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Takemura H, Kaneko T, Sherwood CC, Johnson GA, Axer M, Hecht EE, Ye FQ, Leopold DA. A prominent vertical occipital white matter fasciculus unique to primate brains. Curr Biol 2024; 34:3632-3643.e4. [PMID: 38991613 PMCID: PMC11338705 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.06.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Revised: 06/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Vision in humans and other primates enlists parallel processing streams in the dorsal and ventral visual cortex, known to support spatial and object processing, respectively. These streams are bridged, however, by a prominent white matter tract, the vertical occipital fasciculus (VOF), identified in both classical neuroanatomy and recent diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) studies. Understanding the evolution of the VOF may shed light on its origin, function, and role in visually guided behaviors. To this end, we acquired high-resolution dMRI data from the brains of select mammalian species, including anthropoid and strepsirrhine primates, a tree shrew, rodents, and carnivores. In each species, we attempted to delineate the VOF after first locating the optic radiations in the occipital white matter. In all primate species examined, the optic radiation was flanked laterally by a prominent and coherent white matter fasciculus recognizable as the VOF. By contrast, the equivalent analysis applied to four non-primate species from the same superorder as primates (tree shrew, ground squirrel, paca, and rat) failed to reveal white matter tracts in the equivalent location. Clear evidence for a VOF was also absent in two larger carnivore species (ferret and fox). Although we cannot rule out the existence of minor or differently organized homologous fiber pathways in the non-primate species, the results suggest that the VOF has greatly expanded, or possibly emerged, in the primate lineage. This adaptation likely facilitated the evolution of unique visually guided behaviors in primates, with direct impacts on manual object manipulation, social interactions, and arboreal locomotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiromasa Takemura
- Division of Sensory and Cognitive Brain Mapping, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, 38 Nishigonaka Myodaiji, Okazaki-shi, Aichi 444-8585, Japan; The Graduate Institute for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Shonan Village, Hayama-cho, Kanagawa 240-0193, Japan; Center for Information and Neural Networks (CiNet), Advanced ICT Research Institute, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 1-4 Yamadaoka, Suita-shi, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
| | - Takaaki Kaneko
- Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, Kyoto University, 41-2 Kanrin, Inuyama-shi, Aichi 484-8506, Japan; Division of Behavioral Development, Department of System Neuroscience, National Institute for Physiological Sciences, 38 Nishigonaka Myodaiji, Okazaki-shi, Aichi, Japan
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, 800 22nd St. NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - G Allan Johnson
- Department of Radiology, Duke Center for In Vivo Microscopy, Duke Medical Center, 311 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27710, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, 101 Science Dive., Durham, NC 27705, USA
| | - Markus Axer
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich 52425, Germany; Department of Physics, School of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Wuppertal, Gaußstraße 20 42119, Wuppertal, Germany
| | - Erin E Hecht
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Frank Q Ye
- Neurophysiology Imaging Facility, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA
| | - David A Leopold
- Neurophysiology Imaging Facility, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA; Systems Neurodevelopment Laboratory, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
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Hovatter BT, Chester SGB, Wilson Mantilla GP. New records of early Paleocene (earliest Torrejonian) plesiadapiforms from northeastern Montana, USA, provide a window into the diversification of stem primates. J Hum Evol 2024; 192:103500. [PMID: 38762383 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2024.103500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/20/2024]
Abstract
Plesiadapiforms (putative stem primates) appear in the fossil record shortly after the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary and subsequently radiated throughout the Paleocene into a taxonomically and ecomorphologically diverse group. The oldest known plesiadapiforms come from early Puercan (the oldest North American Land Mammal 'age' [NALMA] of the Cenozoic) deposits in northeastern Montana, and all records of Puercan plesiadapiforms are taxonomically restricted to members of the Purgatoriidae and the enigmatic genus Pandemonium. Plesiadapiform diversity substantially increased in the following Torrejonian NALMA, but the sparse record of faunas between the Puercan and the well-known middle and late Torrejonian has hampered our understanding of this important interval in early primate evolution. Here we report new plesiadapiform dental fossils from early Torrejonian (To1) deposits from the Tullock Member of the Fort Union Formation in northeastern Montana that record several poorly known taxa including members of the Purgatoriidae, Paromomyidae and Pandemonium, and that document the largest and most diverse assemblage of To1 plesiadapiforms known. We describe a new species of the purgatoriid Ursolestes (Ursolestes blissorum, sp. nov.) that represents the largest plesiadapiform known from the early Paleocene and, among other taxa, provides additional evidence that the temporal range of purgatoriids extended into the Torrejonian. Large sample sizes of the oldest known paromomyid, Paromomys farrandi, allowed us to document intraspecific variability and one undescribed tooth locus. Our observations illuminate changes in dental morphology of some taxa that occurred in To1 and may inform the acquisition of certain diagnostic plesiadapiform dental characters. We evaluate plesiadapiform species richness, mean body mass and body-mass disparity through the Paleocene and reveal unrecognized levels of richness in To1 and a general trend of stable body mass and body-mass disparity. Our findings contribute to documented patterns of plesiadapiform provincialism in the early Paleocene and shed light on the early stages of their Torrejonian radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brody T Hovatter
