MULTI-BRAIN RESEARCH PROJECT |
Natural history of an endemic insular radiation: the kogaionid multituberculates and their relevance for brain and sense evolution in Mammalia
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MULTI-BRAIN RESEARCH PROJECT |
Natural history of an endemic insular radiation: the kogaionid multituberculates and their relevance for brain and sense evolution in Mammalia
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Executive Summary
Mass extinctions fundamentally shape the trajectory of evolutionary changes. The major extinction that took place at the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary (KPgB) resulted in the rise to dominance of the mammals (today represented by monotremes, marsupials and placentals) by bringing about the demise of the dinosaurs that dominated the Mesozoic Era. The relatively larger, more complex brains of the mammals are often assumed to represent a major competitive edge over the dinosaurs, one that contributed to their survival by making them ecologically more versatile. The multituberculates are another major mammalian group besides those living today that survived the KPgB extinction, but it is as yet unknown whether their success was also linked to their increased brain capacity. Using as a case study the kogaionids, a peculiar endemic radiation of multituberculates, the project addresses this issue. The kogaionids inhabited the latest Cretaceous Hațeg Island and dispersed across all Europe after the KPgB. Their well-preserved fossils conserve brain and inner ear structures that we will compare to those of other multituberculates as well as other mammals. We aim to investigate the brain structure of kogaionids and other multituberculates using CT-scan and SEM, infer their ecological traits, and map patterns of their spatio-temporal distribution. By doing so, we will explore the causes of their success, while contributing essential data to the topic of early mammalian brain evolution. |
MULTI-BRAIN is a research project funded by the Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding
Project Registration Code: PN-III-P4-ID-PCE-2020-2570 Contract no. PCE 132/2021 |