Morphological and functional evolution of the tetrapod jaw: a 3D perspective

在四足动物中，颌骨的形态极其多样，反映了它们主要功能的不同方式：进食。进食机制差异很大，例如，早期四足动物的吸食，一些海龟的快速咬合，食蚁兽的连续摄食。颌骨的适应性使四足动物能够通过颌骨元素的丧失、肌肉质量的减少、颌骨关节的改变和肌肉结构的变化来专门从事进食生态学。目前的研究通常集中在密切相关的生物（如鳄鱼）之间的形态和功能，而不是跨类或分支的大规模模式。这项研究将使用一个新的高分辨率3D数据集，跨越化石和现存的四足动物物种，提供第一个四足动物颌骨形态和功能的宏观进化分析。使用一个系统发育框架，以及一个庞大的形态数据集，我将量化的模式和速度的形态和功能的颌骨变化内和类之间，并通过主要的过渡。该项目还将通过生物力学建模研究功能，确定驱动颌骨进化的因素。这些调查将允许更广泛的宏观进化框架内的四足动物颌骨形态和功能多样性的具体点的探索，提供了一个全面的了解四足动物颌骨的进化。

Jaw morphology is extremely diverse across tetrapods, reflecting the varied approaches to the predominant function: feeding. Feeding mechanisms vary widely from, for instance, suctionfeeding in early tetrapods, to rapid snapping in some turtles, to continuous ingestion in anteaters. Jaw adaptations have allowed tetrapods to specialise in feeding ecology, through loss of jaw elements, reduction in muscle mass, alterations to the jaw joint, and changes in muscle structure. Current research typically focuses on morphology and function between closely related organisms (such as crocodilians), rather than presenting broad-scale patterns across classes or clades. This research will provide the first macroevolutionary analysis of tetrapod jaw morphology and function, using a new high-resolution 3D dataset spanning fossil and extant tetrapod species. Using a phylogenetic framework alongside a vast morphological dataset, I will quantify patterns and rates of morphological and functional jaw variation within and between classes and through major transitions. This project will also identify factors driving jaw evolution through deep time by investigating function through biomechanical modelling. These investigations will allow the exploration of specific points of tetrapod jaw morphological and functional diversity within the broader macroevolutionary framework, providing a holistic understanding of tetrapod jaw evolution.