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Johnson Hall Rm-070, Box 351310, 3920 Okanogan Lane NE, Seattle, WA, 98195-1310, USA; Department of Paleontology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, 4303 Memorial Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
| | - Stephen G B Chester
- Department of Anthropology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11210, USA; The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, 10016, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, 200 Central Park West, New York, NY, 10024, USA
| | - Gregory P Wilson Mantilla
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, 3747 West Stevens Way NE, LSB, Rm B147A, Seattle, WA, 98195-1800, USA; Department of Paleontology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, 4303 Memorial Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
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3
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Olivier CA, Martin JS, Pilisi C, Agnani P, Kauffmann C, Hayes L, Jaeggi AV, Schradin C. Primate social organization evolved from a flexible pair-living ancestor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2215401120. [PMID: 38154063 PMCID: PMC10769843 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2215401120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Explaining the evolution of primate social organization has been fundamental to understand human sociality and social evolution more broadly. It has often been suggested that the ancestor of all primates was solitary and that other forms of social organization evolved later, with transitions being driven by various life history traits and ecological factors. However, recent research showed that many understudied primate species previously assumed to be solitary actually live in pairs, and intraspecific variation in social organization is common. We built a detailed database from primary field studies quantifying the number of social units expressing different social organizations in each population. We used Bayesian phylogenetic models to infer the probability of each social organization, conditional on several socioecological and life history predictors. Here, we show that when intraspecific variation is accounted for, the ancestral social organization of primates was inferred to be variable, with the most common social organization being pair-living but with approximately 10 to 20% of social units of the ancestral population deviating from this pattern by being solitary living. Body size and activity patterns had large effects on transitions between types of social organizations. As in other mammalian clades, pair-living is closely linked to small body size and likely more common in ancestral species. Our results challenge the assumption that ancestral primates were solitary and that pair-living evolved afterward emphasizing the importance of focusing on field data and accounting for intraspecific variation, providing a flexible statistical framework for doing so.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte-Anaïs Olivier
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg2050, South Africa
| | - Jordan S. Martin
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, ZurichCH-8057, Switzerland
| | - Camille Pilisi
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
| | - Paul Agnani
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
| | - Cécile Kauffmann
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
| | - Loren Hayes
- Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga37403, TN
| | - Adrian V. Jaeggi
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, ZurichCH-8057, Switzerland
| | - C. Schradin
- Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS, Department of Ethology and Evolutionary Physiology, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg67200, France
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg2050, South Africa
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Crowell JW, Wible JR, Chester SGB. Basicranial evidence suggests picrodontid mammals are not stem primates. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20230335. [PMID: 38195058 PMCID: PMC10776232 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
The Picrodontidae from the middle Palaeocene of North America are enigmatic placental mammals that were allied with various mammalian groups but are generally now considered to have close affinities to paromomyid and palaechthonid plesiadapiforms based on proposed dental synapomorphies. The picrodontid fossil record consists entirely of dental and gnathic remains except for one partial cranium of Zanycteris paleocenus (AMNH 17180). Here, we use µCT technology to unveil previously undocumented morphology in AMNH 17180, describe and compare the basicranial morphology of a picrodontid for the first time, and incorporate these new data into cladistic analyses. The basicranial morphology of Z. paleocenus is distinct from plesiadapiforms and shares similarities with the Palaeogene Apatemyidae and Nyctitheriidae. Results of cladistic analyses incorporating these novel data suggest picrodontids are not stem primates nor euarchontan mammals and that the proposed dental synapomorphies uniting picrodontids with plesiadapiforms and, by extension, primates evolved independently. Results highlight the need to scrutinize proposed synapomorphies of highly autapomorphic taxa with limited fossil records.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan W. Crowell
