Description du poste
Main description: Ray-finned fishes (Actinopterygii) are the most diverse group of vertebrates, accounting for over half of the >60,000 living vertebrate species. Although the group originated in the Devonian, most taxa from this period are morphologically conservative in overall size and shape, with very few exceptions. Ray-finned fishes exploded in taxonomic and morphological diversity in the Carboniferous, after the End-Devonian Mass Extinction, including the proliferation of diverse feeding strategies. This increase in morphological diversity and taxonomic richness has been interpreted as an adaptive radiation. Notable among these new forms are predatory, large-bodied, large-toothed ‘macrodont’ forms, an ecological category that is very rare in the Devonian. Despite an abundance of three-dimensional fossils, the anatomy and relationships of these macrodonts is poorly understood, presenting a barrier to understanding the evolutionary history of this specialised ecological role. A confused picture of relationships between lineages before and after the End-Devonian Mass Extinction also obscures patterns of survivorship and radiation. CT scanning will be used to target key taxa in order to resolve questions of phylogenetic affinity, clarifying whether the macrodont morphotype arose multiple times during the Palaeozoic diversification of actinopterygians and the innovations leading to their radiation. Although united by a common morphotype, different macrodont taxa show different specialisations of the teeth, jaws and internal cranial skeleton, hinting at varied ecological roles. Compilation of important geographic and environmental data will be used to investigate macroevolutionary patterns of dispersal and ecological expansion, including the contribution of macrodont actinopterygians to global trophic networks. In addition to resolving the long-standing puzzle of macrodont relationships, this project will have implications for understanding the radiation of actinopterygians in the aftermath of the End-Devonian Mass Extinction, building on the emerging picture of a more complicated pattern of extinction and recovery than previously thought. For further information on this project and details of how to apply to it please visit https://centa.ac.uk/studentship/2027-b19-resolving-the-affinities-of-the-earliest-actinopterygian-macrodont-radiations/ Further information on how to apply for a CENTA studentship can be found on the CENTA website: https://centa.ac.uk/apply/ Funding notes: This project is offered through the CENTA3 DLA, funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). Funding covers: annual stipend, tuition fees (at home-fee level), Research Training Support Grant. Academic requirements: at least a 2:1 at UK BSc level or a pass at UK MSc level or equivalent. Further information: https://centa.ac.uk/apply/ International students are eligible for studentships to a maximum of 30% of the cohort. Funding does not cover any additional costs relating to moving or residing in the UK. International applicants must fulfil the University of Birmingham’s international student entry requirements, including English language. Further information: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/postgraduate/pgt/requirements-pgt/international/index.aspx . References: Giles, S., Feilich, K., Warnock, R. C. M., and Friedman, M. (2023) ‘A Late Devonian actinopterygian suggests high lineage survivorship across the end-Devonian mass extinction’. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 7(1), pp.10-19. Figueroa, R. T., and Andrews, J. V. (2023). Fitting fangs in a finite face: A novel fang accommodation strategy in a 280‐million‐year‐old ray‐finned fish. Journal of Anatomy, 242(3), pp. 525-534. Friedman, M., Figueroa, R. T., Hodnett, J. P. M., Lucas, S. G., Higgins, R. R., Pierce, S., and Giles, S. (2024). A new genus and species of large macrodont actinopterygian from the Pennsylvanian (Kasimovian/Missourian) Atrasado Formation of New Mexico. Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, 36(2), 8-42.