应用高分辨率CT以及增强CT对晚中新世鸟类动物群的研究

我国新生代陆相地层发育完好，哺乳动物化石资源丰富，并常伴生有鸟类化石。中新世早期的鸟类化石分布较为零散，并且与现代冠类群在属一级别形态差异较大。中中新世气候适宜期之后，类似于现代鸟类种群和地理分布开始建立起来。而最近在和政与昭通发现的晚中新世的化石材料，为研究现代鸟类的区系地理的形成和演化提供了一个独特的窗口。鸟类动物群的系统研究和重建对理解动物古地理和古环境都有重要意义。本研究计划利用CT扫描对临夏和昭通盆地所发现的鸟类化石进行全面的形态学研究，重点包括（1）通过对相似种的精细对比来确定两个动物群之间的联系；（2）对雉鸡类以及雁鸭类头骨化石和相近现生种进行高精度CT以及增强CT的扫描，来重建这些鸟类内颅的三维形态。对化石大脑和现生种类，运用比较发育系统学方法对大脑形态以及生态数据进行分析，为它们的生态行为和形态特征演化提供假说；（3）对比不同CT实验参数和成像效果，为技术改进提供建议。

Neogene terrestrial deposits of China are quite complete stratigraphically with many exceptionally preserved mammalian fossils accompanied with bird materials. Early Miocene birds from China that are sparsely distributed show big morphological differences in genus level from living taxa. After the Middle Miocene Climatic Optimum, distribution and taxonomy of birds start to shape in juvenile state of modern avian fauna. The recent discovery of bird materials from both Linxia basin and Zhaotong basin provide a unique window to track the changes and evolution of avian biogeography in Neogene. A comprehensive investigation of birds from these unique sites can provide essential information on biodiversity and climate changes in East Asia. Detail morphology and systematics of these birds from the two regions can be informative in revealing the early establishment of modern avian fauna in north and south China. High resolution X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) and contrast-enhanced CT scans of the exceptional preserved skulls of galliforme and anseriform species as well as extant relatives, will be used to reconstruct the “Ancient bird brain”. By comparison of the brain shape from living relatives with respective ecological correlations for different species, inference of paleoecology of the fossil birds can be made using phylogenetic comparative approach. Meanwhile, CT scanning and experimental parameters and facilities for optimizing their application on paleontological studies can be valuable and applied to other similar research.