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - John R. Wible
- Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, 5800 Baum Boulevard, Pittsburgh, PA 15206, USA
| | - Stephen G. B. Chester
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA
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5
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Monclús-Gonzalo O, Alba DM, Duhamel A, Fabre AC, Marigó J. Early euprimates already had a diverse locomotor repertoire: Evidence from ankle bone morphology. J Hum Evol 2023; 181:103395. [PMID: 37320961 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The morphological adaptations of euprimates have been linked to their origin and early evolution in an arboreal environment. However, the ancestral and early locomotor repertoire of this group remains contentious. Although some tarsal bones like the astragalus and the calcaneus have been thoroughly studied, the navicular remains poorly studied despite its potential implications for foot mobility. Here, we evaluate early euprimate locomotion by assessing the shape of the navicular-an important component of the midtarsal region of the foot-using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics in relation to quantified locomotor repertoire in a wide data set of extant primates. We also reconstruct the locomotor repertoire of representatives of the major early primate lineages with a novel phylogenetically informed discriminant analysis and characterize the changes that occurred in the navicular during the archaic primate-euprimate transition. To do so, we included in our study an extensive sample of naviculars (36 specimens) belonging to different species of adapiforms, omomyiforms, and plesiadapiforms. Our results indicate that navicular shape embeds a strong functional signal, allowing us to infer the type of locomotion of extinct primates. We demonstrate that early euprimates displayed a diverse locomotor behavior, although they did not reach the level of specialization of some living forms. Finally, we show that the navicular bone experienced substantial reorganization throughout the archaic primate-euprimate transition, supporting the major functional role of the tarsus during early primate evolution. This study demonstrates that navicular shape can be used as a reliable proxy for primate locomotor behavior. In addition, it sheds light on the diverse locomotor behavior of early primates as well as on the archaic primate-euprimate transition, which involved profound morphological changes within the tarsus, including the navicular bone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oriol Monclús-Gonzalo
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David M Alba
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Anaïs Duhamel
- University of Lyon, ENSL, CNRS, LGL-TPE, Villeurbanne 69622, France
| | - Anne-Claire Fabre
- Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, 3005 Bern, Switzerland; Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Life Sciences Department, Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK.
| | - Judit Marigó
- Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Departament de Geologia, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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6
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White CL, Bloch JI, Morse PE, Silcox MT. Virtual endocast of late Paleocene Niptomomys (Microsyopidae, Euarchonta) and early primate brain evolution. J Hum Evol 2023; 175:103303. [PMID: 36608392 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Paleogene microsyopid plesiadapiforms are among the oldest euarchontans known from relatively complete crania. While cranial endocasts are known for larger-bodied Eocene microsyopine microsyopids, this study documents the first virtual endocast for the more diminutive uintasoricine microsyopids, derived from a specimen of Niptomomys cf. Niptomomys doreenae (USNM 530198) from the late Paleocene of Wyoming. Size estimates of smaller-bodied uintasoricines are similar to those inferred for the common ancestor of Primates, so the virtual endocast of Niptomomys may provide a useful model to study early primate brain evolution. Due to the broken and telescoped nature of the neurocranium of USNM 530198, a μCT scan of the specimen was used to create a 3D model of multiple bone fragments that were then independently isolated, repositioned, and merged to form a cranial reconstruction from which a virtual endocast was extracted. The virtual endocast of Niptomomys has visible caudal colliculi, suggesting less caudal expansion of the cerebrum compared to that of euprimates, but similar to that of several other plesiadapiforms. The part of the endocast representing the olfactory bulbs is larger relative to overall endocast volume in Niptomomys (8.61%) than that of other known plesiadapiforms (∼5%) or euprimates (<3.5%). The petrosal lobules (associated with visual stabilization) are relatively large for a Paleocene placental mammal (1.66%). The encephalization quotient of Niptomomys is relatively high (range = 0.35-0.85) compared to that of Microsyops (range = 0.32-0.52), with the upper estimates in the range of values calculated for early euprimates. However, this contrast likely relates in part to the small size of the taxon, and is not associated with evidence of neocortical expansion. These findings are consistent with a model of shifting emphasis in primate evolution toward functions of the cerebrum and away from olfaction with the origin of euprimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea L White
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Jonathan I Bloch
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117800, Gainesville, FL, 32611-7800, USA
| | - Paul E Morse
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117800, Gainesville, FL, 32611-7800, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Mary T Silcox
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada.
