Ontogenetic and Paleontologic Studies of the Mammalian Ear Region: Implications for the Higher-Level Phylogeny of Mammals

传统上，耳朵区域是 进化研究的比较形态学信息 哺乳动物 它还提出了一个最常被引用的例子， 生物学教科书中的进化变化： 哺乳动物下颚的三块中耳骨（小骨） 更原始的形式。尽管它的卓越，知识的 耳区仍然不完整。 近年来，引人注目的 化石的发现大大增加了人们对耳朵的了解 和它的听小骨，并提出了关于 以前对这一地区和哺乳动物进化的看法， 将军 为了全面评估这些化石和新的进化 问题，有必要增加比较知识， 现代哺乳动物的耳朵，无论是在数量上还是在细节上。 这项研究收集了胚胎学的比较信息， 现代哺乳动物的耳朵区域，以评估这种进化 复杂系统及其在哺乳动物进化史中的作用。

Traditionally, the ear region is the preeminent source of comparative morphological information for evolutionary studies on mammals. It also presents one of the most oft cited examples of evolutionary change in Biology textbooks: the evolution of the three middle-ear bones (ossicles) of mammals from the lower jaws of more primitive forms. Despite its preeminence, knowledge of the ear region remains incomplete. During recent years, remarkable fossil finds have dramatically increased what is known of the ear and its ossicles in extinct mammals and raised questions about previous views on the evolution of this region and of mammals in general. To fully evaluate these fossils and new evolutionary questions, it is necessary to increase comparative knowledge of the ear in modern mammals, both in numbers and in level of detail. This research gathers comparative information on the embryology of the ear region in modern mammals to evaluate the evolution of this complex system and its role in the evolutionary history of mammals.