Systematics and Evolutionary Tempo and Mode in African Bovidae: Tribes Alcelaphini, Hippotragini, Reduncini

非洲羚羊承诺最全面的 大型哺乳动物的进化研究。 羚羊包括更多 现存和灭绝的物种比任何其他大型哺乳动物群体 在过去的两千万年里。 它们的化石记录是 不仅在物种丰富度方面，而且在 大量的年代测定和古环境数据 与之相关的。 弗尔巴和德萨尔正在分析 三大羚羊种群的树木， 化石代表，通过研究生物的DNA分子， 物种，以及现存和灭绝物种的头骨特征。 物种对之间的DNA变化将与 化石记录中相同谱系的绝对年代。 这 将允许1）估计谱系中的分子变化率 （2）新物种起源的绝对年代估计 （3）比较这些人的性格; 具有巧合性质的进化事件 古环境变化 强大的复合数据集将测试各种假设 进化是如何发生的。 其中一个假设是， 物种形成过程中的同步（如果 广泛的气候变化提供了共同的驱动力 在许多血统中引发进化变化）与 时间上的随机分布 人类的家庭，人科，在同一时间进化 时间和非洲地区。 事实上，到目前为止最丰富的 大型哺乳动物化石与早期人类化石一起被发现 正是研究中的羚羊群 因此，自然和 人类进化反应的时间将被比较 与共同进化的大型哺乳动物谱系相联系。 一 理解丰富的物理和生物背景， 人类进化是理解人类起源的必要条件。

The African antelopes promise the most comprehensive evolutionary studies in large mammals. Antelopes include more living and extinct species than does any other large mammal group known over the past 20 million years. Their fossil record is exceptional not only in terms of species-richness, but also in the wealth of dating estimates and paleoenvironmental data associated with it. Vrba and DeSalle are analyzing the phylogenetic relationship trees of three major antelope groups with abundant living and fossil representatives, by studying DNA molecules of living species, and skull characters of living and extinct species. DNA changes between pairs of species will be compared with absolute dates for the same lineages in the fossil record. This will allow 1) estimates of rates of molecular change in lineages and 2) estimates of absolute dates of the origins of new species by lineage-branching; and 3) comparison of nature of these evolutionary events with the nature of coincident paleoenvironmental changes. The powerful compound data set will test various, hypotheses of how evolution occurs. One such hypothesis whether there is synchronization across phylogenies of speciations (predicted if wide-spread climatic changes provide the common driving force that initiates evolutionary changes in many lineages) versus random distribution against time. The Family of humans, Hominidae, evolved over the same time period and African areas. In fact, by far the most abundant large mammal fossils found together with early hominid remains are the very antelope groups under study. Thus, the nature and timing of evolutionary responses in hominids will be compared with those of the co-evolving large mammal lineages. A comprehension of the rich physical and biological context of human evolution is necessary for understanding human origins.