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Basal Primatomorpha colonized Ellesmere Island (Arctic Canada) during the hyperthermal conditions of the early Eocene climatic optimum. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0280114. [PMID: 36696373 PMCID: PMC9876366 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0280114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenically induced warming is transforming Arctic ecosystems across a geologically short timescale, but earlier episodes of Earth history provide insights on the nature and limitations of biotic change in a rapidly warming Arctic. Late early Eocene strata (~52 Ma) of the Margaret Formation on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada sample a warm temperate ecosystem with a polar light regime situated at ~77°N paleolatitude. This extinct boreal ecosystem hosted a diversity of early Cenozoic vertebrates, including thermophilic taxa such as crocodilians and tapiroid perissodactyls. Here we describe two new species of the early primatomorphan Ignacius from Ellesmere, which are by far the northernmost known records for Paleogene Primatomorpha. Ellesmere species of Ignacius are sister taxa, indicating a single colonization of Ellesmere from farther south in North America coincident with the onset of the hyperthermal Early Eocene Climatic Optimum (EECO). The Ellesmere Ignacius clade differs from closely related taxa inhabiting mid-latitudes in being larger (thereby conforming to Bergmann's rule) and having modified dentition and muscles of mastication for a dietary regime emphasizing hard objects, possibly reflecting an increased reliance on fallback foods during long polar winters. The late early Eocene mammalian fauna of Ellesmere indicates that its unique paleoenvironment rendered it uninhabitable to some clades, including euprimates, while selected taxa were able to adapt to its challenging conditions and diversify.
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Wu Y, Fan L, Bai L, Li Q, Gu H, Sun C, Jiang T, Feng J. Ambush predation and the origin of euprimates. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2022; 8:eabn6248. [PMID: 36103535 PMCID: PMC9473580 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn6248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Primates of modern aspect (euprimates) are characterized by a suite of characteristics (e.g., convergent orbits, grasping hands and feet, reduced claws, and leaping), but the selective pressures responsible for the evolution of these euprimate characteristics have long remained controversial. Here, we used a molecular phyloecological approach to determine the diet of the common ancestor of living primates (CALP), and the results showed that the CALP had increased carnivory. Given the carnivory of the CALP, along with the general observation that orbital convergence is largely restricted to ambush predators, our study suggests that the euprimate characteristics could have been more specifically adapted for ambush predation. In particular, our behavior experiment further shows that nonclaw climbing can significantly reduce noises, which could benefit the ancestral euprimates' stalking to ambush their prey in trees. Therefore, our study suggests that the distinctive euprimate characteristics may have evolved as their specialized adaptation for ambush predation in arboreal environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yonghua Wu
- School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, China
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Longcheng Fan
- School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Lu Bai
- School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Qingqing Li
- School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal University, 5268 Renmin Street, Changchun 130024, China
| | - Hao Gu
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Congnan Sun
- Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Tinglei Jiang
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
| | - Jiang Feng
- Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, Northeast Normal University, 2555 Jingyue Street, Changchun 130117, China
- College of Life Science, Jilin Agricultural University, 2888 Xincheng Street, Changchun 130118, China
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The largest and earliest known sample of dental caries in an extinct mammal (Mammalia, Euarchonta, Microsyops latidens) and its ecological implications. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15920. [PMID: 34504127 PMCID: PMC8429469 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95330-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Dental cavities or caries is a common disease among modern humans, affecting almost every adult. Caries frequency has been used to study dietary change in humans over time, based on an inferred tie between the incidence of caries and a carbohydrate-rich diet. However, the disease is not unique to our species. Among non-human primates, there is also variation in caries frequency associated with diet, suggesting that this metric may provide a mechanism for studying diet in broader contexts, and across geological time. To date, very few studies have examined caries among fossil mammals, and none have done so among Eocene mammals. Here, we present our analysis of the largest sample to date of fossil caries in a single extinct mammal species, Microsyops latidens, a stem primate from the early Eocene, which is known from over a thousand specimens from the Southern Bighorn Basin of Wyoming (n = 1030). Our results show that Microsyops latidens is characterized by a high prevalence of dental caries (7.48% of individuals), with notable variation through time, reaching 17.24% of individuals from a particular interval. This interval is also associated with a change in overall dental form, as quantified by dental topographic analysis, which measures functional aspects of the chewing surface of teeth. These observations suggest that this species experienced a shift in their diet to include more fruit or other sugar rich-foods for a short period. Our analysis, therefore, suggests that the diet of M. latidens fluctuated over time, as well as providing a framework for assessing caries in other fossil taxa.
