COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Evolution & Phylogeny of Titanosauria

在大陆剧烈分裂时期，巨大的长颈食草蜥脚类恐龙在陆地生态系统中繁盛了1.5亿年。泰坦龙是最多样化的（40多种），寿命长，分布广泛的蜥脚类动物，但其进化关系仍然知之甚少。本研究将通过对全球泰坦巨龙解剖学和骨骼微观结构多样性的调查，来解决泰坦巨龙的进化和生活史、发育问题。我们收集的解剖学数据将允许构建第一个有充分支持的泰坦巨龙谱系假说。骨骼微观结构数据将允许检查各种泰坦龙的生长速度和发育特征，包括巨型和侏儒形式。这些数据的综合将有助于评估泰坦龙的体型进化和生活史特征，这将是未来研究泰坦龙捕食专业化、运动和古生物地理进化的核心。这个项目的全球性要求与国际同事和学生合作。发表的论文和在线资源将允许国际研究人员访问我们的数据和结果。培养本科生和研究生是一个优先事项，资金将在项目期间支持研究生和本科生。pi致力于通过博物馆展览、公众友好型网站和讲座向公众传播研究成果。

PUBLIC ABSTRACT Gigantic, long-necked, plant-eating sauropod dinosaurs flourished in terrestrial ecosystems for 150 million years during an episode of dramatic continental fragmentation. Titanosauria is the most diverse (40+ species), long-lived, and widely distributed sauropod lineage, but its evolutionary relationships remain poorly understood. This study will survey the global diversity of titanosaur anatomy and bone microstructure to resolve questions of titanosaur evolution and life history, and development. Anatomical data we collect will allow construction of the first well-supported hypothesis of titanosaur genealogy. Bone microstructural data will allow examination of growth rates and developmental traits across a diverse range of titanosaurs, which include gigantic and dwarf forms. Synthesis of these data will allow assessment of body size evolution and life history traits within Titanosauria, which will be central to future examinations of the evolution of titanosaur feeding specializations, locomotion, and paleobiogeography. The global nature of this project compels collaboration with international colleagues and students. Published papers and online resources will allow international researchers to access our data and results. Training undergraduate and graduate students is a priority, and funding will support graduate and undergraduate students for the duration of the project. The PIs are committed to public dissemination of research results via museum exhibits, public-friendly websites, and lectures.