DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Functional and comparative morphology of the nasal cavity in phyllostomid bats

像大多数哺乳动物一样，叶鼻蝙蝠使用鼻子进行呼吸（呼吸）和嗅觉（嗅觉）。然而，与大多数哺乳动物不同的是，这些动物也用鼻子传递回声定位的声音。这三种功能中的每一种都需要相对较小的鼻腔内的空间和连通性。作为了解这些功能演变中潜在权衡的第一步，本研究旨在了解鼻腔的形态与嗅觉的关系。利用各种经典和尖端的解剖学技术（比较解剖学，组织学，显微CT扫描和计算流体动力学），这项研究采用多学科方法来了解14种蝙蝠样本在进化时间内的形式与功能之间的关系。这项研究将导致更好地了解复杂系统的演化中的功能权衡。关于形式和功能之间关系的问题在进化生物学中有着悠久的历史，这项研究将为理解颅骨未充分研究区域的形式-功能关系做出重大贡献。作为这项研究的一部分，本科生将在生成和测试假设，收集解剖数据，并解释结果进行培训。CT扫描和计算模型将通过在线数据库传播给其他科学家和公众。

Like most mammals, leaf-nosed bats use their noses in respiration (breathing) and olfaction (smelling). Unlike most mammals, however, these animals also use their noses to transmit echolocation calls. Each of these three functions requires space and connectivity within the relatively small nasal cavity. As a first step toward understanding the potential trade-offs in the evolution of these functions, this study seeks to understand how the morphology of the nasal cavity relates to olfaction in particular. Drawing on a diverse array of classic and cutting-edge anatomical techniques (comparative anatomy, histology, micro-CT scanning, and computational fluid dynamics), this research takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding how form relates to function across evolutionary time in a sample of 14 species of bats. This research will lead to a better understanding of functional trade-offs in the evolution of complex systems. Questions about the relationship between form and function have a long history in evolutionary biology, and this research will make significant contributions to understanding the form-function relationship in an understudied region of the skull. As part of this research, undergraduates will be trained in generating and testing hypotheses, gathering anatomical data, and interpreting results. CT scans and computational models will be disseminated to other scientists and to the public through online databases.