CAREER: Significance of Cenozoic climate and environmental changes on the ecology and evolution of marsupials in Australia: A multi-proxy approach

新职位：职业生涯：气候和环境变化对澳大利亚有袋动物的生态和进化的意义：来自深海牙齿化石分析的证据非技术摘要：评估哺乳动物如何应对过去的气候和环境变化可以帮助澄清现存哺乳动物如何应对当前的气候变化。 由于澳大利亚预计到2050年将经历更多的极端干旱和强降水事件以及极端气温上升，因此评估气候变化和生境改变对活的和化石哺乳动物的影响至关重要。 在漫长的时间里，澳大利亚的景观已经从主要的潮湿森林变成了更温和和更干燥的地区。 干旱的增加可能对有袋类哺乳动物的进化和灭绝产生了深远的影响;然而，需要进行关键的工作来更好地了解今天和过去的有袋类哺乳动物的生态。 使用综合方法，结合从多种分析方法获得的数据，这些数据可以澄清对气候变化的长期反应，并揭示许多哺乳动物灭绝的潜在原因。 这项研究将与教育活动相结合，包括研究生，本科生和高中学生的参与（包括性别和/或少数民族，田纳西州盲人学校的学生参与）。 通过学生的研究经验，包括进行初步研究和数字推广产品，正式的指导，和教育推广计划的多样性相结合，这个职业生涯的研究将广泛传播到本地和全球观众。技术摘要：这个职业生涯的研究的主要目标是澄清在新生代澳大利亚有袋哺乳动物的生态学和生物学，以：（1）评估环境和气候条件的变化，包括森林环境的潜在衰退;（2）阐明哺乳动物如何应对气候变化，包括中新世以来的干旱增加和35万年前以来更明显的干旱化。 通过整合化石牙釉质的稳定同位素分析、三维牙齿微磨损纹理分析、牙齿中膜分析和形态分析，许多食草和食肉哺乳动物的古生态学和古生物学可用于测试澳大利亚有袋哺乳动物进化和灭绝的多种假设，包括澄清对气候变化的长期反应。 整合长期的古生物学证据与现代生态学研究现存的macropodid最近的干旱事件的反应，可以协同澄清生物干旱化的反应。研究将与所有拟议的教育活动，包括：1）进行小学研究项目作为本科和研究生课程的一部分; 2）导师高中，本科和研究生在小学研究和教育推广活动; 3）与田纳西州盲人学校合作，进行初级mesowear研究，并从事教育推广，4）鼓励女性和/或代表性不足的少数民族通过参加范德比尔特大学的女孩和科学营和冒险科学中心的TWISTER来考虑STEM职业，和5）通过在纳什维尔动物园开发讲解员推车和培训，以及通过公众宣传，提高科学素养和研究活动及成果的可见度。在当地举办外联活动。

New Title:CAREER: Significance of climate and environmental changes on the ecology and evolution of marsupials in Australia: evidence from the analysis of fossil teeth over deep-timeNon-technical abstract:Assessing how mammals have responded to past climate and environmental change can help clarify how living mammals may respond to current climate change. As Australia is projected to experience more extreme drought and intense precipitation events and extreme temperature increases by 2050, it is critical to assess the effects of climate change and habitat modification on living and fossil mammals. Throughout deep-time, landscapes in Australia have change from primarily moist forests to more temperate and drier regions. Increased aridity likely had profound impacts on the evolution and extinction of marsupial mammals; however, critical work is needed to better understand the ecology of marsupial mammals both today and in the past. Using an integrative approach that combines data resulting from a diversity of analytical methods, these data can clarify long-term responses to climate change and reveal potential reasons as to why many mammals went extinct. This research will be integrated with educational activities, including the involvement of graduate, undergraduate, and high school students (including gender and/or ethnic minorities, with involvement of student from the Tennessee School for the Blind). Through a combination of student research experiences that include conducting primary research and digital outreach products, formal mentoring, and a diversity of educational outreach programs, this CAREER research will be broadly disseminated to both local and global audiences.Technical abstract:The primary goal of this CAREER research is to clarify the ecology and biology of marsupial mammals in Australia during the Cenozoic to: (1) assess changes in environmental and climatic conditions, including potential declines in forested environments; and (2) clarify how mammals have responded to climate change, including increased aridity since the Miocene and more pronounced aridification since ~350 thousand years ago. Through the integration of stable isotope analyses of fossil tooth enamel, 3D dental microwear texture analysis, dental mesowear analysis, and morphological analysis, the paleoecology and paleobiology of numerous herbivorous and carnivorous mammals can be used to test a multitude of hypotheses regarding the evolution and extinction of marsupial mammals in Australia - including clarifying long-term responses to climate change. The integration of long-term paleontological evidence with modern ecological studies of extant macropodid responses to recent drought events, can synergistically clarify biotic responses to aridification. The research will be integrated with all proposed educational activities, including: 1) conducting primary research projects as part of undergraduate and graduate coursework; 2) mentor high school, undergraduate, and graduate students in both primary research and educational outreach activities; 3) work with the Tennessee School for the Blind to conduct primary mesowear research and engage in educational outreach, 4) encourage females and/or underrepresented minorities to consider STEM careers via participation in both the Girls and Science Camp at Vanderbilt University and TWISTER at the Adventure Science Center, and 5) increase scientific literacy and visibility of research activities and outcomes through the development of docent carts and training at the Nashville Zoo and through public outreach events at local venues.