Predation as a major ecological driver of early animal evolution

该项目旨在解决复杂生命早期进化史中最大的问题之一：捕食是5亿多年前动物主要多样化背后的驱动力吗？这项创新的研究将扩展计算生物力学的应用，并使用广泛的化石收集来量化捕食者的表现和猎物物种的进化反应。预期成果和惠益包括：在捕食者-被捕食者动态如何塑造第一个动物生态系统方面的知识范式转变，研究已灭绝无脊椎动物的功能形态和微进化模式的新方法，以及突出澳大利亚自然遗产的国际意义。

This project aims to address one of the biggest questions about the early evolutionary history of complex life: was predation a driving force behind the major diversification of animals over 500 million years ago? This innovative study will extend the application of computational biomechanics and use extensive fossil collections to quantify the performance of predators and the evolutionary responses of prey species. Anticipated outcomes and benefits include a paradigm shift in knowledge of how predator-prey dynamics shaped the first animal ecosystems, new approaches for studying the functional morphology and microevolutionary patterns of extinct invertebrates, and highlighting the international significance of Australia’s natural heritage.