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Soft-Tissue, Rare Earth Element, and Molecular Analyses of Dreadnoughtus schrani, an Exceptionally Complete Titanosaur from Argentina. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11081158. [PMID: 36009785 PMCID: PMC9404821 DOI: 10.3390/biology11081158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Evidence that organic material preserves in deep time (>1 Ma) has been reported using a wide variety of analytical techniques. However, the comprehensive geochemical data that could aid in building robust hypotheses for how soft-tissues persist over millions of years are lacking from most paleomolecular reports. Here, we analyze the molecular preservation and taphonomic history of the Dreadnougtus schrani holotype (MPM-PV 1156) at both macroscopic and microscopic levels. We review the stratigraphy, depositional setting, and physical taphonomy of the D. schrani skeletal assemblage, and extensively characterize the preservation and taphonomic history of the humerus at a micro-scale via: (1) histological analysis (structural integrity) and X-ray diffraction (exogenous mineral content); (2) laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (analyses of rare earth element content throughout cortex); (3) demineralization and optical microscopy (soft-tissue microstructures); (4) in situ and in-solution immunological assays (presence of endogenous protein). Our data show the D. schrani holotype preserves soft-tissue microstructures and remnants of endogenous bone protein. Further, it was exposed to LREE-enriched groundwaters and weakly-oxidizing conditions after burial, but experienced negligible further chemical alteration after early-diagenetic fossilization. These findings support previous hypotheses that fossils that display low trace element uptake are favorable targets for paleomolecular analyses.
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Cullen TM, Longstaffe FJ, Wortmann UG, Goodwin MB, Huang L, Evans DC. Stable isotopic characterization of a coastal floodplain forest community: a case study for isotopic reconstruction of Mesozoic vertebrate assemblages. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:181210. [PMID: 30891263 PMCID: PMC6408390 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Stable isotopes are powerful tools for elucidating ecological trends in extant vertebrate communities, though their application to Mesozoic ecosystems is complicated by a lack of extant isotope data from comparable environments/ecosystems (e.g. coastal floodplain forest environments, lacking significant C4 plant components). We sampled 20 taxa across a broad phylogenetic, body size, and physiological scope from the Atchafalaya River Basin of Louisiana as an environmental analogue to the Late Cretaceous coastal floodplains of North America. Samples were analysed for stable carbon, oxygen and nitrogen isotope compositions from bioapatite and keratin tissues to test the degree of ecological resolution that can be determined in a system with similar environmental conditions, and using similar constraints, as those in many Mesozoic assemblages. Isotopic results suggest a broad overlap in resource use among taxa and considerable terrestrial-aquatic interchange, highlighting the challenges of ecological interpretation in C3 systems, particularly when lacking observational data for comparison. We also propose a modified oxygen isotope-temperature equation that uses mean endotherm and mean ectotherm isotope data to more precisely predict temperature when compared with measured Atchafalaya River water data. These results provide a critical isotopic baseline for coastal floodplain forests, and act as a framework for future studies of Mesozoic palaeoecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- T M Cullen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
- Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2C6
| | - F J Longstaffe
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - U G Wortmann
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Toronto, 22 Russell Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B1
| | - M B Goodwin
- University of California Museum of Paleontology, 1101 Valley Life Sciences, Berkeley, CA 94720-4780, USA
| | - L Huang
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond Street, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B7
| | - D C Evans
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3B2
- Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 2C6
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Schroeter ER, DeHart CJ, Cleland TP, Zheng W, Thomas PM, Kelleher NL, Bern M, Schweitzer MH. Expansion for the Brachylophosaurus canadensis Collagen I Sequence and Additional Evidence of the Preservation of Cretaceous Protein. J Proteome Res 2017; 16:920-932. [PMID: 28111950 PMCID: PMC5401637 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.6b00873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Sequence data from biomolecules such as DNA and proteins, which provide critical information for evolutionary studies, have been assumed to be forever outside the reach of dinosaur paleontology. Proteins, which are predicted to have greater longevity than DNA, have been recovered from two nonavian dinosaurs, but these results remain controversial. For proteomic data derived from extinct Mesozoic organisms to reach their greatest potential for investigating questions of phylogeny and paleobiology, it must be shown that peptide sequences can be reliably and reproducibly obtained from fossils and that fragmentary sequences for ancient proteins can be increasingly expanded. To test the hypothesis that peptides can be repeatedly detected and validated from fossil tissues many millions of years old, we applied updated extraction methodology, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and bioinformatics analyses on a Brachylophosaurus canadensis specimen (MOR 2598) from which collagen I peptides were recovered in 2009. We recovered eight peptide sequences of collagen I: two identical to peptides recovered in 2009 and six new peptides. Phylogenetic analyses place the recovered sequences within basal archosauria. When only the new sequences are considered, B. canadensis is grouped more closely to crocodylians, but when all sequences (current and those reported in 2009) are analyzed, B. canadensis is placed more closely to basal birds. The data robustly support the hypothesis of an endogenous origin for these peptides, confirm the idea that peptides can survive in specimens tens of millions of years old, and bolster the validity of the 2009 study. Furthermore, the new data expand the coverage of B. canadensis collagen I (a 33.6% increase in collagen I alpha 1 and 116.7% in alpha 2). Finally, this study demonstrates the importance of reexamining previously studied specimens with updated methods and instrumentation, as we obtained roughly the same amount of sequence data as the previous study with substantially less sample material. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD005087.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena R. Schroeter
