CAREER: Significance of Cenozoic climate and environmental changes on the ecology and evolution of marsupials in Australia: A multi-proxy approach

新标题：职业：气候和环境变化对澳大利亚有袋类动物生态和进化的意义：来自远古时期牙齿化石分析的证据非技术摘要：评估哺乳动物如何对过去的气候和环境变化做出反应有助于澄清活着的哺乳动物可能如何应对当前的气候变化。预计到2050年，澳大利亚将经历更多极端干旱、强烈降水事件和极端气温上升，因此评估气候变化和栖息地改变对活哺乳动物和化石哺乳动物的影响至关重要。在整个深海时期，澳大利亚的风景已经从最初潮湿的森林变成了更温带和更干燥的地区。干旱的加剧可能对有袋哺乳动物的进化和灭绝产生了深远的影响；然而，需要关键的工作来更好地了解今天和过去的有袋哺乳动物的生态学。使用一种综合的方法，结合各种分析方法产生的数据，这些数据可以澄清对气候变化的长期反应，并揭示许多哺乳动物灭绝的潜在原因。这项研究将与教育活动相结合，包括研究生、本科生和高中生的参与(包括性别和/或少数民族，田纳西州盲人学校的学生参与)。通过学生研究经验的结合，包括进行初级研究和数字推广产品，正式的指导和多样化的教育推广计划，这项职业研究将广泛传播给当地和全球观众。技术摘要：这项职业研究的主要目标是阐明澳大利亚新生代有袋哺乳动物的生态和生物学：(1)评估环境和气候条件的变化，包括森林环境的潜在下降；以及(2)阐明哺乳动物如何应对气候变化，包括自中新世以来干旱加剧和约35万年前以来更明显的干旱。通过对化石牙釉质的稳定同位素分析、3D牙齿微磨损纹理分析、牙齿中耳分析和形态分析，大量草食和肉食哺乳动物的古生态和古生物学可以用来检验关于澳大利亚有袋哺乳动物进化和灭绝的多种假说--包括阐明对气候变化的长期反应。将长期的古生物学证据与现代生态学研究相结合，研究现存的大型足类动物对近期干旱事件的反应，可以协同阐明生物对干旱的反应。研究将与所有拟议的教育活动相结合，包括：1)将初级研究项目作为本科生和研究生课程的一部分；2)在初级研究和教育推广活动中指导高中生、本科生和研究生；3)与田纳西州盲人学校合作，开展初级中等教育研究和宣传教育；4)通过参加范德比尔特大学的女孩和科学营和探险科学中心的Twister，鼓励女性和/或代表性不足的少数群体考虑从事STEM职业；5)通过在纳什维尔动物园开发讲解车和培训以及在当地场馆开展公共外联活动，提高科学素养和研究活动和成果的知名度。

New Title:CAREER: Significance of climate and environmental changes on the ecology and evolution of marsupials in Australia: evidence from the analysis of fossil teeth over deep-timeNon-technical abstract:Assessing how mammals have responded to past climate and environmental change can help clarify how living mammals may respond to current climate change. As Australia is projected to experience more extreme drought and intense precipitation events and extreme temperature increases by 2050, it is critical to assess the effects of climate change and habitat modification on living and fossil mammals. Throughout deep-time, landscapes in Australia have change from primarily moist forests to more temperate and drier regions. Increased aridity likely had profound impacts on the evolution and extinction of marsupial mammals; however, critical work is needed to better understand the ecology of marsupial mammals both today and in the past. Using an integrative approach that combines data resulting from a diversity of analytical methods, these data can clarify long-term responses to climate change and reveal potential reasons as to why many mammals went extinct. This research will be integrated with educational activities, including the involvement of graduate, undergraduate, and high school students (including gender and/or ethnic minorities, with involvement of student from the Tennessee School for the Blind). Through a combination of student research experiences that include conducting primary research and digital outreach products, formal mentoring, and a diversity of educational outreach programs, this CAREER research will be broadly disseminated to both local and global audiences.Technical abstract:The primary goal of this CAREER research is to clarify the ecology and biology of marsupial mammals in Australia during the Cenozoic to: (1) assess changes in environmental and climatic conditions, including potential declines in forested environments; and (2) clarify how mammals have responded to climate change, including increased aridity since the Miocene and more pronounced aridification since ~350 thousand years ago. Through the integration of stable isotope analyses of fossil tooth enamel, 3D dental microwear texture analysis, dental mesowear analysis, and morphological analysis, the paleoecology and paleobiology of numerous herbivorous and carnivorous mammals can be used to test a multitude of hypotheses regarding the evolution and extinction of marsupial mammals in Australia - including clarifying long-term responses to climate change. The integration of long-term paleontological evidence with modern ecological studies of extant macropodid responses to recent drought events, can synergistically clarify biotic responses to aridification. The research will be integrated with all proposed educational activities, including: 1) conducting primary research projects as part of undergraduate and graduate coursework; 2) mentor high school, undergraduate, and graduate students in both primary research and educational outreach activities; 3) work with the Tennessee School for the Blind to conduct primary mesowear research and engage in educational outreach, 4) encourage females and/or underrepresented minorities to consider STEM careers via participation in both the Girls and Science Camp at Vanderbilt University and TWISTER at the Adventure Science Center, and 5) increase scientific literacy and visibility of research activities and outcomes through the development of docent carts and training at the Nashville Zoo and through public outreach events at local venues.