COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SNAPSHOTS FROM THE ANCIENT INDO-PACIFIC: REMARKABLE EOCENE FISH FAUNAS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR THE ORIGIN OF A MODERN MARINE BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT

世界上有些地区比其他地区拥有更多种类的物种。这些所谓的生物多样性热点如何产生并随着时间的推移而变化是一个重要问题，特别是因为这些地区受到人类活动的压力。主要的海洋热点位于印度-西太平洋地区，是地球上鱼类多样性最大的地方。然而，该地区鱼类的化石记录稀少，这对理解这种非常多样化的现代动物群的起源构成了障碍。该项目将侧重于三个不同的组合海洋鱼类化石从巴基斯坦，开始，以填补这一空白。这些化石的年龄在4800万到4300万年之间，可以追溯到印度-巴基斯坦是印度洋中的一个大岛的时候。它们提供了旧世界热带地区鱼类生活的“快照”，并为现代生物多样性热点的形成提供了重要线索。这项研究将为两所公立大学的本科生、硕士生和博士生提供培训。研究结果将发表在科学文章中，并在专业会议上发表。该项目的成果将通过可见的准备实验室、在博物馆和其他公共场所举办的活动以及互动展示与公众分享，展示化石标本、可触摸的模型和化石鱼的生活重建。研究的化石来自巴基斯坦的两个海洋始新世地层，代表三种不同的环境。根据保存模式，将使用化学方法、机械技术、显微CT扫描或X射线摄影制备标本。将通过与现代标本和化石标本的骨骼标本进行比较来进行分类鉴定。我们将量化巴基斯坦的始新世组合现代和古代海洋鱼类动物群的相似性，以测试其他分类群的基础上提出的海洋生物多样性热点转移的假设。一个选定的标本数量将受到详细的解剖和系统发育分析，结合形态，分子和地层数据。由此产生的遗传学将被用来测试的营养和生态创新的时间在一些早期古近纪硬骨鱼明显的假说。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

Some regions of the world are home to a greater variety of species than others. How these so-called biodiversity hotspots arise and change over time is an important question, especially as these areas are under pressure from human activities. The major marine hotspot lies in the Indo-West Pacific region, and is home to the greatest diversity of fishes anywhere on the planet. The sparse fossil record of fishes in the region, however, has been an obstacle to understanding the origin of this remarkably diverse modern fauna. This project will focus on three distinct assemblages of marine fish fossils from Pakistan that begin to fill this gap. Between 48 and 43 million years old, these fossils date to a time when Indo-Pakistan was a large island in what would become the Indian Ocean. They provide ‘snapshots’ of fish life in the Old World Tropics and provide important clues into how the modern biodiversity hotspot came to be. This study will provide training for undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD students at two public universities. Results will be published in scientific articles and presented at professional meetings. Outcomes from the project will be shared with the public through a combination of visible preparation labs, events held at museums and other public venues, and an interactive display featuring fossil specimens, touchable casts, and life reconstructions of fossil fishes.The fossils examined are from two marine Eocene formations in Pakistan, representing three distinct environments. Specimens will be prepared using chemical approaches, mechanical techniques, micro-CT scanning, or radiography, depending on their mode of preservation. Taxonomic identifications will be made through comparison with skeletal preparations of modern and fossil specimens. We will quantify the similarity of the Eocene assemblages from Pakistan to modern and ancient marine fish faunas to test hypotheses of a shifting marine biodiversity hotspot proposed on the basis of other taxonomic groups. A select number of specimens will be subject to detailed anatomical and phylogenetic analysis incorporating morphological, molecular, and stratigraphic data. Resulting phylogenies will be used to test hypotheses about the timing of trophic and ecological innovation apparent among some early Paleogene teleostean fishes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.