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Caroline J. DeHart
- National Resource for Translational and Developmental Proteomics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Timothy P. Cleland
- Department of Chemistry, University of Texas-Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, United States
| | - Wenxia Zheng
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
| | - Paul M. Thomas
- National Resource for Translational and Developmental Proteomics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Neil L. Kelleher
- National Resource for Translational and Developmental Proteomics, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States
| | - Marshall Bern
- Protein Metrics, San Carlos, California 94070, United States
| | - Mary H. Schweitzer
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina 27695, United States
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina 27601, United States
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Abstract
Cardiovascular function in dinosaurs can be inferred from fossil evidence with knowledge of how metabolic rate, blood flow rate, blood pressure, and heart size are related to body size in living animals. Skeletal stature and nutrient foramen size in fossil femora provide direct evidence of a high arterial blood pressure, a large four-chambered heart, a high aerobic metabolic rate, and intense locomotion. But was the heart of a huge, long-necked sauropod dinosaur able to pump blood up 9 m to its head?
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger S. Seymour
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
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Long JA. Getting to the heart of a good fossil. eLife 2016; 5:e16207. [PMID: 27090085 PMCID: PMC4841764 DOI: 10.7554/elife.16207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2016] [Accepted: 04/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The discovery of perfectly preserved 113-119 million year old fossilised hearts in a Brazilian fish Rhacolepis has significant implications for palaeontology and comparative anatomy.
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Affiliation(s)
- John A Long
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
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Maldanis L, Carvalho M, Almeida MR, Freitas FI, de Andrade JAFG, Nunes RS, Rochitte CE, Poppi RJ, Freitas RO, Rodrigues F, Siljeström S, Lima FA, Galante D, Carvalho IS, Perez CA, de Carvalho MR, Bettini J, Fernandez V, Xavier-Neto J. Heart fossilization is possible and informs the evolution of cardiac outflow tract in vertebrates. eLife 2016; 5:e14698. [PMID: 27090087 PMCID: PMC4841765 DOI: 10.7554/elife.14698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/09/2016] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Elucidating cardiac evolution has been frustrated by lack of fossils. One celebrated enigma in cardiac evolution involves the transition from a cardiac outflow tract dominated by a multi-valved conus arteriosus in basal actinopterygians, to an outflow tract commanded by the non-valved, elastic, bulbus arteriosus in higher actinopterygians. We demonstrate that cardiac preservation is possible in the extinct fish Rhacolepis buccalis from the Brazilian Cretaceous. Using X-ray synchrotron microtomography, we show that Rhacolepis fossils display hearts with a conus arteriosus containing at least five valve rows. This represents a transitional morphology between the primitive, multivalvar, conal condition and the derived, monovalvar, bulbar state of the outflow tract in modern actinopterygians. Our data rescue a long-lost cardiac phenotype (119-113 Ma) and suggest that outflow tract simplification in actinopterygians is compatible with a gradual, rather than a drastic saltation event. Overall, our results demonstrate the feasibility of studying cardiac evolution in fossils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Maldanis
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.,Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Murilo Carvalho
- Brazilian Biosciences National Laboratory, Campinas, Brazil.,Department of Zoology, Biosciences Institute, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Fábio Rodrigues
- Institute of Chemistry, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sandra Siljeström
- Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Surfaces, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden, Borås, Sweden
| | | | | | - Ismar S Carvalho
