Evolutionary Diversification within Lepidosauromorpha: The Origins, Phylogeny, and Adaptive Radiations of Squamates

我的研究项目致力于进一步了解化石和现存的蛇、蜥蜴和两栖动物（统称为鳞片目）的起源、进化和系统发育关系。与过去的研究一致，我的哲学和方法论方法将集中在所有化石和活鳞片动物的比较解剖学数据集上，重点是对大部分被忽视的化石分类群的观察。化石记录作为解剖学新颖性数据来源的重要性怎么强调都不为过，我的实验室致力于发现和传播这些数据集对我们理解进化模式和过程的价值和重要性。我的研究方法使用了所有来自化石的证据，例如，它们的解剖学，生物地层学和古生物地理学等，在假设的构建中，以及所有来自活蛇和蜥蜴的可用数据（解剖学到分子）。学生指导和培训是本提案中描述的每个研究项目的关键。我与学生和外部合作者的合作工作分为17个不同的研究项目：10个博士生（当前和未来）的主要项目；为硕士生和一名博士后提供的三个小型项目，以及针对最近发现的标本进行的四个小规模研究；描述这些新化石及其系统发育关系的出版物将对我们对鳞状动物进化的理解产生重大影响。主要项目研究蛇的进化、沧龙的进化和系统分类学等大问题，以及我研究计划的新方向，类骨龙、大头龙和鬣蜥的进化和系统分类学，特别是加拉帕戈斯群岛的海鬣蜥。蛇类项目将建立在我之前对阿根廷蛇化石的研究基础上，这些蛇是一种盲穴居蛇，被称为scolecophhidian，以及一种新发现的印度白垩纪蛇；沧龙项目旨在详细研究沧龙和蛇形兽主要类群分类群的多样性和差异，并探索次生水生适应过程。这里提出的研究活动将继续我对各种鳞片动物群体及其衍生的更大群体之间的多样化和辐射的大规模模式的长期研究。此外，我的学生研究小组和外部合作者将继续探索一个研究领域，主要是在我的实验室小组内产生的，专注于灭绝和现存羊膜动物四足动物的比较牙齿组织学和牙齿附着。一个拟议的项目将集中在蛇牙齿的个体发生，但长期目标是收集所有脊椎动物牙齿种植和组织学的数据。

My research program is dedicated to furthering our understanding of the origin, evolution, and phylogenetic relationships of fossil and living snakes, lizards and amphisbaenians, collectively known as the Squamata. Consistent with past research, my philosophical and methodological approach will focus on the dataset of comparative anatomy present in all fossil and living squamates, with an emphasis on observations from largely ignored fossil taxa. The importance of the fossil record as a source of data on anatomical novelty cannot be overstated, and my lab is dedicated to discovering and disseminating the value and importance of that data set to our understanding of evolutionary patterns and processes. My research approach uses all available evidence from fossils, for example, their anatomy, biostratigraphy and palaeobiogeography, etc., in the construction of hypotheses, along with all available data from living snakes and lizards (anatomy through to molecules). Student mentoring and training is key to each research project described in this proposal. My collaborative work with my students and external collaborators is broken down into seventeen distinct research projects: ten major projects for Doctoral students (current and future); three smaller projects for Masters students and a Postdoctoral Fellow, and four small scale studies focused on recently discovered specimens; publications describing these new fossils and their phylogenetic relationships will have a significant impact on our understanding of squamate evolution. Major projects examine big picture questions on snake evolution, the evolution and systematics of mosasaurs, and new directions in my research program, the evolution and systematics of borioteioids, macrocephalosaurs, and iguanian lizards, specifically the marine iguana from the Galapagos Islands. Snake projects will build on my previous investigations of fossil snakes from Argentina, blind burrowing snakes known as scolecophidians, and a newly described Cretacous snake from India; mosasaur projects are designed to examine in detail the diversity and disparity of taxa assigned to major groups of mosasaurs and pythonomorphs, and explore processes of secondary aquatic adaptation. The research activities proposed here will continue my long term study of the large scale patterns of diversification and radiation between various groups of squamates and the larger group they are derived from. In addition, my research group of students and external collaborators will continue to explore a research field, largely generated within my lab group, focused on comparative dental histology and tooth attachment in extinct and extant amniote tetrapods. A proposed project will focus on snake dental ontogeny, but the long term goal is to collect data on tooth implantation and histology in all vertebrates.