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Marjanović D. The Making of Calibration Sausage Exemplified by Recalibrating the Transcriptomic Timetree of Jawed Vertebrates. Front Genet 2021; 12:521693. [PMID: 34054911 PMCID: PMC8149952 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.521693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Molecular divergence dating has the potential to overcome the incompleteness of the fossil record in inferring when cladogenetic events (splits, divergences) happened, but needs to be calibrated by the fossil record. Ideally but unrealistically, this would require practitioners to be specialists in molecular evolution, in the phylogeny and the fossil record of all sampled taxa, and in the chronostratigraphy of the sites the fossils were found in. Paleontologists have therefore tried to help by publishing compendia of recommended calibrations, and molecular biologists unfamiliar with the fossil record have made heavy use of such works (in addition to using scattered primary sources and copying from each other). Using a recent example of a large node-dated timetree inferred from molecular data, I reevaluate all 30 calibrations in detail, present the current state of knowledge on them with its various uncertainties, rerun the dating analysis, and conclude that calibration dates cannot be taken from published compendia or other secondary or tertiary sources without risking strong distortions to the results, because all such sources become outdated faster than they are published: 50 of the (primary) sources I cite to constrain calibrations were published in 2019, half of the total of 280 after mid-2016, and 90% after mid-2005. It follows that the present work cannot serve as such a compendium either; in the slightly longer term, it can only highlight known and overlooked problems. Future authors will need to solve each of these problems anew through a thorough search of the primary paleobiological and chronostratigraphic literature on each calibration date every time they infer a new timetree, and that literature is not optimized for that task, but largely has other objectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Marjanović
- Department of Evolutionary Morphology, Science Programme “Evolution and Geoprocesses”, Museum für Naturkunde – Leibniz Institute for Evolutionary and Biodiversity Research, Berlin, Germany
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11
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Wilson Mantilla GP, Chester SGB, Clemens WA, Moore JR, Sprain CJ, Hovatter BT, Mitchell WS, Mans WW, Mundil R, Renne PR. Earliest Palaeocene purgatoriids and the initial radiation of stem primates. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:210050. [PMID: 33972886 PMCID: PMC8074693 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.210050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Plesiadapiform mammals, as stem primates, are key to understanding the evolutionary and ecological origins of Pan-Primates and Euarchonta. The Purgatoriidae, as the geologically oldest and most primitive known plesiadapiforms and one of the oldest known placental groups, are also central to the evolutionary radiation of placentals and the Cretaceous-Palaeogene biotic recovery on land. Here, we report new dental fossils of Purgatorius from early Palaeocene (early Puercan) age deposits in northeastern Montana that represent the earliest dated occurrences of plesiadapiforms. We constrain the age of these earliest purgatoriids to magnetochron C29R and most likely to within 105-139 thousand years post-K/Pg boundary. Given the occurrence of at least two species, Purgatorius janisae and a new species, at the locality, we provide the strongest support to date that purgatoriids and, by extension, Pan-Primates, Euarchonta and Placentalia probably originated by the Late Cretaceous. Within 1 million years of their arrival in northeastern Montana, plesiadapiforms outstripped archaic ungulates in numerical abundance and dominated the arboreal omnivore-frugivore niche in mammalian local faunas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory P. Wilson Mantilla
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Department of Paleontology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Stephen G. B. Chester
- Department of Anthropology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
| | - William A. Clemens
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jason R. Moore
- Honors College, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Courtney J. Sprain
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Brody T. Hovatter
- Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | | | - Wade W. Mans
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Roland Mundil
- Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Paul R. Renne
- Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Berkeley Geochronology Center, 2455 Ridge Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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12
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Silcox MT, Selig KR, Bown TM, Chew AE, Rose KD. Cladogenesis and replacement in the fossil record of Microsyopidae (?Primates) from the southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20200824. [PMID: 33563133 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The early Eocene of the southern Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, is notable for its nearly continuous record of mammalian fossils. Microsyopinae (?Primates) is one of several lineages that shows evidence of evolutionary change associated with an interval referred to as Biohorizon A. Arctodontomys wilsoni is replaced by a larger species, Arctodontomys nuptus, during the biohorizon interval in what is likely an immigration/emigration or immigration/local extinction event. The latter is then superseded by Microsyops angustidens after the end of the Biohorizon A interval. Although this pattern has been understood for some time, denser sampling has led to the identification of a specimen intermediate in morphology between A. nuptus and M. angustidens, located stratigraphically as the latter is appearing. Because specimens of A. nuptus have been recovered approximately 60 m above the appearance of M. angustidens, it is clear that A. nuptus did not suffer pseudoextinction. Instead, evidence suggests that M. angustidens branched off from a population of A. nuptus, but the latter species persisted. This represents possible evidence of cladogenesis, which has rarely been directly documented in the fossil record. The improved understanding of both evolutionary transitions with better sampling highlights the problem of interpreting gaps in the fossil record as punctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary T Silcox