- Departamento de Geologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Tomescu AMF, Klymiuk AA, Matsunaga KKS, Bippus AC, Shelton GWK. Microbes and the Fossil Record: Selected Topics in Paleomicrobiology. THEIR WORLD: A DIVERSITY OF MICROBIAL ENVIRONMENTS 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-28071-4_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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Boyd CA. The cranial anatomy of the neornithischian dinosaur Thescelosaurus neglectus. PeerJ 2014; 2:e669. [PMID: 25405076 PMCID: PMC4232843 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2014] [Accepted: 10/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Though the dinosaur Thescelosaurus neglectus was first described in 1913 and is known from the relatively fossiliferous Lance and Hell Creek formations in the Western Interior Basin of North America, the cranial anatomy of this species remains poorly understood. The only cranial material confidently referred to this species are three fragmentary bones preserved with the paratype, hindering attempts to understand the systematic relationships of this taxon within Neornithischia. Here the cranial anatomy of T. neglectus is fully described for the first time based on two specimens that include well-preserved cranial material (NCSM 15728 and TLAM.BA.2014.027.0001). Visual inspection of exposed cranial elements of these specimens is supplemented by detailed CT data from NCSM 15728 that enabled the examination of otherwise unexposed surfaces, facilitating a complete description of the cranial anatomy of this species. The skull of T. neglectus displays a unique combination of plesiomorphic and apomorphic traits. The premaxillary and ‘cheek’ tooth morphologies are relatively derived, though less so than the condition seen in basal iguanodontians, suggesting that the high tooth count present in the premaxillae, maxillae, and dentaries may be related to the extreme elongation of the skull of this species rather than a retention of the plesiomorphic condition. The morphology of the braincase most closely resembles the iguanodontians Dryosaurus and Dysalotosaurus, especially with regard to the morphology of the prootic. One autapomorphic feature is recognized for the first time, along with several additional cranial features that differentiate this species from the closely related and contemporaneous Thescelosaurus assiniboiensis. Published phylogenetic hypotheses of neornithischian dinosaur relationships often differ in the placement of the North American taxon Parksosaurus, with some recovering a close relationship with Thescelosaurus and others with the South American taxon Gasparinisaura, but never both at the same time. The new morphological observations presented herein, combined with re-examination of the holotype of Parksosaurus, suggest that Parksosaurus shares a closer relationship with Thescelosaurus than with Gasparinisaura, and that many of the features previously cited to support a relationship with the latter taxon are either also present in Thescelosaurus, are artifacts of preservation, or are the result of incomplete preparation and inaccurate interpretation of specimens. Additionally, the overall morphology of the skull and lower jaws of both Thescelosaurus and Parksosaurus also closely resemble the Asian taxa Changchunsaurus and Haya, though the interrelationships of these taxa have yet to be tested in a phylogenetic analysis that includes these new morphological data for T. neglectus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clint A Boyd
- Department of Geology and Geological Engineering Sciences, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology , Rapid City, SD , USA
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Burggren WW, Christoffels VM, Crossley DA, Enok S, Farrell AP, Hedrick MS, Hicks JW, Jensen B, Moorman AFM, Mueller CA, Skovgaard N, Taylor EW, Wang T. Comparative cardiovascular physiology: future trends, opportunities and challenges. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2014; 210:257-76. [PMID: 24119052 DOI: 10.1111/apha.12170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2013] [Revised: 07/16/2013] [Accepted: 09/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The inaugural Kjell Johansen Lecture in the Zoophysiology Department of Aarhus University (Aarhus, Denmark) afforded the opportunity for a focused workshop comprising comparative cardiovascular physiologists to ponder some of the key unanswered questions in the field. Discussions were centred around three themes. The first considered function of the vertebrate heart in its various forms in extant vertebrates, with particular focus on the role of intracardiac shunts, the trabecular ('spongy') nature of the ventricle in many vertebrates, coronary blood supply and the building plan of the heart as revealed by molecular approaches. The second theme involved the key unanswered questions in the control of the cardiovascular system, emphasizing autonomic control, hypoxic vasoconstriction and developmental plasticity in cardiovascular control. The final theme involved poorly understood aspects of the interaction of the cardiovascular system with the lymphatic, renal and digestive systems. Having posed key questions around these three themes, it is increasingly clear that an abundance of new analytical tools and approaches will allow us to learn much about vertebrate cardiovascular systems in the coming years.
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Affiliation(s)
- W. W. Burggren
- Developmental Integrative Biology Cluster; Department of Biological Sciences; University of North Texas; Denton TX USA
| | - V. M. Christoffels
- Department of Anatomy, Embryology & Physiology; Academic Medical Centre; Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - D. A. Crossley
- Developmental Integrative Biology Cluster; Department of Biological Sciences; University of North Texas; Denton TX USA
| | - S. Enok
- Zoophysiology; Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Aarhus Denmark
| | - A. P. Farrell
- Department of Zoology and Faculty of Land and Food Systems; University of British Columbia; Vancouver BC Canada
| | - M. S. Hedrick
- Developmental Integrative Biology Cluster; Department of Biological Sciences; University of North Texas; Denton TX USA
| | - J. W. Hicks
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Irvine CA USA
| | - B. Jensen
- Department of Anatomy, Embryology & Physiology; Academic Medical Centre; Amsterdam The Netherlands
- Zoophysiology; Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Aarhus Denmark
| | - A. F. M. Moorman
- Department of Anatomy, Embryology & Physiology; Academic Medical Centre; Amsterdam The Netherlands
| | - C. A. Mueller
- Developmental Integrative Biology Cluster; Department of Biological Sciences; University of North Texas; Denton TX USA
| | - N. Skovgaard
- Zoophysiology; Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Aarhus Denmark
| | - E. W. Taylor
- School of Biosciences; University of Birmingham; Birmingham UK
| | - T. Wang
- Zoophysiology; Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Aarhus Denmark
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