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Chuliver M, Scanferla A, Smith KT. Live birth in a 47-million-year-old snake. THE SCIENCE OF NATURE - NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN 2022; 109:56. [DOI: 10.1007/s00114-022-01828-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Revised: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Griffin CT, Stocker MR, Colleary C, Stefanic CM, Lessner EJ, Riegler M, Formoso K, Koeller K, Nesbitt SJ. Assessing ontogenetic maturity in extinct saurian reptiles. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 96:470-525. [PMID: 33289322 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2020] [Revised: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Morphology forms the most fundamental level of data in vertebrate palaeontology because it is through interpretations of morphology that taxa are identified, creating the basis for broad evolutionary and palaeobiological hypotheses. Assessing maturity is one of the most basic aspects of morphological interpretation and provides the means to study the evolution of ontogenetic changes, population structure and palaeoecology, life-history strategies, and heterochrony along evolutionary lineages that would otherwise be lost to time. Saurian reptiles (the least-inclusive clade containing Lepidosauria and Archosauria) have remained an incredibly diverse, numerous, and disparate clade through their ~260-million-year history. Because of the great disparity in this group, assessing maturity of saurian reptiles is difficult, fraught with methodological and terminological ambiguity. We compiled a novel database of literature, assembling >900 individual instances of saurian maturity assessment, to examine critically how saurian maturity has been diagnosed. We review the often inexact and inconsistent terminology used in saurian maturity assessment (e.g. 'juvenile', 'mature') and provide routes for better clarity and cross-study coherence. We describe the various methods that have been used to assess maturity in every major saurian group, integrating data from both extant and extinct taxa to give a full account of the current state of the field and providing method-specific pitfalls, best practices, and fruitful directions for future research. We recommend that a new standard subsection, 'Ontogenetic Assessment', be added to the Systematic Palaeontology portions of descriptive studies to provide explicit ontogenetic diagnoses with clear criteria. Because the utility of different ontogenetic criteria is highly subclade dependent among saurians, even for widely used methods (e.g. neurocentral suture fusion), we recommend that phylogenetic context, preferably in the form of a phylogenetic bracket, be used to justify the use of a maturity assessment method. Different methods should be used in conjunction as independent lines of evidence when assessing maturity, instead of an ontogenetic diagnosis resting entirely on a single criterion, which is common in the literature. Critically, there is a need for data from extant taxa with well-represented growth series to be integrated with the fossil record to ground maturity assessments of extinct taxa in well-constrained, empirically tested methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T Griffin
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, U.S.A
| | - Michelle R Stocker
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, U.S.A
| | - Caitlin Colleary
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, U.S.A
- Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, 1 Wade Oval Drive, Cleveland, OH, 44106, U.S.A
| | - Candice M Stefanic
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, U.S.A
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, U.S.A
| | - Emily J Lessner
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, U.S.A
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, 1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO, 65212, U.S.A
| | - Mitchell Riegler
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, U.S.A
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Florida, 241 Williamson Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, U.S.A
| | - Kiersten Formoso
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, U.S.A
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Southern California, 3651 Trousdale Pkwy, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, U.S.A
- Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 W Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, U.S.A
| | - Krista Koeller
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, U.S.A
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, 220 Bartram Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, U.S.A
| | - Sterling J Nesbitt
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, 926 West Campus Drive, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, U.S.A
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Stewart JR, Blackburn DG. A developmental synapomorphy of squamate reptiles. Evol Dev 2019; 21:342-353. [DOI: 10.1111/ede.12317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- James R. Stewart
- Department of Biological SciencesEast Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City Tennessee 37614
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Pyron RA. Advancing perspectives on parity-mode evolution. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2015; 324:562-3. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2015] [Accepted: 07/10/2015] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- R. Alexander Pyron
- Department of Biological Sciences; The George Washington University; Washington District of Columbia
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Blackburn DG. Evolution of viviparity in squamate reptiles: Reversibility reconsidered. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2015; 324:473-86. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G. Blackburn
- Department of Biology, Electron Microscopy Center; Trinity College; Hartford Connecticut
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King B, Lee MSY. Epoch-based likelihood models reveal no evidence for accelerated evolution of viviparity in squamate reptiles in response to cenozoic climate change. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2015; 324:525-31. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2014] [Accepted: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Benedict King
- School of Biological Sciences; Flinders University; Adelaide South Australia Australia
| | - Michael S. Y. Lee
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences; University of Adelaide; Adelaide South Australia Australia
- Earth Sciences Section; South Australian Museum; Adelaide South Australia Australia
