Paleobiological implications of reproductive traits in dinosauria

这项研究计划的目标是通过研究恐龙的蛋、蛋壳、巢穴、巢和巢环境来增进我们对恐龙古生物学的了解。将测试与恐龙繁殖有关的假说，包括与壳和蛋的形成、筑巢、蛋孵化的性质、婴儿的生长策略以及恐龙之间出现的鸟类繁殖特征有关的假说。该研究项目的化石将在艾伯塔省通过在白垩纪年代的岩石中进行实地考察来收集。将在实验室使用显微镜、CT扫描仪和计算机对恐龙蛋和恐龙巢化石进行详细分析，并对活着的鸟类和鳄鱼的这些特征进行比较分析(因为这些动物是灭绝恐龙的近亲)。拟议的研究计划的独特之处在于，将研究筑巢地点和相关化石，以揭示恐龙的生殖生物学，这是恐龙生物学的一个方面，仅靠研究骨骼遗骸是无法揭示的。值得注意的是，这项研究将极大地提高我们对灭绝恐龙繁殖和发育的理解，并将从长远来看解决始龙(恐龙、鸟类和鳄鱼)之间这些特征的进化模式，进一步阐明灭绝恐龙与现存动物之间的关系。这项研究计划对加拿大很重要，因为从艾伯塔省收集化石将为子孙后代保留加拿大自然历史的重要部分。预计这项研究的结果和发现将通过博物馆展品、电视、报纸、书籍和杂志向公众传达。

The goals of this research program are to advance our knowledge of the paleobiology of dinosaurs through the study of their eggs, eggshells, clutches, nests, and nest environments. Hypotheses related to reproduction in dinosaurs will be tested, including those concerned with shell and egg formation, nesting, nature of egg incubation, growth strategy of babies, and appearance of bird-like reproductive traits among dinosaurs. Fossils for this research program will be collected in Alberta through fieldwork in Cretaceous-aged rocks. Detailed analyses of fossilized eggs and nests of dinosaurs, with comparative analysis of these features in living birds and crocodiles (because these animals are the closest living relatives of extinct dinosaurs), will be conducted in laboratories using microscopes, CT-scanners, and computers. The proposed research program is unique in that nest sites and associated fossils will be studied in order to shed light on the reproductive biology of dinosaurs, an aspect of their biology that cannot be revealed through the study of skeletal remains alone. Significantly, this research will greatly enhance our understanding of reproduction and development in extinct dinosaurs, and will resolve the patterns of evolution of such traits among archosaurs (dinosaurs, birds, and crocodiles) in the long-term, further illuminating the relationships between extinct dinosaurs and living animals. This research program is important to Canada because the collection of fossils from Alberta will preserve a significant part of Canada's natural history for future generations. It is anticipated that the results and discoveries of this research will be relayed to the public through museum exhibits, television, newspapers, books, and magazines.