Collaborative Research: Understanding Temporal Variation in Primate Communities: Integrating Data from Extant and Fossil Species

物种在全球的分布受到多种因素的影响，包括气候、栖息地、进化史以及与其他生物的相互作用。对物种分布的研究主要集中在现代气候变化和物种分布上。在这个项目中，古生物学和现代生态学数据的新组合将被用来研究过去的气候模式和哺乳动物之间的竞争是如何促进目前的灵长类生物多样性的。由于栖息地的丧失和碎片化正在世界范围内发生，研究决定灵长类生物多样性的因素对保护管理和维持热带森林生态系统的完整性具有重要意义。更好地了解灵长类分布是如何随着时间和环境变化而变化的，将为预测灵长类范围和群落结构变化的模型提供依据，以适应未来的气候和栖息地变化。该项目将包括开发一个数据库和基于网络的科学教育资源，以及培训传统上代表性不足的STEM领域的学生。学生将获得数据管理和分析方面的重要技能，这些技能随后可以用于各种未来的职业道路。该项目旨在研究灵长类群落在空间和时间上的系统发育和特征结构，以及可能导致灵长类物种分布和适应变化的非生物和生物因素。该项目是独一无二的，因为化石物种的位置和特征将与现有的群落数据相结合，用于宏观生态和进化分析。将讨论的一些问题是：在相似环境中但在不同大陆上找到的社区是否汇聚在相同的结构上？从中新世到现在的气候模式是否影响灵长类群落结构？作为潜在竞争对手的非灵长类哺乳动物的存在和多样性是否会影响灵长类群落结构？气候特征能预测灵长类化石群落的特征和系统发育结构吗？该项目中提出的研究将涉及对理解灵长类和其他哺乳动物的现代和过去的分布和共存至关重要的主题。使用社区级别的方法对于了解物种如何相互作用以影响彼此行为、生态和形态的进化至关重要。更好地了解灵长类群落如何随着时间和环境的变化而变化，将为预测灵长类分布和群落结构未来变化的模型提供依据，这些变化与气候和栖息地变化有关。

The distribution of species across the globe is influenced by several factors including climate, habitat, evolutionary history, and interactions with other organisms. Research on species distribution has primarily focused on modern climate variation and species distributions. In this project, a novel combination of paleontological and modern ecological data will be used to examine how past climate patterns and competition among mammals have contributed to current primate biodiversity. As habitat loss and fragmentation are occurring worldwide, research investigating the factors determining primate biodiversity has implications for conservation management and maintaining the integrity of tropical forest ecosystems. Obtaining a better understanding of how primate distributions change through time and in response to changing environments will inform models for predicting shifts in primate ranges and community structure for future climates and habitat changes. The project will include the development of a database and web-based science education resources, and training of students from traditionally under-represented populations in the STEM fields. Students will gain important skills in data management and analyses that can subsequently be used in a wide variety of future career paths. The project seeks to examine primate community phylogenetic and trait structure across space and through time with abiotic and biotic factors suggested to cause the changing distributions and adaptations of primate species. The project is unique because fossil species locations and traits will be integrated with extant community data for macro-ecological and evolutionary analyses. Some of the questions addressed will be: Do communities found in similar environments, but on different continents, converge on the same structures? Do climate patterns from the Miocene through the present influence primate community structure? Do the presence and diversity of non-primate mammals that are potential primate competitors impact primate community structure? Are trait and phylogenetic structures of fossil primate communities predicted by climatic characteristics? The research proposed in this project will address topics that are central to understanding the modern and past distribution and coexistence of primates and other mammals. Using a community-level approach is essential for understanding how species interact to impact the evolution of each other's behavior, ecology, and morphology. Obtaining a better understanding of how primate communities change through time and in response to changing environments will inform models for predicting future shifts in primate distributions and community structure related to climate and habitat change.