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Griffith OW, Blackburn DG, Brandley MC, Van Dyke JU, Whittington CM, Thompson MB. Ancestral state reconstructions require biological evidence to test evolutionary hypotheses: A case study examining the evolution of reproductive mode in squamate reptiles. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2015; 324:493-503. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2014] [Accepted: 01/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Oliver W. Griffith
- School of Biological Sciences; Heydon Laurence Building (A08); University of Sydney; Camperdown NSW Australia
| | | | - Matthew C. Brandley
- School of Biological Sciences; Heydon Laurence Building (A08); University of Sydney; Camperdown NSW Australia
| | - James U. Van Dyke
- School of Biological Sciences; Heydon Laurence Building (A08); University of Sydney; Camperdown NSW Australia
| | - Camilla M. Whittington
- School of Biological Sciences; Heydon Laurence Building (A08); University of Sydney; Camperdown NSW Australia
| | - Michael B. Thompson
- School of Biological Sciences; Heydon Laurence Building (A08); University of Sydney; Camperdown NSW Australia
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Pyron RA, Burbrink FT. Contrasting models of parity-mode evolution in squamate reptiles. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2015; 324:467-72. [DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2014] [Accepted: 08/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R. Alexander Pyron
- Department of Biological Sciences; The George Washington University; Washington DC
| | - Frank T. Burbrink
- Department of Biology; The Graduate School and University Center; The City University of New York; New York New York
- Department of Biology; The College of Staten Island; The City University of New York; New York New York
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Zhou Z. The Jehol Biota, an Early Cretaceous terrestrial Lagerstätte: new discoveries and implications. Natl Sci Rev 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwu055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 82] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The study of the Early Cretaceous terrestrial Jehol Biota, which provides a rare window for reconstruction of a Lower Cretaceous terrestrial ecosystem, is reviewed with a focus on some of the latest progress. A newly proposed definition of the biota based on paleoecology and taphonomy is accepted. Although the Jehol fossils are mainly preserved in two types of sedimentary rocks, there are various types of preservation with a complex mechanism that remains to be understood. New discoveries of significant taxa from the Jehol Biota, with an updated introduction of its diversity, confirm that the Jehol Biota represents one of the most diversified biotas of the Mesozoic. The evolutionary significance of major biological groups (e.g. dinosaurs, birds, mammals, pterosaurs, insects, and plants) is discussed mainly in the light of recent discoveries, and some of the most remarkable aspects of the biota are highlighted. The global and local geological, paleogeographic, and paleoenvironmental background of the Jehol Biota have contributed to the unique composition, evolution, and preservation of the biota, demonstrating widespread faunal exchanges between Asia and other continents caused by the presence of the Eurasia–North American continental mass and its link to South America, and confirming northeastern China as the origin and diversification center for a variety of Cretaceous biological groups. Although some progress has been made on the reconstruction of the paleotemperature at the time of the Jehol Biota, much more work is needed to confirm a possible link between the remarkable diversity of the biota and the cold intervals during the Early Cretaceous. Finally, future directions for the study of the Jehol Biota are proposed that highlight the great potential of more comprehensive and multidisciplinary studies to further our understanding of the biological and geological implications of the Jehol Lagerstätte.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhonghe Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
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Martínez-Torres M, Salcedo-Álvarez M, Alvarez-Rodríguez C, Cárdenas-León M, Luis J, Moreno-Fierros L. Does the conceptus of the viviparous lizard Barisia imbricata imbricata participates in the regulation of progesterone production and the control of luteolysis? Anim Reprod Sci 2014; 148:212-20. [PMID: 24975848 DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2014.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2013] [Revised: 05/05/2014] [Accepted: 05/09/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
It is generally accepted that progesterone is necessary to maintain gestation; however, the mechanisms that control the production of this steroid remain unknown. The corpus luteum has been assigned a central role in the maintenance of gestation based on its capacity to produce progesterone. A pseudopregnancy model was performed in a viviparous lizard, Barisia imbricata imbricata, to determine whether the absence of embryos would affect the pattern of progesterone production or the corpus luteum histology. Blood samples were obtained prior to ovulation and at 8, 16, and 24 weeks after ovulation (pseudopregnant and pregnant lizards), as well as one day after parturition (pregnant lizards) or 32 weeks after ovulation (pseudopregnant lizards). The corpus luteum was surgically removed one day after blood samples were obtained. Blood aliquots from nongravid females were obtained at similar timepoints. We found a significant reduction in plasma progesterone concentrations at 24 and 32 weeks post-ovulation in pseudopregnant lizards compared with those observed at similar times in intact pregnant lizards, whereas the progesterone levels in non-gestant lizards remained significantly lower than in either pseudopregnant or pregnant lizards. Moreover, we observed that the histological appearance of the corpus luteum from pseudogestational females (obtained 24 and 32 weeks post-ovulation) differed from the corpora lutea from lizards in late gestation and intact parturient lizards. These observations suggest that the conceptus participates in the regulation of progesterone production in late gestation and also in luteolysis control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martín Martínez-Torres
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Estudios Superiores, Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida de los Barrios no. 1, Los Reyes Iztacala A. P. 314, Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México CP, Mexico.
