Vertebrate paleontology of terrestrial and marine squamates: testing the relationships of lepidosauria within sauropsida

我提出的研究重点是了解化石和现存蛇和蜥蜴的起源、进化和系统发育。我们目前对它们进化的理解是基于从现存物种获得的信息，在很大程度上忽略了化石记录（250万年至今）。化石记录作为解剖学新颖性数据来源的重要性怎么强调都不为过。我的研究方法是利用所有可获得的化石证据，即解剖学、生物地层学和古生物地理学来构建假设，以及所有可获得的来自活蛇和蜥蜴的数据（解剖学到分子）。为了将这个研究周期与过去和未来的周期联系起来，我确定了两个主要的“研究目标”：1)增加我对陆地和海洋、化石和现代蛇和蜥蜴的分类学研究的广度；2)通过研究先后较古老的原始爬行动物群体的解剖学，对蛇和蜥蜴的形态进化进行详细的评估。协作和学生/PDF培训对于这里列出的每个项目都是必不可少的。研究目标1将通过获取有关已知最古老的陆生蜥蜴（印度上三叠世）的新数据，以及来自北美和欧洲的侏罗纪、白垩纪和始新世的蜥蜴（在某些情况下被认为与巨蜥、壁虎、石龙子密切相关，而在其他情况下，则是非常遥远的亲戚）的新数据来实现。我将继续研究摩洛哥和阿尔伯塔的白垩纪沧龙化石，并将修订一些目前公认的类群，如沧龙属和原齿龙属。对于蛇，我将收集新的硬、软解剖数据，盲穴居蛇，新描述的化石蛇，以及来自北美的渐新世的boiid蛇，并研究蛇的牙齿进化。研究目标#2将通过在Chinle组（北美三叠纪）进行实地考察，寻找上三叠纪蛇/蜥蜴/棘齿动物，通过确定蛇和蜥蜴最古老的近亲（三叠纪到侏罗纪）的进化形态特征，并通过对关系进行高水平的系统发育研究来实现。

My proposed research is focused on understanding the origin, evolution, and phylogeny of fossil and living snakes and lizards. Our current understanding of their evolution is based on information obtained from living species, largely ignoring the fossil record (250mya-Present). The importance of the fossil record as a source of data on anatomical novelty cannot be overstated. My research approach is to use all available evidence from fossils, i.e., the anatomy, biostratigraphy and palaeobiogeography in the construction of hypotheses, along with all available data from living snakes and lizards (anatomy through to molecules). To connect this proposed research cycle to past and future cycles, I have identified two principle "Research Goals": 1) Increase the taxonomic breadth of my studies of terrestrial and marine, fossil and modern snakes and lizards; 2) Initiate a detailed assessment of the morphological evolution of snakes and lizards by studying the anatomy of successively older groups of more primitive reptiles. Collaborations and student/PDF training are essential to each project outlined here. Research Goal #1 will be achieved by acquiring new data on on the oldest known terrestrial lizards (Upper Triassic, India), on Jurassic, Cretaceous and Eocene-aged lizards from North America and Europe (in some cases considered closely related to monitor lizards, gekkos, skinks, and in others, very distantly related). I will continue my study of Cretaceous-aged mosasaur fossils from Morocco and Alberta and will revise a number of currently recognized groups such as the genera Mosasaurus and Prognathodon. For snakes, I will collect new hard and soft anatomical data on blind burrowing snakes, newly described fossil snakes, and Oligocene-aged boiid snakes from North America, as well as examining the evolution of teeth in snakes. Research Goal #2 will be addressed by conducting fieldwork in the Chinle Formation (North American Triassic) prospecting for Upper Triassic snakes/lizards/sphenodontians, by identifying the evolutionary morphology of snake and lizard features in their most ancient relatives (Triassic to Jurassic), and by conducting high level phylogenetic studies of relationships.