The Origins, Phylogeny and Evolution of Squamates within Lepidosauromorpha: Macroevolution and Megaevolutionary Dynamics

我的研究项目调查宏观进化模式和过程，塑造起源，关系，适应性辐射，多样性，以及化石和活鳞翅目爬行动物的形态差异。现存的生物形式包括一种蝶蜥，即巨蜥，以及大约11000种蜥蜴和蛇，还有大约2.6亿年的化石记录。这些化石记录是解剖学新颖性数据的关键来源，可以与所有来自生命形式（解剖学到分子）的可用数据相结合，构建小型和大型系统发育假说，作为宏观进化研究的基础。对于这个研究计划，我有两个短期目标，它们被细分为四个研究计划主题和十二个HQP/合作主题。短期目标1是增加我对化石和现代蛇和蜥蜴数据集的分类广度，相应增加我对相关和新颖的分子和形态数据集的使用。短期目标2围绕短期目标1开发的组合数据集的新方法和技术展开。实现短期目标1将从大量化石和活的蛇和蜥蜴（特别是来自冈瓦纳非洲和南美洲的化石）中产生新的数据，扩展我们对mosasaurian蜥蜴的解剖学理解，从化石和活的鳞翅龙中产生新的形态和分子特征组合数据集，并将收集所有蛇和蜥蜴和其他关键脊椎动物群体的牙齿组织学新数据。实现短期目标2将通过对成功实现短期目标1所开发的新数据集进行创新综合分析所产生的结果来证明。新的系统发育假说将作为发展宏观进化模式和过程的高阶假说的基础计划。三维几何形态测量学研究将探索颅骨进化的新方面，创新的牙齿组织学数据分析将为有颌脊椎动物的牙齿进化提供有影响力的见解。这个研究周期的创新和影响，作为我的研究计划及其愿景的一个组成部分，将通过综合的、“大局”研究来衡量，这些研究源于短期目标2所采取的方法。同样重要的影响指标将是出版高质量的描述性、大量数据的鳞翅目生物和化石的解剖学和形态学研究，以建立主要的同源性概念，这是系统发育假说的经验基础。HQP的培训及其在实现所有目标、主题和议题方面的领导作用是本提案成功的关键。

My research program investigates the macroevolutionary patterns and processes that shaped the origins, relationships, adaptive radiations, diversity, and morphological disparity of fossil and living lepidosauromorph reptiles. Living forms include a single species of sphenodontian, the Tuatara, and ~11,000 species of lizards and snakes, and a collective fossil record that is ~260 million years old. This fossil record is a key source of data on anatomical novelty to be combined with all available data from living forms (anatomy through to molecules) in the construction of both small and large-scale phylogenetic hypotheses as the foundation for macroevolutionary studies. For this research proposal I have two Short Term Goals that are subdivided into four Research Program Themes and twelve HQP/collaborative topics. Short-Term Goal 1 is to increase the taxonomic breadth of my data set on fossil and modern snakes and lizards with a corresponding increase in my use of relevant and novel, molecular and morphological datasets. Short-Term Goal 2 revolves around new approaches and techniques to combined datasets developed by Short-Term Goal 1. Achieving Short-Term Goal 1 will produce new data from numerous fossil and living snakes and lizards (in particular, fossils from Gondwanan Africa and South America), expand our anatomical understanding of mosasaurian lizards, result in new combined data sets of morphological and molecular characters from fossil and living lepidosaurs, and will collect new data on dental histology across all snakes and lizards and other key vertebrate groups. Achieving Short-Term Goal 2 will be demonstrated by results arising from innovative synthetic analyses of new datasets developed from the successful achievement of Short-Term Goal 1. New phylogenetic hypotheses will serve as the ground plan for developing higher order hypotheses on macroevolutionary patterns and processes through deep time. 3D geometric morphometric investigations will explore new aspects of cranial evolution, and innovative new analyses of dental histological data will provide impactful insights on dental evolution in jawed vertebrates. The innovation and impacts of this research cycle, as a component of my research program and its vision, will be measured by synthetic, "big picture" studies arising from the approach taken under Short-Term Goal 2. Equally important indices of impact will be the publication of high quality descriptive, data-heavy studies of the anatomy and morphology of living and fossil lepidosauromorphs conducted to establish primary homology concepts, the empirical foundation of phylogenetic hypotheses. The training of HQP and their leadership roles in achieving all goals, themes and topics are key to this proposal's success.