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

我建议的研究重点是了解化石和活蛇和蜥蜴的起源，进化和繁殖。我们目前对它们进化的理解是基于从现存物种中获得的信息，在很大程度上忽略了化石记录（250百万年至今）。化石记录作为解剖学新奇性的数据来源的重要性怎么强调都不过分。我的研究方法是利用所有可用的化石证据，即，解剖学、生物地层学和古生物地理学在假说的构建中，沿着所有现有的活蛇和蜥蜴的数据（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，我确定了两个原则性的“研究目标”：1）增加我对陆生和海洋，化石和现代蛇和蜥蜴的研究的分类学广度; 2）通过研究更原始的爬行动物的解剖学，开始对蛇和蜥蜴的形态进化进行详细的评估。 协作和学生/PDF培训对于这里概述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（印度上三叠统），来自北美和欧洲的侏罗纪，白垩纪和始新世蜥蜴的新数据来实现（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，非常遥远）。 我将继续研究产自摩洛哥和阿尔伯塔的年代久远的沧龙化石，并将修订一些目前公认的类群，如沧龙属和前颌龙属。对于蛇，我将收集新的硬和软的解剖数据盲穴居蛇，新描述的化石蛇，和渐新世年龄boiid蛇从北美，以及检查在蛇的牙齿的进化。 研究目标#2将通过在Chinle地层（北美三叠纪）进行实地考察来寻找上三叠世的蛇/蜥蜴/sphenodontians，通过确定蛇和蜥蜴在其最古老的亲戚（三叠纪到侏罗纪）中的进化形态特征，以及通过进行高水平的亲缘关系研究来解决。

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.