Summary
Birds are the only extant dinosaurs and have achieved enormous diversity, spanning a wide range of ecologies including substantial variation in habitat use. However, ecological diversification in the earliest birds and their closest dinosaurian relatives is poorly characterised. This presents a fundamental knowledge gap regarding the dinosaur-bird transition – a major event in vertebrate evolution. The unparalleled Mesozoic Jehol and Yanliao fossil assemblages from China include most known Mesozoic birds and feathered non-avian dinosaurs, revealing unprecedented data on this remarkable transition. I will use cutting-edge 3D imaging methods to visualise the limb morphology in early birds and bird-like dinosaurs. We will quantitatively constrain the link between the foot/hand morphology and habit ecology using geometric morphometrics and finite element analyses based on a large 3D database of extant tetrapods. The results will be used to infer the habitat use (e.g. arboreal, terrestrial, aquatic) of important fossil species during the dinosaur-bird transition, with a focus on early birds and closely related dinosaurs. This will add considerably to understanding of palaeoecology during dinosaur-bird transition, and clarify contentious hypotheses of the origin of bird flight. Our findings will also provide a test of ecological explanations for the extinction of the enantiornithine birds, and the ultimate survival and success of Ornithuromorpha, which includes all extant birds. Hosted in a world-class palaeontology lab in Oxford and trained by a supervisor leading the quantitative macroevolutionary research, this proposal will bring cutting-edge 3D morphometrics and statistical comparative skills to the researcher, ensuring her a promising independent future career. The long-term connection between key institutes of UK and China built in this proposal will also benefit both countries in not only research profiles, but also in public engagement and education.
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| Web resources: | https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101024572 |
| Start date: | 01-06-2021 |
| End date: | 31-05-2023 |
| Total budget - Public funding: | 212 933,76 Euro - 212 933,00 Euro |
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Original description
Birds are the only extant dinosaurs and have achieved enormous diversity, spanning a wide range of ecologies including substantial variation in habitat use. However, ecological diversification in the earliest birds and their closest dinosaurian relatives is poorly characterised. This presents a fundamental knowledge gap regarding the dinosaur-bird transition – a major event in vertebrate evolution. The unparalleled Mesozoic Jehol and Yanliao fossil assemblages from China include most known Mesozoic birds and feathered non-avian dinosaurs, revealing unprecedented data on this remarkable transition. I will use cutting-edge 3D imaging methods to visualise the limb morphology in early birds and bird-like dinosaurs. We will quantitatively constrain the link between the foot/hand morphology and habit ecology using geometric morphometrics and finite element analyses based on a large 3D database of extant tetrapods. The results will be used to infer the habitat use (e.g. arboreal, terrestrial, aquatic) of important fossil species during the dinosaur-bird transition, with a focus on early birds and closely related dinosaurs. This will add considerably to understanding of palaeoecology during dinosaur-bird transition, and clarify contentious hypotheses of the origin of bird flight. Our findings will also provide a test of ecological explanations for the extinction of the enantiornithine birds, and the ultimate survival and success of Ornithuromorpha, which includes all extant birds. Hosted in a world-class palaeontology lab in Oxford and trained by a supervisor leading the quantitative macroevolutionary research, this proposal will bring cutting-edge 3D morphometrics and statistical comparative skills to the researcher, ensuring her a promising independent future career. The long-term connection between key institutes of UK and China built in this proposal will also benefit both countries in not only research profiles, but also in public engagement and education.Status
SIGNEDCall topic
MSCA-IF-2020Update Date
28-04-2024
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