Anatomy and evolution of stem primates

干灵长类动物的解剖和进化

• 批准号: 283140-2010
• 负责人: Silcox, Mary
• 金额: $ 1.46万
• 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=525620
• 关键词: Anatomy; evolution; stem; primates

Non-human primates are of special interest to us as our closest evolutionary kin. In recent years new discoveries of fossils from our earliest relatives, the stem primate group the Plesiadapiformes, has begun to shed light on the first phases of our evolution. This research seeks to continue these advancements through two inter-related initiatives. First, high resolution X-ray CT (catscan) data will be used to reconstruct endocasts (internal models of the skull which reflect brain anatomy) from fossil primates and from our close living and fossil relatives. This research will provide a better understanding of what is primitive for Primates in terms of the size and form of the brain, and to document changes in this critical organ during the first 15 million years of primate evolution. Second, new fossils will be studied and described from the plesiadapiform family Microsyopidae and its close relatives, allowing for a better understanding of the relationships of groups of fossil primates to one another, and of the primitive traits that characterized our ultimate ancestors. The ultimate goal of this research is to fill out the picture of our early evolution in terms of both relationships and patterns of adaptive change, and to help to characterize what makes our Order distinct from the rest of Mammalia.

非人灵长类动物是我们进化上最亲密的近亲，我们对此特别感兴趣。最近几年，对我们最早的亲属--茎灵长类动物群--Plesiadiformes化石的新发现，开始揭示我们进化的第一个阶段。这项研究试图通过两个相互关联的倡议来继续这些进展。首先，高分辨率X射线CT(CASCAN)数据将用于重建灵长类化石以及我们近亲的活体和化石的内铸件(反映大脑解剖的头骨内部模型)。这项研究将更好地了解灵长类动物大脑的大小和形状方面的原始情况，并记录这一关键器官在灵长类动物进化的前1500万年中的变化。其次，将研究和描述蛇颈龙形科及其近亲的新化石，以便更好地了解灵长类化石群体之间的关系，以及我们最终祖先的原始特征。这项研究的最终目的是从关系和适应性变化的模式两个方面来填充我们早期进化的图景，并帮助描述我们的顺序与哺乳动物其他物种的不同之处。