Evolution and Phylogeny of the Feeding Systems of Frogs

本研究旨在促进我们对复杂结构/功能系统多样化与谱系进化之间关系的理解。该项目需要对青蛙的摄食器官进行详细的形态学和系统发育分析，重点关注一组物种，这些物种代表了在系统发育过程中发生在无尾猿摄食系统中的主要功能转变。肌肉骨骼系统的形态学、外周神经支配和相关的舌舌器运动核将被用来推导出分析非人关系的特征，并测试结构转换的一般和特定假设。该项目将有助于(1)为捕食系统的生物力学和功能分析提供重要的基线数据，(2)提高对无脊椎动物主要谱系系统发育关系的分辨率，以及(3)对复杂功能系统多样化与谱系进化之间关系的总体理解。

This research is designed to foster our understanding of the relationship between diversification of a complex structure/function system and the evolution of a lineage. The project entails a detailed morphological and phylogenetic analysis of the feeding apparatus of frogs, focusing on a set of species chosen to represent the major functional transformations that have occurred in the anuran feeding system during phylogenesis. The morphology of the musculoskeletal system, peripheral innervation, and associated motor nuclei of the hyolingual apparatus will be used to derive characters for analysis of anuran relationships and to test general and specific hypotheses of structural transformation. This project will contribute (1) important baseline data for biomechanical and functional analyses of feeding systems, (2) an increase in the resolution of the phylogenetic relationships of the major lineages of anurans, and (3) a general understanding of the relationship between diversification of a complex functional system and the evolution of a lineage.