Evolution of pinniped Carnivora with reference to other aquatic Mammalia - a case study of constructional morphology

海鞘科、海鞘科和海鞘科的起源和关系，统称为鳍足目，仍然是一个悬而未决和有争议的争论主题。虽然免疫学和解剖学上的相似性提示了鳍足类的单系起源，但其他解剖学特征，以及它们的古生物地理学历史，反而支持了二系起源。这种分歧的结果是，如果只应用比较分析方法，包括分支系统学，鳍足类的起源仍然没有解决。虽然这些方法是有用的，建立各种类群之间可能的关系，重建进化途径是不可能的。相反，有人认为，内的鳍足类，这仍然是本建议的主要目标的进化途径，可以通过应用构造形态学分析的鳍足类运动装置和支撑系统重建。这种方法是有效的，因为尽管事实上，Otariidae，Odobenidae和Phocelae共享相似的整体形态，但它们在水生和陆生运动模式上有所不同。对这些运动选项的分析允许在支撑系统的背景下对解剖学差异进行物理力学解释，并将因此决定目前用于系统发育分析的解剖学特征中哪些与机械功能不可分割，并且应该被拒绝。这种分析将进一步为重建所有群体的早期进化提供结构基础。为了更好地了解哺乳动物结构在强制性水生运动过程中的约束框架，我们还计划研究其他水生或半水生哺乳动物的运动模式及其解剖背景。这将使我们能够建立假设的祖先鳍足类建筑，这将有助于确定化石食肉动物祖先现存鳍足类。我们的目标不仅是解决起源的鳍足类，但也建立了一个方法学的基础上形态力学分析，除了经典的系统发育分析。

The origins and relationships of the Otariidae, Odobenidae and Phocidae, which are collectively referred to the Pinnipedia, remain an unresolved and controversial subject of debate. While immunological and anatomical similarities are suggestive of a monophyletic origin of the Pinnipedia, other anatomical features, in addition to their palaeobiogeographical history, are instead supportive of a diphyly. The result of this divergence is that the origin of Pinnipedia remains unresolved if only comparative analytical methods, including cladistics, are applied. While these methods are useful for establishing possible relationships between the various taxa, the reconstruction of evolutionary pathways is not possible. It is instead argued that the evolutionary pathways within the Pinnipedia, which remains the primary objective of this proposal, can be reconstructed by applying a constructional morphological analysis to the pinnipedian locomotor apparatus and bracing system. This approach is effective as despite the fact that the Otariidae, Odobenidae and Phocidae share similar overall morphologies, they differ in their aquatic and terrestrial modes of locomotion. An analysis of these locomotory options allows a physicomechanical interpretation of anatomical differences, within the context of the bracing system, and will thusly decide which of the anatomical characters currently used in phylogenetic analyses are inseparable from mechanical functional; and should be rejected. This analysis will furthermore yield the constructional base for the reconstruction of early evolution of all groups. For a better understanding of the framework of the constraints of mammalian constructions on the way to obligatory aquatic locomotion, we also plan to study the locomotion modes and their anatomical backgrounds of other aquatic or semi-aquatic mammals. This will allow us to establish hypothetical ancestral pinniped constructions, which will help to identify fossil carnivores ancestral to extant Pinnipedia. We aim to not only resolve the origin of Pinnipedia but also to establish a methodology based on morphomechanical analysis additional to classical phylogenetic analyses.