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1C 1A4
| | - Keegan R Selig
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M1C 1A4
| | - Thomas M Bown
- Department of Anthropology and Geography, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1701, USA
| | - Amy E Chew
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, 80 Waterman Street, Box G-W, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Kenneth D Rose
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 1830 E. Monument Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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13
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Not all fine-branch locomotion is equal: Grasping morphology determines locomotor performance on narrow supports. J Hum Evol 2020; 142:102767. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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14
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Springer MS, Foley NM, Brady PL, Gatesy J, Murphy WJ. Evolutionary Models for the Diversification of Placental Mammals Across the KPg Boundary. Front Genet 2019; 10:1241. [PMID: 31850081 PMCID: PMC6896846 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.01241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Deciphering the timing of the placental mammal radiation is a longstanding problem in evolutionary biology, but consensus on the tempo and mode of placental diversification remains elusive. Nevertheless, an accurate timetree is essential for understanding the role of important events in Earth history (e.g., Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution, KPg mass extinction) in promoting the taxonomic and ecomorphological diversification of Placentalia. Archibald and Deutschman described three competing models for the diversification of placental mammals, which are the Explosive, Long Fuse, and Short Fuse Models. More recently, the Soft Explosive Model and Trans-KPg Model have emerged as additional hypotheses for the placental radiation. Here, we review molecular and paleontological evidence for each of these five models including the identification of general problems that can negatively impact divergence time estimates. The Long Fuse Model has received more support from relaxed clock studies than any of the other models, but this model is not supported by morphological cladistic studies that position Cretaceous eutherians outside of crown Placentalia. At the same time, morphological cladistics has a poor track record of reconstructing higher-level relationships among the orders of placental mammals including the results of new pseudoextinction analyses that we performed on the largest available morphological data set for mammals (4,541 characters). We also examine the strengths and weaknesses of different timetree methods (node dating, tip dating, and fossilized birth-death dating) that may now be applied to estimate the timing of the placental radiation. While new methods such as tip dating are promising, they also have problems that must be addressed if these methods are to effectively discriminate among competing hypotheses for placental diversification. Finally, we discuss the complexities of timetree estimation when the signal of speciation times is impacted by incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) and hybridization. Not accounting for ILS results in dates that are older than speciation events. Hybridization, in turn, can result in dates than are younger or older than speciation dates. Disregarding this potential variation in "gene" history across the genome can distort phylogenetic branch lengths and divergence estimates when multiple unlinked genomic loci are combined together in a timetree analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark S. Springer
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - Nicole M. Foley
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Peggy L. Brady
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
| | - John Gatesy
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, United States
| | - William J. Murphy
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
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15
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Melchionna M, Mondanaro A, Serio C, Castiglione S, Di Febbraro M, Rook L, Diniz-Filho JAF, Manzi G, Profico A, Sansalone G, Raia P. Macroevolutionary trends of brain mass in Primates. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
A distinctive trait in primate evolution is the expansion in brain mass. The potential drivers of this trend and how and whether encephalization influenced diversification dynamics in this group are hotly debated. We assembled a phylogeny accounting for 317 primate species, including both extant and extinct taxa, to identify macroevolutionary trends in brain mass evolution. Our findings show that Primates as a whole follow a macroevolutionary trend for an increase in body mass, relative brain mass and speciation rate over time. Although the trend for increased encephalization (brain mass) applies to all Primates, hominins stand out for their distinctly higher rates. Within hominins, this unique trend applies linearly over time and starts with Australopithecus africanus. The increases in both speciation rate and encephalization begin in the Oligocene, suggesting the two variables are causally associated. The substitution of early, stem Primates belonging to plesiadapiforms with crown Primates seems to be responsible for these macroevolutionary trends. However, our findings also suggest that cognitive capacities favoured speciation in hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Melchionna
