby tests adaptive hypotheses that predict simultaneous appearance (in the same fossil) of certain sets of features.Specifically, the PI is gathering data that ultimately bears on the recent controversial hypothesis that specializations for grasping with an opposable big toe, sporting a nail, instead of a claw, preceded acquisition of certain features of the visual system (forward facing orbits) in the ecological history of primates. Determination of characteristics of the ancestor of Plesiadapidae requires a revision of species level taxonomy, a revision of inter-relationships among members of the group, and a comprehensive quantitative study of the ecological niche of these animals, including aspects of dietary preference and locomotor repertoires.Pilot data suggest that the taxonomy and pattern of relationships among members of the Plesiadapidae are poorly understood, but that new data and analyses will clarify the genealogy. Further, new skeletal material suggests that early members had a better-developed grasping foot than later members, which went on to develop numerous, currently undocumented, ecological specializations.Broader impacts of this project include the potential to clarify the ecological context in which physical features characterizing modern primates first appeared. Such information is of interest to physical and behavioral anthropologists, neontologists, neurobiologists, the broader scientific community, and even the public in general because it provides an explanation of the mechanisms by which primates and humans acquired their distinctive features. These explanations affect the types of research questions that are pursued in related fields. Furthermore, this project will create a large data archive in the form of (1) high resolution CT-scan images of skulls, and (2) laser scan images and digital photographs of teeth and postcranial bones that can be used in other quantitative studies in which morphology of plesiadapid primates is relevant. The grant will also provide training for a graduate student.

该项目旨在确定一个古老灵长类动物家族的祖先骨骼结构和生态位，该家族主要生活在6500万至5500万年前的古新世时期，生活在北美和欧洲。现代灵长类动物，包括类人猿和人类、新世界和旧大陆猴子、狐猴、懒猴和眼镜猴，都是通过一套独特的骨骼解剖特征来识别的。现代灵长类动物的共同祖先也具有这些特征，以及今天只有一些灵长类动物群体保留的某些其他特征。关于这些“祖先灵长类特征”的适应性意义，存在几种假设，这些假设可以通过化石记录最直接地进行验证。蛇颈猿是现代灵长类动物共同祖先的近亲，这项研究有助于阐明从非灵长类动物到现代灵长类动物的进化史中获得灵长类动物特征的模式。因此，它测试了适应性假设，这些假设预测某些特征集（在同一化石中）同时出现。具体来说，PI正在收集的数据最终与最近有争议的假设有关，即灵长类动物在生态历史上获得视觉系统的某些特征（面向前方的轨道）之前，专门用对生的大脚趾抓取，炫耀指甲而不是爪子。要确定蛇颈蛇科祖先的特征，需要对物种水平的分类进行修订，对该群体成员之间的相互关系进行修订，并对这些动物的生态位进行全面的定量研究，包括饮食偏好和运动技能方面的研究。初步数据表明，人们对蛇蛉科成员之间的分类和关系模式知之甚少，但新的数据和分析将澄清其谱系。此外，新的骨骼材料表明，早期成员比后来的成员拥有更发达的抓脚，后者继续发展了许多目前未记载的生态专门化。这个项目更广泛的影响包括有可能澄清现代灵长类动物的身体特征最初出现的生态背景。这些信息对身体和行为人类学家、新生儿学家、神经生物学家、更广泛的科学界甚至公众都很有兴趣，因为它提供了灵长类动物和人类获得其独特特征的机制的解释。这些解释影响了相关领域所追求的研究问题的类型。此外，该项目将以(1)头骨的高分辨率ct扫描图像和(2)牙齿和颅后骨骼的激光扫描图像和数字照片的形式创建一个大型数据档案，可用于与肢体适应灵长类动物形态学相关的其他定量研究。该基金还将为一名研究生提供培训。