DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Investigation of Character Non-independence in Morphological Datasets: Convergence in Long-snouted Crocodylomorphs

鳄鱼被错误地称为？活化石？这是因为在他们的历史上，相似的头骨和身体形状反复进化。因此，它们似乎在数百万年里没有改变。这种相似特征的反复进化(收敛进化)让科学家们感到困惑？努力重建灭绝鳄鱼的进化关系。该项目将从无数化石形式中构建一个物理特征的数据集，其中包括一块来自俄勒冈州的新化石。新的和以前实施的方法将被用来测试特征是共同祖先的结果还是相似生态的结果(例如相似的饮食)。此信息将用于确定组内的关系。古生物学是公众最容易接触到的科学努力之一，为提高人们对科学的整体兴趣提供了一条途径。俄勒冈州的化石将在俄勒冈大学的康登化石收藏中展出，其中包括该项目的成果。研究人员还将向业余古生物学团体、学校团体介绍这项研究的结果，并通过同行评议的出版物和在科学会议上的陈述向科学界传播。所开发的技术将适用于所有研究呈现收敛进化的群体关系的研究人员。为该项目制作的数据将通过公众可查阅的格式提供给今后的研究。

Crocodiles are mistakenly referred to as ?living fossils? due to the repeated evolution of similar looking skull and body shapes throughout their history. Thus, they appear not to have changed in millions of years. This repeated evolution of similar features (convergent evolution) confounds scientists? efforts to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of extinct crocodiles. This project will construct a dataset of physical characteristics from myriad fossil forms, including a new fossil from Oregon. New and previously implemented methods will be utilized to test whether characteristics are the result of shared ancestry or similar ecology (e.g. similar diet). This information will be used to determine the relationships within the group. Paleontology is among the most publically accessible scientific endeavors and offers a gateway to enhancing overall interest in science. The Oregon fossil will be exhibited in the Condon Collection of Fossils, University of Oregon, incorporating results of this project. Investigators will also present findings of this research to amateur paleontology groups, school groups, and disseminate it to the scientific community through peer-reviewed publications and presentations at scientific meetings. The techniques developed will be applicable for all investigators studying relationships of groups that show convergent evolution. Data produced for this project will be made available for future research through publically accessible formats.