Shaping the mammalian skull: modeling how species-specific shape of skeletal elements is generated during development and during evolution

发育变异是物种表型多样化的主要途径之一，但在发育过程中形状是如何产生的仍未解决。在这个项目中，我们将通过发育来量化组成头骨和面部骨骼的特定骨骼和软骨的形状，并使用数学模型和形态计量学来试图预测在许多不同物种的哺乳动物中观察到的独特面孔是如何进化的。该项目将发育遗传学(转基因小鼠)与高密度成像、形态计量学和建模相结合，并与一名发育生物学家(阿比盖尔·塔克教授)和一名形态计量学家和定量古生物学家(安贾利·戈斯瓦米教授)合作。

Developmental variation is one of the primary pathways of phenotypic diversification of species, but how shape is generated during development remains unresolved. In this project we will quantify the shape of specific bones and cartilages that make up the skull and facial skeleton through development and use mathematical models and morphometrics to try to predict how the unique faces observed in many different species of mammals evolved. The project combines developmental genetics (transgenic mice) with high-density imaging, morphometrics, and modeling and partners a developmental biologist (Prof Abigail Tucker) with a morphometrician and quantitative paleobiologist (Prof Anjali Goswami).