Collaborative Research: Uncovering the adaptive origins of fossil apes through the application of a transdisciplinary approach

The evolutionary history of humans and their closest living relatives is rooted in fossil primate forms that require further study. To breach this knowledge gap, this project aims to uncover the adaptive origins of fossil apes by surveying, excavating and analyzing a Middle Miocene understudied site. This project brings together an international, interdisciplinary team that will utilize the latest methods in collecting and analyzing paleontological, paleoecological and geological data. The project increases public engagement in science through outreach activities at schools in the U.S. and near the study site. The project also expands research participation through training and mentoring opportunities in paleoanthropology and geology. To date, large ape fossils dated to the Middle and Late Miocene are rare and more are needed to adequately infer the type of adaptations that directly preceded the ones found among early Homo species. This project expands our knowledge of the Middle Miocene primate fossil record by conducting a comprehensive paleontological field study on a site that has recently yielded ape-like fossils. The project has four main aims: 1) collecting fossil primate, and other fauna specimens via thorough surface survey, collection, and excavation; (2) establishing the phylogenetic position of fossil primate forms found at the site; 3) establishing a precise geochronology for the sequence through lithostratigraphy, magnetostratigraphy, tephrostratigraphy and radiometric dating of volcanic strata; 4) reconstructing the paleoenvironment and paleoecology of Miocene apes through stable isotope analysis, paleopedology, and paleobotany; and 5) analyzing the adaptations (e.g., diet), community structure, and biogeographic affinities of the associated mammalian fauna. Results from this study inform the adaptive origins of fossil primates and provide critical context for interpreting the environmental and ecological shifts that accompanied the origins of the African apes and humans. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.