Dissertation Research: Understanding the Functional Ecomorphology of Extinct Canids During the Cat-Gap

论文研究：了解猫间隙灭绝犬科动物的功能生态形态

• 批准号: 1701587
• 负责人: David Steadman
• 金额: $ 1.98万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-06-01 至 2018-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1701587&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Understanding; Functional; Ecomorphology

The decline of species diversity is more apparent each decade. This decline is correlated with local and regional climate patterns. Understanding how related groups of animals will adapt in response to newly open community niches is challenging. However, we can look to the past to see how animals adapted to the loss of taxa. This project aims to describe how dogs in general (including foxes, dogs, wolves, etc.) responded in their anatomy and behavior during a 5-million-year time span (21 to 16 million years ago) when there were no cats in North America. This time period is known as the Cat-Gap. Working with 3D scanning techniques, including scans at a tiny scale, and using various 3D software, the researchers will analyze the anatomy of the forelimb of fossil dogs before, during, and after the Cat-Gap. Comparisons will be made with modern dogs and cats of known behavior to make interpretations of the potential behavior of the extinct canids. The primary goal is to learn whether certain canids evolved cat-like adaptations during the 5 million years when North America had no cats. This project will provide undergraduate students with opportunities to learn about research through involvement in all aspects of the research. In addition, parts of the research will be developed into a three-day high school level STEM-integrated module with the help of a local ninth grade science teacher. The researchers will use 3D imagining techniques (NextEngine 3D scanners, nanoCT imaging) to develop a database of surface images for the humerus, radius, and ulna of extant and extinct felids and canids. These 3D surface images will then be analyzed through 3D landmark morphometrics to compare their morphology to that of fossil canids before, during, and after the early Miocene Cat-Gap (21 to 16 Ma), with an understanding that an individual's morphological adaptations are correlated with its predatory behavior. Preliminary data suggest that canids during the Cat-Gap fall within felids and outside of modern canids in their forelimb morphology. Researchers will examine if this holds true before and after the Cat-Gap, with the hypothesis that the canids were more cat-like in morphology only during the Cat-Gap. The 3D data generated by this project will be uploaded for public access in MorphoSource.

物种多样性的下降每十年都更加明显。这种下降与当地和区域气候模式有关。了解相关动物群体如何适应新开放的社区生态位是具有挑战性的。然而，我们可以回顾过去，看看动物是如何适应分类群的丧失的。这个项目的目的是描述如何狗一般（包括狐狸，狗，狼等）。在500万年前（2100万至1600万年前），北美没有猫。这段时间被称为猫的差距。研究人员将使用3D扫描技术，包括小规模扫描，并使用各种3D软件，分析猫沟之前，期间和之后化石狗前肢的解剖结构。将与已知行为的现代狗和猫进行比较，以解释灭绝犬科动物的潜在行为。主要目标是了解某些犬科动物是否在北美没有猫的500万年期间进化出了类似猫的适应性。该项目将为本科生提供机会，通过参与研究的各个方面来了解研究。此外，在当地九年级科学教师的帮助下，部分研究将发展成一个为期三天的高中水平STEM集成模块。研究人员将使用3D成像技术（NextEngine 3D扫描仪，nanoCT成像）开发现存和灭绝的猫科动物和犬科动物肱骨，桡骨和尺骨的表面图像数据库。这些三维表面图像，然后将通过三维地标形态测量学进行分析，比较其形态的化石犬科动物之前，期间和之后的中新世猫隙（21至16马），与理解，个人的形态适应与其捕食行为。初步的数据表明，犬科动物在猫差距属于猫科动物和现代犬科动物的前肢形态。研究人员将研究这是否在猫隙之前和之后都成立，假设犬科动物只有在猫隙期间才在形态上更像猫。该项目生成的3D数据将上传到MorphoSource供公众访问。