Doctoral Dissertation Research: Investigating underlying mechanisms of primate shoulder adaptations

动物物种的行为、运动和与环境互动的方式与其骨骼的形状和功能有着复杂的关系。研究骨骼不同部分之间的功能关系，以及功能相关性状的遗传基础，可以促进对形式-功能关系以及生物适应和物种形成机制的基础知识。这个博士论文项目将调查灵长类动物肩部、头部和颈部区域功能相关特征之间的遗传联系的强度，以阐明导致我们在现代灵长类动物中看到的大量解剖多样性的过程，并为我们对灵长类和古人类化石记录的解释提供信息。该项目促进代表不足的群体参与STEM研究、跨学科研究和协作，并与更广泛的科学界共享数据。该项目的成果将通过传统科学宣传活动和在线科学宣传活动向公众传播。灵长类动物在肩部解剖结构上表现出广泛的差异，与之相关的是，它们从事不同形式的运动。研究人员经常孤立地研究这些骨骼特征，但这种方法隐含着这样的假设，即特征是独立进化的，而实际上上半身可能有其他特征在功能和进化上与肩膀相互关联。这项研究考察了十个灵长类动物在与肩相关的骨骼维度上的多种关联模式，每个分类群对上肢都有独特的功能需求。研究人员将评估物种多样化的不同进化情景，以确定潜在的进化过程。将评估性状之间的遗传联系(形态整合)的强度以及这些联系如何影响性状的进化能力(进化性)，并将使用贝叶斯系统发育比较方法来评估影响灵长类肩部可观察到的变异的因素和进化过程。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The way that an animal species behaves, moves, and interacts with its environment is related in complex ways to the shape and function of its skeleton. Investigating the functional relationships among different parts of the skeleton, and the genetic underpinnings of functionally related traits, can advance fundamental knowledge about form-function relationships and mechanisms of biological adaptation and speciation. This doctoral dissertation project will investigate the strength of the genetic connections among functionally related traits in the primate shoulder, head, and neck regions, to elucidate processes that led to the substantial anatomical diversity we see in modern primates, and inform our interpretations of the primate and hominin fossil records. The project promotes participation of under-represented groups in STEM research, interdisciplinary research and collaboration, and the sharing of data with the broader scientific community. The results of this project will be communicated to the public through both traditional and online science outreach activities. Primates show a wide range of variation in shoulder anatomy and, relatedly, engage in diverse forms of movement. Researchers often study these skeletal traits in isolation, but this approach makes the implicit assumption that traits evolved independently, when in fact there may be other traits in the upper body that are functionally and evolutionarily interconnected with the shoulder. This study examines the many patterns of association in shoulder-related skeletal dimensions across ten primate taxa, each with unique functional demands on the upper limb. The investigators will evaluate different evolutionary scenarios of species diversification to identify underlying evolutionary processes. The strength of the genetic connections among traits (morphological integration) and how these connections affect the ability of traits to evolve (evolvability) will be assessed, and Bayesian phylogenetic comparative methods will be used to evaluate the factors and evolutionary processes affecting the observable variation in primate shoulder morphology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.