Development, Diversity And Evolution Of Reptilian Skull Shape

爬行动物头骨形状的发展、多样性和进化

• 批准号: MR/W011484/1
• 负责人: Laura Porro
• 金额: $ 123.4万
• 依托单位: University College London
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Fellowship
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2022 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR%2FW011484%2F1
• 关键词: Development; Diversity; Evolution; Reptilian; Skull

What factors determine animal shape, both during the life of an individual and during evolution? Identifying the forces shaping organismal form and biodiversity is recognised as one of the great scientific challenges of the 21st century. Addressing this challenge demands a large-scale, interdisciplinary approach capable of disentangling the numerous and complex factors known to influence animal form.Vertebrate skulls are enormously diverse, and are shaped by predetermined developmental programmes and evolutionary history, as well as by various functional demands - housing and protecting the brain and sense organs, feeding, interactions with other organisms (communication, combat), and even the external environment. All of these factors work together to control shape; however, it is unclear to what extent each contributes to final adult form or how they act during the evolution of a lineage. My ambitious proposal will bring together large datasets, cutting-edge methods, and world-class expertise to precisely identify the determinants of skull shape at two very different timescales: during the development and growth of an individual, and through evolutionary time.Reptiles (both living and fossil forms) are an ideal model system for investigating the impact of multiple factors on skull shape: they occupy diverse terrestrial, aquatic, marine and aerial habitats; consume a wide range of foods; exhibit enormous differences in body size; and feature an excellent fossil record stretching back over 300 million years. In order to document changes in reptilian skull shape and pinpoint the forces driving these changes, I will apply a holistic approach involving: advanced 3D imaging and visualization of the skull and (for living reptiles) soft tissues of the head; contemporary morphometrics analyses to quantify form; and state-of-the-art biomechanical modelling techniques - including musculoskeletal modelling and finite element analysis - to rigorously determine skull performance, such as bite forces, jaw closing speed, and skull strength. These models will be refined and validated using new information on muscle architecture and biological material properties collected during the project. The proposed research is particularly timely as it will draw on a wealth of data - anatomical, experimental, phylogenetic and developmental - from my own previous work and from ongoing collaborations. Integrating these disparate strands of information will allow me to determine how different factors interact to shape reptilian skulls.This work will bring us closer than ever to understanding one of the most important and fundamental questions in evolutionary biology: precisely how do complex forces interact with each other to drive organismal change and biodiversity? I will set new standards for performing truly multidisciplinary, comprehensive studies in functional morphology that can be applied to other organismal groups and body systems. The project will establish new and solidify existing UK and overseas collaborations, and provide vital training for two early career scientists. Workers across diverse fields - evolutionary and developmental biologists, palaeontologists, engineers, and ecologists and conservation scientists - will benefit from vast new data sets, and new workflows and methodological advances, sparking many future studies. Finally, the visual and technological aspects of this work, as well as its focus on charismatic living and fossil animals, will appeal to the general public, generating engagement opportunities and media interest. Project results will be incorporated into teaching and a museum exhibit at UCL's Grant Museum, and 3D digital models will be made freely accessible, leading to greater appreciation of how organisms develop and evolve, and the importance of researchers across different fields working together to address big questions.

在个体生命和进化过程中，是什么因素决定了动物的形状？确定塑造生物形态和生物多样性的力量被认为是21世纪的重大科学挑战之一。应对这一挑战需要一种大规模的、跨学科的方法，能够理清影响动物形态的众多复杂因素。脊椎动物的头骨非常多样化，由预定的发展计划和进化史以及各种功能需求--安置和保护大脑和感官、进食、与其他生物的互动(通信、战斗)，甚至外部环境--塑造。所有这些因素共同作用来控制形状；然而，目前还不清楚每一个因素在多大程度上影响最终的成年形状，也不清楚它们在血统进化过程中的作用。我雄心勃勃的计划将汇集大型数据集、尖端方法和世界级的专业知识，以在两个非常不同的时间尺度上精确识别头骨形状的决定因素：在个体的发育和成长期间，以及通过进化时间。爬行动物(包括活的和化石的形式)是研究多种因素对头骨形状影响的理想模型系统：它们占据不同的陆地、水生、海洋和空中栖息地；消费广泛的食物；显示出身体大小的巨大差异；以及可以追溯到3亿多年前的出色化石记录。为了记录爬行动物头骨形状的变化并查明推动这些变化的力量，我将应用一种全方位的方法，涉及：高级3D成像和可视化的头骨和(对于现存的爬行动物)头部软组织；现代形态测量学分析以量化形状；以及最先进的生物力学建模技术-包括肌肉骨骼建模和有限元分析-以严格确定头骨的性能，如咬合力、下巴关闭速度和头骨强度。这些模型将使用在项目期间收集的关于肌肉结构和生物材料属性的新信息来改进和验证。这项拟议的研究特别及时，因为它将利用我之前的工作和正在进行的合作中的大量数据--解剖学、实验、系统发育和发育数据。整合这些不同的信息链将使我能够确定不同的因素如何相互作用来塑造爬行动物的头骨。这项工作将使我们比以往任何时候都更接近于理解进化生物学中最重要和最基本的问题之一：复杂的力量是如何相互作用来驱动生物变化和生物多样性的？我将设立新的标准，在功能形态方面进行真正多学科、全面的研究，这些研究可以应用于其他生物群体和身体系统。该项目将建立新的和巩固现有的英国和海外合作，并为两名早期职业科学家提供重要的培训。不同领域的工作者--进化和发育生物学家、古生物学家、工程师、生态学家和保护科学家--将受益于海量的新数据集、新的工作流程和方法进步，从而引发许多未来的研究。最后，这项工作的视觉和技术方面，以及它对有魅力的活动物和化石动物的关注，将吸引普通公众，产生参与机会和媒体的兴趣。项目成果将被纳入教学和伦敦大学学院赠款博物馆的博物馆展览，3D数字模型将免费提供，使人们更好地了解生物体是如何发展和进化的，以及不同领域的研究人员合作解决重大问题的重要性。