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

狒狒属的化石代表通常被用作过去环境的指标，并作为人类进化的类似物。然而，数据基本上限于一个物种，草地适应T。oswaldi，掩盖了属内潜在的形态和生态宽度。本文报道了中国北方森林适应种T. Brumpti，现已上市。本项目详细描述了T. brumpti，包括颅后功能形态和运动模式，并文件的形态学相关的猕猴运动行为。从所有可用的T. brumpti颅后材料和广泛的比较样本被用来检查一般大小和颅后特征，这些被认为与运动模式有关。 这些特征在已知的长尾猴科中有很大的不同。本文采用定性、单变量和多变量的定量方法对这些测量结果进行了分析，以检验以下假设：（1）与现有文献T。尽管与森林栖息地有关，但brumpti实际上是相对陆地的（与大多数长尾猴相比），（2）然而，比其他Theropithecus物种具有更多的树栖适应性，（3）是一种灵巧的手动觅食者。 该项目是第一个全面的颅后功能分析T。brumpti。这些数据，沿着比较样本，可用于进一步探索（1）气候变化如何影响Theropithecus解剖和行为，（2）在特定环境背景下物种发生和进化的模式，（3）在未来的研究中解释额外的化石分类群，（4）人类进化的古生态环境。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.