中国北方猛犸象的起源、演化和扩散事件及其对晚新生代环境变迁的响应

The current project aims at conducting the multi-disciplinary and comprehensive studies on the spatial and temporal distribution, evolutionary model and environmental background of mammoth lineage in Eurasia based on the newly discovered mammoth fossils from northern China. There have been several mammoth species generally accepted for Eurasia and North America after the initial radiation of early forms out of Africa and into Eurasia at the beginning of Late Pliocene. Due to the scarcity of key skeletal remains (such as the skull), the origin and time of Mammuthus in Eurasia is still unresolved. Fortunately, a number of new mammoth remains including skull and mandible associated with other abundant and diverse mammalian fossils have been recovered recently from the Plio-Pleistocene deposits of northern China. Specifically, the skull and mandible of mammoth from the Late Pliocene Huining, Gansu Province are possibly the earliest and the most primitive and complete mammoth remains so far in China even Eurasia, and another primitive mammoth skull from the Early Pleistocene Nihewan Basin, Hebei Province is possibly the global earliest record of M. trogontherii in Eurasia. Consequently, northern China is considered as the key area of mammoth evolution in Eurasia during Plio-Pleistocene . The series of major findings have laid a good foundation for the current project. The systematic study based on the new fossils is significant for understanding the correlations between the origin, evolutionary model, dispersal events and extinction of mammoth lineage in northern China even Eurasia and the environmental changes during Plio-Pleistocene, and discussing the Late Cenozoic biostratigraphy of northern China.

本项目将以我国新发现的猛犸象化石为对象，拟对其时空分布特征、演化模式及其生存环境进行多学科交叉的综合研究。猛犸象自上新世从非洲扩散至欧亚大陆和北美以来，历经多次成种演替过程；然而，过去我国因缺少头骨等关键材料，早期猛犸象的研究颇为孤立、零散，对其起源和演化过程知之甚少。近年来，在甘肃会宁和河北泥河湾等地陆续发现时代较连续的猛犸象头骨等保存完整的化石，颇为难得。其中，会宁晚上新世的猛犸象头骨很可能是迄今欧亚大陆时代最早、最原始、保存最完整的猛犸象化石，而泥河湾早更新世早期的草原猛犸象头骨则很可能是该种在全球的最早记录。因此，中国北方很可能是晚上新世以来猛犸象世系最重要的演化与扩散中心。这一系列重大的发现为项目的立项和研究奠定了坚实的基础。该项目的实施对探讨猛犸象世系在中国北方乃至欧亚大陆的起源、扩散、灭绝事件与环境变迁的耦合关系，正确界定中国北方晚新生代生物地层序列框架具有重要的学术意义。

本项目以我国新发现的猛犸象、亚洲象和剑齿象等典型的长鼻类化石及伴生的哺乳动物群为对象，对其时空分布特征、演化模式及生存环境背景进行了多学科的综合研究。猛犸象自上新世从非洲扩散至欧亚大陆和北美以来，历经多次成种演替过程；然而，过去我国因缺少头骨等关键材料，早期猛犸象的研究颇为孤立、零散，对其起源和演化过程知之甚少。近年来，在甘肃会宁、河北泥河湾和大连骆驼山等地陆续发现时代较连续的猛犸象头骨等保存完整的化石，颇为难得。其中，会宁晚上新世的猛犸象头骨很可能是迄今欧亚大陆时代最早、最原始、保存最完整的猛犸象化石，而泥河湾和大连骆驼山早更新世的草原猛犸象头骨则很可能是该种在全球的最早记录。因此，中国北方很可能是晚上新世以来猛犸象世系最重要的演化与扩散中心。这一系列重大的发现为项目的立项和研究奠定了坚实的基础。该项目的实施对探讨猛犸象世系在中国北方乃至欧亚大陆的起源、扩散、灭绝事件与环境变迁的耦合关系，正确界定中国新生代晚期尤其是第四纪的生物地层序列框架具有重要的学术意义。