Doctoral Dissertation Improvement: Paleobiology of Theropithecus brumpti from the Turkana Basin, Kenya and Ethiopia

狒狒属（Theropithecus）的化石代表经常被用作过去环境的指示物和人类进化的类似物。然而，这些数据基本上局限于一个物种，即草原适应的草原，掩盖了属内潜在的形态和生态广度。新的假定的森林适应物种，T. brumpti的化石材料，现在是可用的。本项目详细描述了布隆普蒂的古生物学，包括颅后功能形态学和运动模式，并记录了头猿运动行为的形态学相关。从所有可获得的布隆普蒂弓形虫颅后材料中收集的线性测量数据和广泛的比较样本用于检查一般尺寸和被认为与运动模式相关的颅后特征。这些特征在已知的cercopithecids中差异很大。这些测量结果通过定性、单变量和多变量定量方法进行分析，以验证以下假设：(1)与目前的文献相反，尽管与森林栖息地有关，但实际上brumpti是相对于陆地的（与大多数cercopithecids相比）；(2)与其他Theropithecus物种相比，brumpti具有更多的树栖适应性；(3)是灵巧的手工觅食者。本项目是第一个综合分析布伦普蒂的颅后功能。这些数据以及比较样本可以用于进一步探索(1)气候变化如何影响南猿的解剖和行为；(2)特定环境下物种发生和进化的模式；(3)未来研究中额外化石分类群的解释；(4)人类进化的古生态背景。该项目将增加新的形态学数据，通过共享数据库（即PRIMO）和出版物广泛传播，并加强美国、埃塞俄比亚和肯尼亚研究人员之间的联系。此外，该项目还支持一名女研究生的研究。

The fossil representatives of the baboon genus Theropithecus are often used as indicators of past environments and as analogues for human evolution. However, data are essentially limited to one species, the grassland adapted T. oswaldi, masking potential morphological and ecological breadth within the genus. New fossil material of the putatively forest adapted species, T. brumpti, is now available. This project presents a detailed description of the paleobiology of T. brumpti including postcranial functional morphology and locomotor mode, and documents morphological correlates of cercopithecine locomotor behavior. Linear measurements collected from all available T. brumpti postcranial material and an extensive comparative sample are used to examine both general size and postcranial features that are thought to be related to locomotor mode. These features vary significantly among known cercopithecids. These measurements are analyzed using qualitative as well as univariate and multivariate quantitative approaches to test the hypotheses that (1) contrary to the current literature T. brumpti is actually relatively terrestrial (compared to most cercopithecids) even though associated with forest habitats, (2) yet, has more arboreal adaptations than other Theropithecus species, and (3) was a dexterous manual forager. This project is the first comprehensive postcranial functional analysis of T. brumpti. These data, along with the comparative sample, can be used to further explore (1) how climatic changes influence Theropithecus anatomy and behavior, (2) patterns of species occurrence and evolution in specific environmental contexts and (3) the interpretation of additional fossil taxa in future studies and (4) the paleoecological context of human evolution. This project will add new morphological data to be disseminated widely through shared databases (i.e. PRIMO) and publications, as well as strengthening ties between American, Ethiopian and Kenyan researchers. In addition, the project supports the research of a female graduate student.