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
| | - A Mondanaro
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Italy
| | - C Serio
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
| | - S Castiglione
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
| | - M Di Febbraro
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio, University of Molise, C. da Fonte Lappone, 15, 86090 Pesche, IS, Italy
| | - L Rook
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Italy
| | - J A F Diniz-Filho
- Departamento de Ecologia, ICB, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - G Manzi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - A Profico
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - G Sansalone
- Department of Environmental and Rural Sciences, FEARlab, University of New England, Armidale, 2351, NSW, Australia
| | - P Raia
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
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16
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Nyakatura JA. Early primate evolution: insights into the functional significance of grasping from motion analyses of extant mammals. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John A Nyakatura
- AG Morphologie und Formengeschichte, Institut für Biologie, Humboldt Universität, Philippstraße, Berlin, Germany
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17
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Chester SGB, Williamson TE, Silcox MT, Bloch JI, Sargis EJ. Skeletal morphology of the early Paleocene plesiadapiform Torrejonia wilsoni (Euarchonta, Palaechthonidae). J Hum Evol 2019; 128:76-92. [PMID: 30825983 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2018] [Revised: 12/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Plesiadapiforms, like other Paleogene mammals, are known mostly from fossil teeth and jaw fragments. The several families of plesiadapiforms known from partial skeletons have all been reconstructed as arborealists, but differences in postcranial morphology among these taxa indicate a diversity of positional behaviors. Here we provide the first detailed descriptions and comparisons of a dentally associated partial skeleton (NMMNH P-54500) and of the most complete dentary with anterior teeth (NMMNH P-71598) pertaining to Torrejonia wilsoni, from the early Paleocene (late Torrejonian To3 interval zone) of the Nacimiento Formation, San Juan Basin, New Mexico, USA. NMMNH P-54500 is the oldest known partial skeleton of a plesiadapiform and the only known postcrania for the Palaechthonidae. This skeleton includes craniodental fragments with all permanent teeth fully erupted, and partial forelimbs and hind limbs with some epiphyses unfused, indicating that this individual was a nearly fully-grown subadult. Analysis of the forelimb suggests mobile shoulder and elbow joints, a habitually flexed forearm, and capacity for manual grasping. The hip joint allowed abduction and lateral rotation of the thigh and provides evidence for frequent orthograde postures on large diameter supports. Other aspects of the hind limb suggest a habitually flexed thigh and knee with no evidence for specialized leaping, and mobile ankle joints capable of high degrees of inversion and eversion. Although it is likely that some variability exists within the group, analysis of this skeleton suggests that palaechthonids are most like paromomyids among plesiadapiforms, but retain more plesiomorphic postcranial features than has been documented for the Paromomyidae. These observations are congruent with craniodental evidence supporting palaechthonids and paromomyids as closely related within the Paromomyoidea. The skeleton of T. wilsoni also demonstrates that many regions of the postcranium were already well adapted for arboreality within the first few million years of the diversification of placental mammals following the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen G B Chester
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA; Department of Anthropology, Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Thomas E Williamson
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Road, NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104-1375, USA
| | - Mary T Silcox
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Jonathan I Bloch
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 1659 Museum Road, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800, USA
| | - Eric J Sargis
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, P. O. Box 208277, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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18
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Youlatos D, Widayati KA, Tsuji Y. Foot postures and grasping of free-ranging Sunda colugos (Galeopterus variegatus) in West Java, Indonesia. Mamm Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2018.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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19
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New fossils, systematics, and biogeography of the oldest known crown primate Teilhardina from the earliest Eocene of Asia, Europe, and North America. J Hum Evol 2019; 128:103-131. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Revised: 08/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/20/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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20
