Global latitudinal gradients and the evolution of body size in dinosaurs and mammals

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 15(1)

Published: April 5, 2024

Abstract Global climate patterns fundamentally shape the distribution of species and ecosystems. For example, Bergmann’s rule predicts that homeothermic animals, including birds mammals, inhabiting cooler climates are generally larger than close relatives from warmer climates. The modern world, however, lacks comparative data needed to evaluate such macroecological rules rigorously. Here, we test for in Mesozoic dinosaurs mammaliaforms radiated within relatively temperate global regimes. We develop a phylogenetic model accounts biases fossil record allows variable evolutionary dispersal rates. Our analysis also includes new extreme high-latitude Late Cretaceous Arctic Prince Creek Formation. find no evidence or mammaliaforms, ancestors extant mammals. When our is applied thousands dinosaur (bird) mammal species, body size evolution remains independent latitude. A modest temperature effect found extant, but not Mesozoic, birds, suggesting was influenced by during Cenozoic climatic change. study provides general approach studying rules, highlighting record’s power address longstanding ecological principles.

Language: Английский

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Early Jurassic origin of avian endothermy and thermophysiological diversity in dinosaurs

Current Biology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 34(11), P. 2517 - 2527.e4

Published: May 15, 2024

A fundamental question in dinosaur evolution is how they adapted to long-term climatic shifts during the Mesozoic and when developed environmentally independent, avian-style acclimatization, becoming endothermic.

Language: Английский

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Fossil amphibian offers insights into the interplay between monsoons and amphibian evolution in palaeoequatorial Late Triassic systems

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 291(2033)

Published: Oct. 1, 2024

The severe greenhouse climate and seasonality of the early to mid-Late Triassic are thought have limited terrestrial diversity at lower latitudes, but direct adaptations these harsh conditions remain in vertebrates palaeoequator. Here, we present Ninumbeehan dookoodukah gen. et sp. nov., an amphibian with specialized for seasonal estivation from upper Jelm Formation Late Wyoming, USA. found association vertebrate burrows across a locally dense horizon, offering insights into evolution ecology amid challenging low-latitude ecosystems. Estivation chambers were excavated within point bar deposits ephemeral river system, recording cyclical signature megamonsoons documenting response annual extremes tens hundreds seasons. Phylogenetic analysis recovers group temnospondyls characterized by fossorial adaptation, underscoring widespread adoption burrowing total Lissamphibia. hints pivotal role dynamics played shaping evolution.

Language: Английский

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Digestive contents and food webs record the advent of dinosaur supremacy

Nature, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Nov. 27, 2024

Abstract The early radiation of dinosaurs remains a complex and poorly understood evolutionary event 1–4 . Here we use hundreds fossils with direct evidence feeding to compare trophic dynamics across five vertebrate assemblages that record this in the Triassic–Jurassic succession Polish Basin (central Europe). Bromalites, fossil digestive products, increase size diversity interval, indicating emergence larger dinosaur faunas new patterns. Well-preserved food residues bromalite-taxon associations enable broad inferences interactions. Our results, integrated climate plant data, indicate stepwise ecospace occupancy area. This involved (1) replacement non-dinosaur guild members by opportunistic omnivorous precursors, followed (2) insect fish-eating theropods small dinosaurs. Climate change latest Triassic 5–7 resulted substantial vegetation changes paved way for ((3) (4)) an expansion herbivore pseudosuchian therapsid herbivores large sauropodomorphs ornithischians ingested broader range, even including burnt plants. Finally, (5) rapidly evolved developed enormous sizes response appearance guild. We suggest processes shown data may explain global patterns, shedding light on environmentally governed dominance gigantism endured until end-Cretaceous mass extinction.

Language: Английский

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Accounting for sampling heterogeneity suggests a low paleolatitude origin for dinosaurs

Current Biology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Jan. 1, 2025

Dinosaurs dominated Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems for ∼160 million years, but their biogeographic origin remains poorly understood. The earliest unequivocal dinosaur fossils appear in the Carnian (∼230 Ma) of southern South America and Africa, leading most authors to propose southwestern Gondwana as likely center origin. However, high taxonomic morphological diversity these assemblages suggests a more ancient evolutionary history that is currently unsampled. Phylogenetic uncertainty at base Dinosauria, combined with subsequent appearance dinosaurs throughout Laurasia early history, further complicates this picture. Here, we estimate distribution archosaurian relatives under phylogenetic maximum likelihood framework, testing alternative topological arrangements incorporating potential abiotic barriers dispersal into our models. For first time, include spatiotemporal sampling heterogeneity models, which frequently supports low-latitude Gondwanan dinosaurs. These results are best supported when silesaurids constrained early-diverging ornithischians, because topology accounts otherwise substantial ornithischian ghost lineage, explaining group's absence from fossil record prior Early Jurassic. Our suggest archosaur radiation also took place within following end-Permian extinction before lineages dispersed across Pangaea ecologically climatically distinct provinces during Late Triassic. vertebrates under-sampled low paleolatitudes, findings heterogeneous has hitherto obscured true paleobiogeographic kin.

