Multidisciplinary research investigating the geographic origins of the African apes and humans

调查非洲猿和人类地理起源的多学科研究

• 批准号: 89745-2011
• 负责人: Begun, David
• 金额: $ 3.64万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2013-01-01 至 2014-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=521841
• 关键词: Multidisciplinary; research; investigating; geographic; origins

This research is designed to test the hypothesis that the ancestors of African apes and humans lived for a time in Europe, and evolved key adaptations there that led to the modern ape and human lineages. It's 4 main components are excavation, fossil analysis, isotope geochemistry and reconnaissance. We have discovered a bone bed rich in fossil vertebrates, including primates, at the main locality of Rudabánya (R II), in northern Hungary. We have portions of two skeletons of the ape Rudapithecus, six well preserved jaws of the primitive catarrhine Anapithecus, and hundreds of bones of other mammals ranging in size from shrews to elephants. It is by far the richest concentration of fossils ever recovered from the site, and most of the deposit remains to be excavated. I expect that more of the skeleton of the ape found in 2009-10 will be recovered through new excavations. Increasing our sample of late Miocene great apes is the only way to test competing hypotheses of African ape and human origins. African ape-like features present in 10 million year old European apes suggest that the lineage passed through a European phase, but the data are limited to certain aspects of the skull and teeth. Skeletons reveal much more about the biology of an organism and are more likely to help researchers unravel the complexities of African ape and human origins. Beyond excavation and analysis, we will carry out the most ambitious, original and comprehensive analysis of the isotope geochemistry of the locality, which will provide more detailed indicators of local ecological conditions than ever produced for a Miocene ape locality, essential information to deduce selection pressures that may have led to significant key innovations in hominoid evolution. Finally, as we finish with the excavation of R II in years 1 to 3 we will conduct surveys of geologically promising outcrops in Hungary but also along the shores of the ancient Paratethys lake system in Croatia and Romania. Previous work by our group has identified many areas with promise of producing productive new fossil localities that will expand our knowledge of the biogeography of late Miocene European mammals and shed light on the true diversity of apes living in Europe at that time.

这项研究旨在验证一种假设，即非洲猿类和人类的祖先曾在欧洲生活过一段时间，并在那里进化出了关键的适应能力，从而形成了现代猿类和人类的血统。它的四个主要组成部分是挖掘、化石分析、同位素地球化学和侦察。我们在匈牙利北部Rudabánya （R II）的主要地点发现了一个富含脊椎动物化石的骨床，包括灵长类动物。我们有两具类人猿的部分骨骼，原始卡塔鼻猿的六块保存完好的颚骨，以及数百块其他哺乳动物的骨骼，从鼩鼱到大象不等。这是迄今为止从该遗址发现的化石最丰富的地方，大部分沉积物仍有待挖掘。我希望在2009- 2010年发现的猿猴骨架会通过新的挖掘被发现。增加我们中新世晚期类人猿的样本是检验非洲猿和人类起源假说的唯一方法。在1000万年前的欧洲猿类身上出现的非洲猿类特征表明，这一谱系经历了一个欧洲阶段，但数据仅限于头骨和牙齿的某些方面。骨骼揭示了更多关于生物体的生物学知识，更有可能帮助研究人员解开非洲猿和人类起源的复杂性。除了挖掘和分析之外，我们将对该地区的同位素地球化学进行最雄心勃勃、最原始和最全面的分析，这将提供比中新世猿类地区更详细的当地生态条件指标，这是推断可能导致类人猿进化重大关键创新的选择压力的重要信息。最后，当我们在第一至第三年完成R II的挖掘时，我们将对匈牙利以及克罗地亚和罗马尼亚古代帕拉提提斯湖系统沿岸的地质前景进行调查。我们小组之前的工作已经确定了许多有希望产生新的化石地点的地区，这些地区将扩大我们对晚中新世欧洲哺乳动物生物地理学的了解，并阐明当时生活在欧洲的猿类的真正多样性。