Form, Function and Macroevolution in Dinosaurs

恐龙统治着整个中生代的陆地生态系统，并演变成各种各样的体型和大小。因此，它们是一个模型系统，用于理解解剖学、功能和生态学之间的相互作用。然而，目前在恐龙的解剖学研究和宏观进化分析之间存在着明显的空白，因此对它们进化辐射背后的功能和生态形态压力知之甚少。我们将通过定量重建恐龙进化史上的肌肉进化来解决这个问题，并使用复杂的生物力学模型来评估肌肉进化对生物力学性能和生态适应的影响。该项目的目的将通过若干具体目标来实现：量化现有分类群中骨骼和软组织比例之间的关系，以得出阑尾肌和咀嚼肌的预测关系2。将恐龙骨骼数字化，并应用(1)中的预测关系来量化运动和咀嚼肌大小的进化。用系统发育比较方法研究肌肉大小进化与主要宏观进化和生态辐射之间的关系。利用生物力学计算机模拟研究在主要生态转变中，肌肉大小进化对颅骨和肢体功能的影响，例如食草动物和四足动物的进化。

Dinosaurs dominated terrestrial ecosystems throughout the Mesozoic, and radiated into a diverse array of body shapes and sizes. They are therefore a model system for understanding the interactions between anatomy, function and ecology through time. However, there is currently a significant void between anatomical studies of dinosaurs and macroevolutionary analyses, and consequently the functional and ecomorphological pressures behind their evolutionary radiations are poorly understood. We will address this issue by quantitively reconstructing muscle evolution across dinosaur evolutionary history, and using sophisticated biomechanical modelling to assess the implications of muscle evolution on biomechanical performance and ecological adaption.The aims of the project will be pursued through a number of specific objectives:1. Quantify the relationship between skeletal and soft tissue proportions in extant taxa to derive predictive relationships for appendicular and masticatory muscles2. Digitize dinosaur skeletons and apply the predictive relationships from (1) to quantify locomotor and masticatory muscle size evolution3. Use phylogenetic comparative methods to examine the relationship between muscle size evolution and major macroevolutionary and ecological radiations4. Use biomechanical computer simulations to study the impact of muscle size evolution on skull and limb function across major ecological transitions, e.g. the evolution of herbivory and quadrupedalism.