Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Paleobiology Of Protopithecus Brasiliensis, a Plus-Sized Pleistocene Platyrrhine From Brazil

博士论文改进：巴西原猿（一种来自巴西的大型更新世扁柏）的古生物学

• 批准号: 0925704
• 负责人: Alfred Rosenberger
• 金额: $ 1.39万
• 依托单位: CUNY Brooklyn College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-15 至 2011-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0925704&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Improvement; Paleobiology; Protopithecus

The goal of this project is to reconstruct the paleobiology of the extinct New World monkey Protopithecus brasiliensis, a little-studied fossil known from Brazilian cave sites and represented by a nearly complete skeleton. Protopithecus is linked phylogenetically with living howler monkeys (Alouatta); both share aspects of the howler's unusual cranial morphology, which is functionally related to its roaring vocalizations. A major part of this research will investigate the shape of the mandible and cranial base of howler monkeys in an effort to test the hypothesis that Protopithecus also had an enlarged hyoid bone. Measurements captured by laser scanning and 3D digitizing will be analyzed using the statistical approaches of geometric morphometrics.Another component of the project focuses on the postcranial skeleton to answer two separate but related questions: 1) Is there evidence to support a hypothesis that Protopithecus was a terrestrial quadruped? If so, it would be the only truly terrestrial New World primate, extant or extinct. 2) Did Protopithecus position its body in the same unique way that Alouatta does during howling bouts, leaving distinctive skeletal adaptations in the upper body? The intellectual merit of this project addresses a large gap in the evolutionary history of New World primates. Protopithecus is among the most complete non-hominin fossils and it can shed much light on the evolution of the larger, prehensile-tailed monkeys, which are poorly represented in the fossil record. The broader impacts of the project are several. The results will be of interest to the public since opportunities to derive evidence regarding social behaviors, in this case vocalizations, from fossilized skulls is rare and intuitively interesting. International collaborations will be advanced by working with researchers at the Brazilian museum that houses the Protopithecus fossils. This grant will also help to support a female graduate student working in the sciences.

该项目的目标是重建已灭绝的新大陆猴巴西原猿的古生物学，这是一种在巴西洞穴遗址中发现的鲜为人知的化石，由一具几乎完整的骨架代表。 原猿与现存的吼猴（Alouatta）在遗传学上有联系;两者都有吼猴不寻常的颅骨形态，这与吼猴的咆哮声有关。 这项研究的一个主要部分将调查吼猴的下颌骨和颅底的形状，以检验原猿也有一个扩大的舌骨的假设。 通过激光扫描和3D数字化获取的测量数据将使用几何形态测量学的统计方法进行分析。该项目的另一个组成部分侧重于颅后骨骼，以回答两个独立但相关的问题：1）是否有证据支持原古猿是陆地四足动物的假设？ 如果是这样的话，它将是唯一真正的陆地新世界灵长类动物，现存或灭绝。 2)原始古猿在嚎叫时是否也像阿鲁阿塔那样以独特的方式调整身体的位置，从而在上半身留下独特的骨骼适应性？ 这个项目的智力价值解决了新世界灵长类动物进化史上的一个巨大空白。 原猿是最完整的非人类化石之一，它可以揭示更大的进化，长尾猴，这是在化石记录中代表性很差。 该项目的广泛影响有几个。 结果将是感兴趣的公众，因为机会，以获得有关社会行为的证据，在这种情况下，发声，从头骨是罕见的和直观的有趣。 国际合作将通过与巴西博物馆的研究人员合作来推进，该博物馆收藏了原古猿化石。 这笔赠款还将帮助支持一名从事科学工作的女研究生。