Collaborative Research: Taxonomy, Phylogeny, and the Evolution of Feeding Strategies in Fossil and Living Mysticete Cetaceans

圣地亚哥自然历史博物馆（SDNHM）的托马斯德米尔博士获得了一笔赠款，用于研究须鲸的化石记录，并记录这一群体的成员在过去3500万年中经历的巨大解剖学变化。 考虑到人们对活着的须鲸的兴趣，令人惊讶的是，我们仍然缺乏对现代物种谱系关系的清晰理解。 同样令人惊讶的是，须鲸的“家谱”是如此的难以分辨，许多化石“分支”基于相当粗略的证据，甚至更糟的是，目前还不知道。 Demere博士的研究将包括对重要的新化石标本的描述，对国内外博物馆收藏的已命名的须鲸化石标本的重新分析，以及确定特定的解剖特征，这些特征记录了须鲸头骨、下颌、“手臂”和身体发生的进化变化。 这项研究将在须鲸进化的更广泛的合作研究的背景下进行。 更广泛的研究将包括使用来自分子研究，软解剖学研究和骨骼学研究的数据分析所有现存须鲸物种的系谱关系。 当这些结果与那些基于化石记录的结果相结合时，结果将提供须鲸进化历史的最全面的观点。 这项合作研究的最后一个方面将是利用须鲸大大改进的家谱历史来跟踪现代物种所表现出的不同进食方式发展过程中发生的解剖和功能变化（即，表面掠食露脊鲸，吞食进食长须鲸，和吸食灰鲸）。 这项研究的重点将纳入SDNHM的公共教育工作，包括网站页面（www.sdnhm.org）和展览画廊。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Thomas Demere at the San Diego Natural History Museum (SDNHM) to study the fossil record of baleen whales and to document the dramatic anatomical modifications that members of this group have undergone over the past 35 million years. Given the popular interest in living baleen whales, it is surprising that we still lack a clear understanding of the genealogical relationships of the modern species. It is also surprising that the baleen whale "family tree" is so poorly resolved, with many fossil "branches" based on rather sketchy evidence or, even worse, currently unknown. Dr. Demere's study will include descriptions of critical new fossil specimens, a re-analysis of named fossil baleen whale specimens housed at foreign and domestic museums, and determination of specific anatomical features that document the evolutionary changes that have occurred to the baleen whale skull, lower jaw, "arm," and body. This study will be conducted within the context of a broader collaborative study of baleen whale evolution. The broader study will include analysis of genealogical relationships of all living species of baleen whales using data derived from molecular studies, soft anatomical studies, and osteological studies. When these results are combined with those based on the fossil record, the outcome will provide the most comprehensive view yet realized of the evolutionary history of baleen whales. A final aspect of this collaborative research will be to utilize the vastly improved genealogical history of baleen whales to track the anatomical and functional changes that occurred during the development of the diverse feeding styles exhibited by the modern species (i.e., surface skimming right whales, engulfment feeding fin whales, and suction feeding gray whales). Highlights of this research will be incorporated into public education efforts at SDNHM including website pages (www.sdnhm.org) and exhibit galleries.