The Origins, Phylogeny and Evolution of Squamates within Lepidosauromorpha: Macroevolution and Megaevolutionary Dynamics

我的研究计划调查宏观进化模式和过程，这些模式和过程塑造了化石和现存鳞龙类爬行动物的起源、关系、适应性辐射、多样性和形态差异。活着的物种包括一种单一的蝶齿目恐龙，大约11,000种蜥蜴和蛇，以及大约2.6亿年前的集体化石记录。这一化石记录是解剖学新颖性的关键数据来源，可以与从生物形式(从解剖学到分子)的所有可用数据结合起来，构建小型和大规模的系统发育假说，作为宏观进化研究的基础。对于这个研究方案，我有两个短期目标，细分为四个研究计划主题和十二个HQP/协作主题。短期目标1是增加我的关于化石和现代蛇和蜥蜴的数据集的分类广度，同时相应地增加我对相关的和新颖的、分子和形态数据集的使用。短期目标2围绕短期目标1开发的组合数据集的新方法和技术展开。实现短期目标1将从大量化石和活蛇和蜥蜴(特别是来自贡德瓦南非洲和南美洲的化石)产生新的数据，扩大我们对花叶龙蜥蜴的解剖学了解，产生新的化石和活鳞龙形态和分子特征的组合数据集，并将收集所有蛇、蜥蜴和其他关键脊椎动物群体的牙齿组织学新数据。在成功实现短期目标1的基础上，对新的数据集进行创新性的综合分析所产生的结果将证明实现短期目标2。新的系统发育假说将作为发展关于宏观进化模式和过程的更高阶假说的基础计划。3D几何形态计量学研究将探索颅骨进化的新方面，创新的牙齿组织学数据分析将为有颌骨脊椎动物的牙齿进化提供有影响的见解。作为我的研究计划和愿景的一部分，这一研究周期的创新和影响将通过根据短期目标2所采取的方法而产生的综合的“大图景”研究来衡量。同样重要的影响指数将是出版高质量的描述性的、数据密集的对活的和化石鳞龙的解剖和形态的研究，以建立主要的同源性概念，这是系统发育假说的经验基础。HQP的培训及其在实现所有目标、主题和主题方面的领导作用是该提案成功的关键。

My research program investigates the macroevolutionary patterns and processes that shaped the origins, relationships, adaptive radiations, diversity, and morphological disparity of fossil and living lepidosauromorph reptiles. Living forms include a single species of sphenodontian, the Tuatara, and ~11,000 species of lizards and snakes, and a collective fossil record that is ~260 million years old. This fossil record is a key source of data on anatomical novelty to be combined with all available data from living forms (anatomy through to molecules) in the construction of both small and large-scale phylogenetic hypotheses as the foundation for macroevolutionary studies. For this research proposal I have two Short Term Goals that are subdivided into four Research Program Themes and twelve HQP/collaborative topics. Short-Term Goal 1 is to increase the taxonomic breadth of my data set on fossil and modern snakes and lizards with a corresponding increase in my use of relevant and novel, molecular and morphological datasets. Short-Term Goal 2 revolves around new approaches and techniques to combined datasets developed by Short-Term Goal 1. Achieving Short-Term Goal 1 will produce new data from numerous fossil and living snakes and lizards (in particular, fossils from Gondwanan Africa and South America), expand our anatomical understanding of mosasaurian lizards, result in new combined data sets of morphological and molecular characters from fossil and living lepidosaurs, and will collect new data on dental histology across all snakes and lizards and other key vertebrate groups. Achieving Short-Term Goal 2 will be demonstrated by results arising from innovative synthetic analyses of new datasets developed from the successful achievement of Short-Term Goal 1. New phylogenetic hypotheses will serve as the ground plan for developing higher order hypotheses on macroevolutionary patterns and processes through deep time. 3D geometric morphometric investigations will explore new aspects of cranial evolution, and innovative new analyses of dental histological data will provide impactful insights on dental evolution in jawed vertebrates. The innovation and impacts of this research cycle, as a component of my research program and its vision, will be measured by synthetic, "big picture" studies arising from the approach taken under Short-Term Goal 2. Equally important indices of impact will be the publication of high quality descriptive, data-heavy studies of the anatomy and morphology of living and fossil lepidosauromorphs conducted to establish primary homology concepts, the empirical foundation of phylogenetic hypotheses. The training of HQP and their leadership roles in achieving all goals, themes and topics are key to this proposal's success.