Language: Английский

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A new metoposaurid (Temnospondyli) bonebed from the lower Popo Agie Formation (Carnian, Triassic) and an assessment of skeletal sorting

PLoS ONE, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 20(4), P. e0317325 - e0317325

Published: April 2, 2025

Metoposaurid-dominated bonebeds are relatively commonplace in Upper Triassic continental deposits with at least ten monodominant, densely-packed globally. The biostratinomy of several classic localities India, North America, and Poland have been explored detail; however, variability methods resultant conclusions point to the need for a more rigorous approach understanding both taphonomic ecological origins metoposaurid-dominated bonebeds. Here we present first monodominant metoposaurid mass mortality assemblage from Late Popo Agie Formation stratigraphically lowest known record fauna Fm including occurrence Buettnererpeton bakeri Wyoming. We employ previously tested binning based on perceived hydrodynamic equivalence (“Voorhies groups”) assess pre-burial skeletal sorting. suggest simple counting normalization method that avoids inherent bias introduced by interpretation elements taxa lack actualistic experimental data. In contrast other American bonebeds, sedimentology sorting analyses Nobby Knob quarry support an autochthonous origin this fluvio-lacustrine system little Despite differences underlying assumptions regarding dispersal potential specific elements, tend follow similar trends regardless framework used different assemblages.

Language: Английский

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A brief review of non-avian dinosaur biogeography: state-of-the-art and prospectus

Biology Letters, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 20(10)

Published: Oct. 1, 2024

Dinosaurs potentially originated in the mid-palaeolatitudes of Gondwana 245–235 million years ago (Ma) and may have been restricted to cooler, humid areas by low-latitude arid zones until climatic amelioration made northern dispersals feasible ca 215 Ma. However, this scenario is challenged new Carnian Laurasian fossils evidence that even earliest dinosaurs had adaptations for conditions. After becoming globally distributed Early–Middle Jurassic (200–160 Ma), experienced vicariance driven Pangaean fragmentation. Regional extinctions trans-oceanic also played a role, formation ephemeral land connections meant older patterns were repeatedly overprinted younger ones, creating reticulate biogeographic history. Palaeoclimates shaped dispersal barriers corridors, including filters differential effects on different types dinosaurs. Dinosaurian research faces many challenges, not least which patchiness fossil record. fossils, extensive databasing improved analytical methods help distinguish signal from noise generate fresh perspectives. In future, developing techniques quantifying ameliorating sampling biases modelling capacities are likely be two key components our modern programme.

Language: Английский

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Untangling the tree or unravelling the consensus? Recent developments in the quest to resolve the broad-scale relationships within Dinosauria

Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 22(1)

Published: June 5, 2024

The phylogenetic relationships of the major lineages within Dinosauria have come under intense scrutiny in recent years. In 2017, a radical new hypothesis early dinosaur evolution, 'Ornithoscelida hypothesis', was proposed, prompting flurry work this area. However, instead untangling tree dinosaurs as hoped, further research unravelled scientific consensus on origins and their relationships. Multiple hypotheses now been including several that position 'traditionally' non-dinosaurian silesaurids Dinosauria. There is no sign an emerging consensus, with all possible combinations three clades (Ornithischia, Theropoda Sauropodomorpha) having recovered by analyses. existence 'wildcard taxa' uncertain affinities around base complicates efforts to differentiate these hypotheses. Recent studies suggested data sets used investigate might be fatally flawed. construction stronger focus logical underpinning characters, addition inclusion newly described or redescribed taxa, will likely hold key resolving debate.

Language: Английский

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The macroecology of Mesozoic dinosaurs

Biology Letters, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 20(11)

Published: Nov. 1, 2024

Dinosaurs thrived for over 160 million years in Mesozoic ecosystems, displaying diverse ecological and evolutionary adaptations. Their ecology was shaped by large-scale climatic biogeographic changes, calling a ‘deep-time’ macroecological investigation. These factors include temperature fluctuations the break up of Pangaea, influencing species richness, diversity history. Recent improvements dinosaur fossil record have enabled studies their responses to tectonic, geographic shifts. Trends diversity, body size reproductive traits can now be analysed using quantitative approaches like phylogenetic comparative methods, machine learning Bayesian inference. patterns sometimes align with, but also deviate from, first-order rules (e.g. species–area relationship, latitudinal biodiversity gradient, Bergmann’s rule). Accurate reconstructions palaeobiodiversity niche partitioning require ongoing taxonomic revisions detailed anatomical descriptions. Interdisciplinary research combining sedimentology, geochemistry palaeoclimatology helps uncover environmental conditions driving Fieldwork under-sampled regions, particularly at extremes, is crucial understanding spatial heterogeneity ecosystems across planet. Open science initiatives online databases play key role advancing this field, enriching our deep-time processes, offering new insights into macroecology its broader implications.

Language: Английский

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Empirical record, geochronology and theoretical determinates of Mesozoic climate in the Junggar Basin, NW China, in relation to other basins in NE China

Geological Society London Special Publications, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 538(1), P. 235 - 260

Published: July 14, 2023

Abstract Mesozoic continental basins of northern China, including the Junggar Basin, provide some most spectacular and important fossil assemblages in world, but their climatic environmental contexts have been shrouded uncertainty. Here we examine main factors that determine those contexts: palaeolatitude; effects changing atmospheric gases on radiative balance; orbitally paced variations insolation. Empirical evidence these is accumulating rapidly promises to upend many long-standing paradigms. We focus primarily Basin Xinjiang, NW with renowned Shishugou Biota, Liaoning, Hebei Inner Mongolia famous Jehol Yanliao biotas. Accurate geochronology necessary disentangle various factors, review Late Triassic Early Cretaceous U–Pb ages for areas supply a new laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry age otherwise un-dated Sangonghe Formation Jurassic age. climate-sensitive facies patterns North China show context changed synchronously northwestern northeastern consistent previously proposed huge Jurassic–earliest true polar wander event, all major plates East Asia docked Siberia moving together since at least when were Arctic latitudes. conclude this shift was responsible coal beds ice-rafted debris being produced high latitudes red aeolian strata deposited low within same basin. The taphonomic which Shishugou, biotas preserved thus function wander, as opposed local tectonics or climate change.

Language: Английский

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