DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Consequences of Global Events on Vertebrate Biodiversity: the Paleozoic Actinopterygian Radiation

大规模灭绝等全球性事件对生物多样性产生了持久的影响：辐鳍鱼（辐鳍鱼）是目前最丰富和最多样化的脊椎动物群体;然而，这种情况只发生在以前占主导地位的群体遭受重大损失后，与古生代汉根贝格大规模灭绝事件同时发生。该项目将研究：（1）与气候变化相关的汉根贝格灭绝事件是否永久性地重建了全球脊椎动物的生物多样性;（2）放线菌在灭绝瓶颈之后经历了大规模的辐射;（3）放线菌的多样化是对灭绝后生态系统中空出的小生境的反应，导致新功能形态的广泛进化。本计画将整合完整的脊椎动物发生资料库，重建新的遗传学，并分析脊椎动物形态空间的占据/再占据。对辐鳍鱼类进化的研究对于解释当前脊椎动物的生物多样性至关重要，因为这些鱼类是现代生态系统的主要组成部分。系统发育、形态和多样性数据将被放置在开放的存储库中，为进一步研究脊椎动物宏观进化提供起点。由于古生物学的广泛吸引力，研究结果将对设计科学课程和其他可访问的项目很有价值-向公众灌输对更广泛概念的理解，包括进化，生物多样性丧失和周转，以及大规模的全球变化。

Global events such as mass extinctions have lasting impacts on biodiversity: Actinopterygians (ray-finned fishes) are currently the most abundant and diverse group of living vertebrates; however, this situation only arose after previously dominant groups suffered major losses coincident with the Paleozoic Hangenberg mass extinction event. This project will examine whether: (1) the Hangenberg extinction event, associated with climatic changes, permanently restructured global vertebrate biodiversity; (2) actinopterygians underwent a large-scale radiation after an extinction bottleneck; (3) actinopterygian diversification occurred in response to vacated niches in post-extinction ecosystems, leading to the widespread evolution of novel functional morphologies. This project will assemble comprehensive vertebrate occurrence databases, reconstruct new phylogenies, and analyze the occupation/reoccupation of vertebrate morphospace. Investigation of actinopterygian evolution is vital for interpreting current vertebrate biodiversity because these fishes are a major component of modern ecosystems. Phylogenetic, morphological, and diversity data will be placed in open repositories, providing starting points for further studies of vertebrate macroevolution. The results will be valuable for designing science curricula and other accessible programs because of paleontology's broad appeal - instilling in the general public an appreciation for broader concepts including evolution, biodiversity loss and turnover, and large-scale global change.