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随着时间的推移而产生和变化是一个重要的问题，特别是当这些地区受到人类活动的压力时。主要的海洋热点位于印度-西太平洋地区，这里是地球上鱼类多样性最大的地方。然而，该地区鱼类化石记录的稀少，一直是了解这种极其多样化的现代动物群起源的障碍。该项目将重点关注巴基斯坦的三种不同的海鱼化石组合，它们开始填补这一空白。在4800万年到4300万年之间，这些化石可以追溯到印度-巴基斯坦还是印度洋上的一个大岛的时候。它们提供了旧大陆热带地区鱼类生活的“快照”，并为现代生物多样性热点如何形成提供了重要线索。本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论文中，并在专业会议上发表。该项目的成果将通过可视化准备实验室，博物馆和其他公共场所举办的活动，以及化石标本，可触摸模型和化石鱼类生命重建的互动展示与公众分享。这些化石来自巴基斯坦的两个始新世海洋地层，代表了三种不同的环境。根据其保存方式，将使用化学方法、机械技术、微ct扫描或射线照相来制备标本。分类鉴定将通过与现代和化石标本的骨骼准备进行比较。我们将量化巴基斯坦始新世组合与现代和古代海洋鱼类动物群的相似性，以验证基于其他分类群提出的海洋生物多样性热点转移的假设。精选的标本将进行详细的解剖和系统发育分析，包括形态、分子和地层数据。由此产生的系统发育将被用来检验关于一些早期古近纪远骨鱼类中明显的营养和生态创新时间的假设。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.