Abstract:

Prof. Qiu Zhanxiang’s academic life presents a cross regional scientific research landscape: born in Qingdao City on the coast of the Yellow Sea, he devoted his life to exploring the mysteries of terrestrial mammalian evolution. In his early years, he received systematic training at the Geological Department of Moscow University and graduated in 1960, which laid a solid disciplinary foundation for him. After returning to China, he took root in the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, starting a scientific research journey that lasted for more than half a century. As a paleontologist, his career has distinct international characteristics: from 1982 to 1984, he was awarded the Humboldt Scholarship from the Federal Republic of Germany and completed his doctoral thesis at the Gutenberg University of Mainz, and from 1982 to 1999, he conducted a series of international cooperation projects. His academic leadership was particularly prominent in his career, as he led multiple strategic scientific research projects during his tenure at the institute from 1991 to 1995. His scientific research footprint spans from the Nei Mongol Gobi to the Tibetan Plateau, and from the Yushe Basin in Shanxi Province to the Linxia Basin in Gansu Province. The National Climbing Plan of “Research on the origin of early human beings and environmental background” presided over by him has created a new paradigm of interdisciplinary research. In terms of disciplinary achievements, Prof. Qiu has achieved three landmark accomplishments: deciphering the evolutionary code of the Paleocene red bed mammalian fauna of South China, clarifying the lineage of giant rhino fossils, and establishing a biochronological scale for the Neogene terrestrial strata in China and conducting in-depth research on the carnivore and perissodactyl fossils contained therein. These achievements have provided a key evidence chain for analyzing the evolutionary mechanism of mammals’ adaptation to environmental changes over 66 million years, which not only won him the title of CAS Academician in 2005, but also left China’s mark in the field of international Cenozoic paleontology and stratigraphy.

Key words: China, Cenozoic, Neogene, mammal, stratigraphy

摘要：

邱占祥先生的学术人生呈现出一幅跨地域的科研图景：出生于黄海之滨青岛的他，毕生致力于探索陆地哺乳动物演化的奥秘。早年在莫斯科大学地质系1960届的系统训练，为其奠定了扎实的学科根基。归国后，邱先生扎根中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所，开启长达半个多世纪的科研征程。作为一名古生物学家，他的职业生涯带有鲜明的国际化特征：1982~1984年荣获联邦德国洪堡奖学金，在美因茨古腾堡大学完成博士论文研究；1982~1999, 领导了中德、中美和中瑞(士)等一系列重要的国际合作计划。他的学术领导力在其职业生涯中尤为突出，1991~1995年执掌研究所期间，推动了多项具有战略意义的科考项目。他的科研足迹横跨内蒙古戈壁至青藏高原，从山西榆社盆地到甘肃临夏盆地，主持的 “早期人类起源及环境背景研究” 国家攀登计划，开创了多学科交叉研究的新范式。在学科建树方面，邱占祥先生取得了三大标志性成就：破解华南古新世红层哺乳动物群的演化密码，厘清巨犀化石的谱系脉络，建立了中国新近纪陆相地层的生物年代标尺并对其所含的肉食类与奇蹄类化石进行了深入研究。这些成就为解析6600万年以来哺乳动物适应环境变迁的演化机制提供了关键证据链，不仅使其荣膺了2005年中国科学院院士称号，更在国际新生代古生物学和地层学研究领域刻下中国印记。

关键词: 中国, 新生代, 新近纪, 哺乳动物, 地层学