Patterns of diversification in terrestrial vertebrate evolution

脊椎动物的化石记录保存了复杂的骨骼和牙齿，为研究导致现代生态系统的机制和条件提供了跨大时间尺度的进化动力学的最佳证据。羊膜动物进化的起源和最初阶段代表着地球历史上一个伟大篇章的开始，那就是脊椎动物征服陆地。在3.11亿年前首次出现的600万年内，我们看到了持续到现在的快速进化辐射，包括现存的鳞类、海龟、鳄鱼、鸟类、哺乳动物和许多已灭绝的近亲，包括恐龙。*脊椎动物古生物学正在进行的研究，包括解剖学、分类多样性和早期羊水动物的系统发育关系，将继续*成为本提案的一部分，因为新的发现可能会对我们对脊椎动物进化的理解产生重大影响。在这里，我建议将这些正在进行的调查与生态多样性研究相结合。因此，我计划评估随着时间的推移，出租车和生态多样性的进化变化，这反映在它们重建的觅食行为上。首先，我*将首次整合经过校准的跨*支系的系统发育分析，以便更好地理解*社区内的多样化和进化模式。然后，我将研究形态变异(差异)，*包括牙齿和下颌的多样性在比较的、系统发生的和*时间的背景下，以跟踪早期*羊膜动物的生态多样性，因为它们进化到获取以前未被占领的生态空间和新的食物*资源。对连续古生代群落中牙齿和颌骨形状以及大小变化的形态计量分析将被组织成8个时间段，从晚石炭世(311 Ma)到中二叠世(272 Ma)。为了了解这些古生代群落中存在的生态多样性，我计划量化牙齿和颌骨形态的变化，并推断每个分类群的饮食偏好。包括头颅和颅后数据在内的其他几个变量也可能包括在总视差分析中。由于现存的爬行动物在形态上与古生代的陆生羊膜动物相似，鳞片动物可以作为现存的模式系统。我的研究小组将首次开发可应用于早期羊水的生态形态模型，并测试饮食变化对羊水生态多样化的假设重要性。生态多样性和分类多样性组合模式的新颖使用代表了我们处理这一古生物学研究计划的一种变革性方式。这些分析将为陆地脊椎动物进化的初始阶段早期羊栖生物的群落结构和进化提供新的线索。***0*0*1*413*2440*多伦多大学密西索加分校*40*25*2828*14.0***正常*0***假**EN-US*JA*X-NONE*****.MsoNormal表*{mso-style-name：“正常表”；*mso-tstyle-rowband-size：0；*mso-tstyle-colband-size：0；*mso-style-noshow：yes；*mso-style-first：99；*mso-style-parent：“”；*mso-pding-alt：0 cm 5.4pt 0 cm 5.4pt；*mso-para-mark：0 cm；*mso-para-edge-Bottom：.0001pt；*mso-Page：寡妇-孤儿；*字体大小：12.0pt；*font-Family：Cambria；*mso-ascii-font-Family：Cambria；*mso-ascii-主题-字体：小调-拉丁语；*mso-h

The fossil record of vertebrates, with preservation of complex*skeletons and teeth provides the best evidence of evolutionary dynamics across*large temporal scales for investigating the mechanisms and conditions that led*to the modern ecosystems. The origin and initial stages of*amniote evolution represent the start of a great*chapter in earth's history, the conquest of land by vertebrates. Within 6*million years of their first appearance*311 Million year ago (Ma), we see rapid evolutionary radiations that extend to*the present, and include extant squamates, turtles, crocodiles,*birds, mammals, and many extinct relatives, including dinosaurs.***Ongoing research in vertebrate paleontology including the anatomy,*taxic diversity, and phylogenetic relationships of early amniotes will continue*to be part of the present proposal because new discoveries can have major*impacts on our understanding of vertebrate evolution. Here I propose to combine*these ongoing investigations with studies of ecological diversity. I therefore*plan to evaluate evolutionary changes in both taxic and ecological diversity*through time as reflected by their reconstructed feeding behaviour. First, I*will integrate for the first time calibrated phylogenetic analyses across*clades for a better understanding of patterns of diversification and evolution*within communities. I will then examine morphological variation (disparity),*including dental and mandibular diversity in comparative, phylogenetic and*temporal contexts in order to track the ecological diversification of early*amniotes as they evolved to access formerly unoccupied ecospaces and novel food*resources. Morphometric analyses of variation in tooth and jaw shape, and size*in successive Paleozoic communities will be organized into 8 time bins that*extend from the Late Carboniferous (311 Ma) to the Middle Permian (272 Ma). In*order to understand the ecological diversity present in these Paleozoic*communities I plan to quantify variation in tooth and jaw morphology, and*deduce the dietary preferences in each taxon. Several other variables,*including cranial and postcranial data may be included in the total disparity*analyses. Since extant reptiles show morphological similarities to Paleozoic*terrestrial amniotes, squamates can be used as extant model systems. My*research group will develop for the first time ecomorphological models that can*be applied to early amniotes, and test the hypothetical importance of dietary*shifts in the ecological diversification of amniotes. The novel use of combined ecological*and taxic diversity patterns represents one of the transformative ways in which*we approach this paleobiological research program. These analyses will shed new light on the community structure and evolution of early amniotes during the*initial stages of terrestrial vertebrate evolution.***** * 0* 0* 1* 413* 2440* University of Toronto at Mississauga* 40* 25* 2828* 14.0* * * * *** * Normal* 0* * * * * false* false* false* * EN-US* JA* X-NONE* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * **** /* Style Definitions */*table.MsoNormalTable* {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";* mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;* mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;* mso-style-noshow:yes;* mso-style-priority:99;* mso-style-parent:"";* mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;* mso-para-margin:0cm;* mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;* mso-pagination:widow-orphan;* font-size:12.0pt;* font-family:Cambria;* mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;* mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;* mso-h