Diving into deep-time: macroevolutionary patterns of aquatic tetrapods

该项目旨在比较和对比水生四足动物(如鲸鱼、企鹅、蛇颈龙)不同谱系的大范围进化模式。该项目希望通过利用几个领域的尖端方法来产生新的知识，例如三维扫描、系统发育比较方法和功能形态学。预期成果包括出版多种高质量的出版物以及发展新的地方和国际合作。这将带来巨大的好处，包括揭示史无前例的水生四足动物进化，以及更好地了解澳大利亚一些最具标志性的动物如何应对全球变化，有助于为生态旅游和保护政策提供信息。

This project aims to compare and contrast the broad-scale evolutionary patterns of the disparate lineages of aquatic tetrapod (e.g. whales, penguins, plesiosaurs). This project expects to generate new knowledge by utilising cutting-edge methods from several fields, e.g. three-dimensional scans, phylogenetic comparative methods and functional morphology. Expected outcomes include multiple high-quality publications and the development of new local and international collaborations. This will provide significant benefits, including revealing aquatic tetrapod evolution on an unprecedented scale and a better understanding of how some of Australia’s most iconic animals respond to global change, helping inform eco-tourism and conservation policies.