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Locomotion, postures, substrate use, and foot grasping in the marsupial feathertail glider Acrobates pygmaeus (Diprotodontia: Acrobatidae): Insights into early euprimate evolution. J Hum Evol 2018; 123:148-159. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2017] [Revised: 07/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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21
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López-Torres S, Fostowicz-Frelik Ł. A new Eocene anagalid (Mammalia: Euarchontoglires) from Mongolia and its implications for the group's phylogeny and dispersal. Sci Rep 2018; 8:13955. [PMID: 30224674 PMCID: PMC6141491 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-32086-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 08/30/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Anagalidae are extinct primitive Euarchontoglires from Asia, regarded as relatively closely related to basal Glires. So far, the group has been reported only from China and stratigraphically spans from the early Paleocene to the latest Eocene/earliest Oligocene. Anagalids are characterized by a relatively full dental formula featuring slightly enlarged semi-procumbent incisors, prominent canines, and tall cheek teeth with usually heavily worn crowns, indicative of an abrasive diet. Here we report a new genus and species from the late Eocene Ergilin Dzo Formation in southern Mongolia. The first non-Chinese anagalid is also the northernmost record of the family. Zofiagale ergilinensis gen. and sp.nov. is remarkable for its relatively small size (comparable only to the Paleocene genera Huaiyangale and Stenanagale), lack of P1, and molariform teeth showing almost no wear, suggesting a different diet than most Anagalidae. Furthermore, its molars display a strong buccal cingulum, a character in anagalids shared only with Wanogale. Our phylogenetic analysis of representatives of all anagalid genera based on 82 dental characters places Anagale and Anaptogale as the most basal lineages and clusters Zofiagale gen. nov. together with Qipania and Hsiuannania. These results suggest three independent northward dispersal events within the family in the late Eocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergi López-Torres
- Department of Evolutionary Paleobiology, Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, PL-00-818, Poland
| | - Łucja Fostowicz-Frelik
- Department of Evolutionary Paleobiology, Institute of Paleobiology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw, PL-00-818, Poland.
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, People's Republic of China.
- Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100044, People's Republic of China.
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22
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Kay RF. 100 years of primate paleontology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 165:652-676. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2017] [Revised: 01/19/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard F. Kay
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology and Division of Earth and Ocean Sciences; Duke University; Durham North Carolina 27708
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23
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Chester SGB, Williamson TE, Bloch JI, Silcox MT, Sargis EJ. Oldest skeleton of a plesiadapiform provides additional evidence for an exclusively arboreal radiation of stem primates in the Palaeocene. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:170329. [PMID: 28573038 PMCID: PMC5451839 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.170329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Palaechthonid plesiadapiforms from the Palaeocene of western North America have long been recognized as among the oldest and most primitive euarchontan mammals, a group that includes extant primates, colugos and treeshrews. Despite their relatively sparse fossil record, palaechthonids have played an important role in discussions surrounding adaptive scenarios for primate origins for nearly a half-century. Likewise, palaechthonids have been considered important for understanding relationships among plesiadapiforms, with members of the group proposed as plausible ancestors of Paromomyidae and Microsyopidae. Here, we describe a dentally associated partial skeleton of Torrejonia wilsoni from the early Palaeocene (approx. 62 Ma) of New Mexico, which is the oldest known plesiadapiform skeleton and the first postcranial elements recovered for a palaechthonid. Results from a cladistic analysis that includes new data from this skeleton suggest that palaechthonids are a paraphyletic group of stem primates, and that T. wilsoni is most closely related to paromomyids. New evidence from the appendicular skeleton of T. wilsoni fails to support an influential hypothesis based on inferences from craniodental morphology that palaechthonids were terrestrial. Instead, the postcranium of T. wilsoni indicates that it was similar to that of all other plesiadapiforms for which skeletons have been recovered in having distinct specializations consistent with arboreality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen G. B. Chester
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, 2900 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11210, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Graduate Center, City University of New York, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Thomas E. Williamson
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, 1801 Mountain Road, NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104-1375, USA
| | - Jonathan I. Bloch
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, 1659 Museum Road, Gainesville, FL 32611-7800, USA
| | - Mary T. Silcox
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario, CanadaM1C 1A4
| | - Eric J. Sargis
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, PO Box 208277, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
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