DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Phylogeny and Biogeography of Hyaenodontidae (Mammalia, Placentalia)

在现代生态系统中，处于食物链顶端的哺乳动物是食肉目的成员，如狗、猫和鬣狗。但在哺乳动物时代的大部分时间里，食肉动物与已灭绝的哺乳动物家族Hyaenodontidae共享肉食生态位。在欧亚大陆、北美和非洲都可以找到这种不同种类的物种。在非洲，这些哺乳动物是我们早期祖先进化的生态系统中的主要捕食者。尽管它们的食肉习性，Hyaenodontids可能并不是肉食性动物的密切关系，它们在哺乳动物族谱中的地位尚未确定。这项研究项目将利用分子和解剖学证据以及重建物种间关系的复杂技术来阐明海齿目动物物种之间的关系，并测试S家族在哺乳动物族谱中的位置。更好地了解最早的陆上食肉动物对于了解现代哺乳动物生态系统的进化、依赖肉类的饮食的进化以及早新生代(6500万到1000万年前)欧亚、非洲和美洲生态系统之间的生物联系是至关重要的。这项研究已经与高中生和本科生进行了合作，并成为石溪大学为女性开设的科学与工程课程的一部分。它还为想要使用古生物学教授纽约核心课程目标的后期小学和高中教师提供了在线资源。

In modern ecosystems, the mammals at the top of the food chain are members of the order Carnivora, such as dogs, cats, and hyaenas. But for the much of the Age of Mammals, carnivorans shared the meat-eating niche with an extinct family of mammals called Hyaenodontidae. Species from this diverse family could be found across Eurasia, North America, and Africa. In Africa, these mammals were the primary predators in the ecosystems where our early ancestors evolved. Despite their carnivorous habits, hyaenodontids might not have been closely related to carnivorans, and their place in the mammalian family tree has not yet been established. This research project will clarify the relationships between hyaenodontid species and test the family?s position within the mammalian family tree using molecular and anatomical evidence and sophisticated techniques for reconstructing relationships between species.A better understanding of the earliest land-based carnivores is essential for understanding the evolution of modern mammalian ecosystems, the evolution of meat-dependent diets, and the biological connections between Eurasian, African, and American ecosystems through the early Cenozoic Era (65 to 10 million years ago). This research has already generated collaborations with high school students, undergraduate students, and has formed part of a course offered to Women in Science and Engineering at Stony Brook University. It has also generated online resources for late elementary and high school teachers who want to use paleontology to teach New York core-curriculum objectives.