The origin and early evolution of feathers: implications, uncertainties and future prospects DOI Creative Commons
Xing Xu, Paul M. Barrett

Biology Letters, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 21(2)

Опубликована: Фев. 1, 2025

As a defining feature of the clade, feathers are key to understanding bird biology. Discoveries spectacular dinosaur and pterosaur fossils preserving feather-like integumentary appendages demonstrate trends increasing complexity in gross morphology microstructure through avemetatarsalian evolution, acquisition complex flight before origin birds. Moreover, this material shows some early differed from modern morphologically, ultrastructurally, biochemically developmentally, revealing evolutionary pathways absent taxa. These advances have changed conventional dinosaurs impacted conceptions both birds feathers. However, it remains unknown if ‘true’ originated at base Avemetatarsalia or within Theropoda. The former scenario implies multiple feather losses, developmental mechanisms which require investigation; latter suggests pterosaurs ornithischians independently evolved filamentous appendages, might shared genetic regulatory networks with theropod Answering these questions requires additional data on integument, particularly for sauropodomorphs, diverging theropods outgroups, more information those taxa known features. An integrative approach combining morphological, developmental, biochemical taphonomic data, including extinct extant taxa, is essential clearer evolution.

Язык: Английский

The origin and early evolution of feathers: implications, uncertainties and future prospects DOI Creative Commons
Xing Xu, Paul M. Barrett

Biology Letters, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 21(2)

Опубликована: Фев. 1, 2025

As a defining feature of the clade, feathers are key to understanding bird biology. Discoveries spectacular dinosaur and pterosaur fossils preserving feather-like integumentary appendages demonstrate trends increasing complexity in gross morphology microstructure through avemetatarsalian evolution, acquisition complex flight before origin birds. Moreover, this material shows some early differed from modern morphologically, ultrastructurally, biochemically developmentally, revealing evolutionary pathways absent taxa. These advances have changed conventional dinosaurs impacted conceptions both birds feathers. However, it remains unknown if ‘true’ originated at base Avemetatarsalia or within Theropoda. The former scenario implies multiple feather losses, developmental mechanisms which require investigation; latter suggests pterosaurs ornithischians independently evolved filamentous appendages, might shared genetic regulatory networks with theropod Answering these questions requires additional data on integument, particularly for sauropodomorphs, diverging theropods outgroups, more information those taxa known features. An integrative approach combining morphological, developmental, biochemical taphonomic data, including extinct extant taxa, is essential clearer evolution.

Язык: Английский

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