Evolution and dispersal of Mammutidae (Proboscidea, Mammalia)

猛犸属的起源、扩散和进化（长鼻目，猛犸科）研究了象总科边缘科--北美猛犸科的历史，特别是从接合齿象到猛犸的过渡。在欧洲文献中，北美猛犸象传统上被认为是上新世晚期从欧洲移民来的，而美国学者则认为是中新世中期早期移民的地方性起源。这种差异主要是由于信息丰富的哺乳动物化石数量有限造成的。申请人最近对来自北美中新世的三个迄今未发表的和高度信息化的化石的检测允许一种新的方法来填补这一关键时期的信息差距。虽然这些标本是在几十年前被挖掘出来的，但迄今为止还没有被研究过。待研究的新材料存放在不同的博物馆/收藏品中;包括俄勒冈州波特兰技术博物馆（OMSI）中的颅骨和下颌骨，以及奥金大学尤金中的上颌骨和下颌骨。与美国同事合作，重建了这些发现的地层位置。它们来自中新世。另外的比较研究与一个头骨的Zygolophodon proavus，唯一已知的头骨，该属来自北美，安置在R。阿尔夫博物馆在克莱蒙，加利福尼亚州，打算与唐洛夫格伦（阿尔夫博物馆）合作。在欧洲方面，将研究一个未发表的部分骨架，包括一个图林根上新世的下颌骨，存放在施洛辛根博物馆。它是最新的欧洲哺乳动物之一，也是中欧最完整的哺乳动物，因此与北美血统的比较很重要。调查应由申请人与Ursula Göhlich一起完成，Ursula Göhlich是新近纪长鼻动物专家，在系统学、颅和颅后解剖学以及饮食方面经验丰富。申请人WvK专门研究长鼻类动物的咀嚼齿系。与美国同事的协议的各种收藏安排和授予。

Origin, dispersal and evolution of the genus Mammut (Proboscidea, Mammutidae)The history of the North American Mammutidae, a marginal family of the Elephantoidea shall be investigated, especially the transition from Zygolophodon to Mammut. In the European literature, traditionally the North American Mammut is regarded as a late immigrant from Europe during the Pliocene, whereas American authors argue for an endemic origin from an early immigrant during the Middle Miocene. This discrepancy is caused mainly by the limited number of informative mammutid fossils. Recent detection made by the applicant of three so far unpublished and highly informative fossils from the Miocene in North America allow a new approach to fill the gap of information during this crucial period. Although these specimens were excavated decades ago, they were not studied so far. The new materials to be investigated are housed in different museums/collections; it includes a cranium with mandible in a technical museum (OMSI) in Portland, Oregon, and a maxilla and a mandible in Eugene, University of Orgeon. In cooperation with American colleagues, the stratigraphic positions of these finds were reconstructed. They are from the Miocene. Additional comparative studies with a skull of Zygolophodon proavus, the only known cranium of this genus from North America, housed in the R. Alf Museum in Claremont, CA, are intended in cooperation with Don Lofgren (Alf Museum). On the European side, an unpublished partial skeleton including a mandible from the Pliocene of Thuringia housed in the Museum of Schleusingen will be studied. It is one of the latest European mammutids and the most complete from Central Europe and therefore important for the comparison with the North American lineage. The investigations shall be done by the applicant together with Ursula Göhlich, a specialist on Neogene proboscidens, experienced in systematics, cranial and postcranial anatomy and diet. The applicant WvK has specialized on the dentition of proboscideans in terms of mastication. Agreements with the American colleagues of the various collections are arranged and granted.