| | - Martha Salcedo-Álvarez
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Estudios Superiores, Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida de los Barrios no. 1, Los Reyes Iztacala A. P. 314, Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México CP, Mexico
| | - Carmen Alvarez-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Estudios Superiores, Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida de los Barrios no. 1, Los Reyes Iztacala A. P. 314, Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México CP, Mexico
| | - Mario Cárdenas-León
- Laboratorio de Hormonas Proteicas, Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto de Ciencias Médicas y de la Nutrición Salvador Subirán, México DF, Mexico
| | - Juana Luis
- Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Facultad de Estudios Superiores, Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Avenida de los Barrios no. 1, Los Reyes Iztacala A. P. 314, Tlalnepantla 54090, Estado de México CP, Mexico
| | - Leticia Moreno-Fierros
- Laboratorio de Inmunidad en Mucosas-Unidad de Biomedicina, Facultad de Estudios Superiores Iztacala, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Los Reyes Iztacala AP 314, Tlalnepantla CP 54090, Estado de México, Mexico
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Blackburn DG. Evolution of vertebrate viviparity and specializations for fetal nutrition: A quantitative and qualitative analysis. J Morphol 2014; 276:961-90. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2013] [Revised: 01/27/2014] [Accepted: 02/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel G. Blackburn
- Department of Biology and; Electron Microscopy Center, Trinity College; Hartford Connecticut 06106
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Motani R, Jiang DY, Tintori A, Rieppel O, Chen GB. Terrestrial origin of viviparity in mesozoic marine reptiles indicated by early triassic embryonic fossils. PLoS One 2014; 9:e88640. [PMID: 24533127 PMCID: PMC3922983 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2013] [Accepted: 01/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Viviparity in Mesozoic marine reptiles has traditionally been considered an aquatic adaptation. We report a new fossil specimen that strongly contradicts this traditional interpretation. The new specimen contains the oldest fossil embryos of Mesozoic marine reptile that are about 10 million years older than previous such records. The fossil belongs to Chaohusaurus (Reptilia, Ichthyopterygia), which is the oldest of Mesozoic marine reptiles (ca. 248 million years ago, Early Triassic). This exceptional specimen captures an articulated embryo in birth position, with its skull just emerged from the maternal pelvis. Its headfirst birth posture, which is unlikely to be a breech condition, strongly indicates a terrestrial origin of viviparity, in contrast to the traditional view. The tail-first birth posture in derived ichthyopterygians, convergent with the conditions in whales and sea cows, therefore is a secondary feature. The unequivocally marine origin of viviparity is so far not known among amniotes, a subset of vertebrate animals comprising mammals and reptiles, including birds. Therefore, obligate marine amniotes appear to have evolved almost exclusively from viviparous land ancestors. Viviparous land reptiles most likely appeared much earlier than currently thought, at least as early as the recovery phase from the end-Permian mass extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Motani
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Da-yong Jiang
- Laboratory of Orogenic Belt and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, Department of Geology and Geological Museum, Peking University, Beijing, People's Republic of China ; State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy (Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China
| | - Andrea Tintori
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Mangiagalli, Milano, Italy
| | - Olivier Rieppel
- Center of Integrative Research, The Field Museum, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Guan-bao Chen
- Department of Research, Anhui Geological Museum, Hefei, Anhui Province, People's Republic of China
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Pyron RA, Burbrink FT. Early origin of viviparity and multiple reversions to oviparity in squamate reptiles. Ecol Lett 2013; 17:13-21. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.12168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 217] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2013] [Revised: 06/06/2013] [Accepted: 07/22/2013] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- R. Alexander Pyron
- Department of Biological Sciences; The George Washington University; 2023 G St. NW Washington DC 20052 USA
| | - Frank T. Burbrink
- Department of Biology; The Graduate School and University Center; The City University of New York; 365 5th Ave. New York NY 10016 USA
- Department of Biology; The College of Staten Island; The City University of New York; 2800 Victory Blvd. Staten Island NY 10314 USA
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Smith CF, Schuett GW, Hoss SK. Reproduction in female copperhead snakes (Agkistrodon contortrix): plasma steroid profiles during gestation and post-birth periods. Zoolog Sci 2012; 29:273-9. [PMID: 22468838 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.29.273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We investigated levels of plasma progesterone (P4), 17β-estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), and corticosterone (CORT) during gestation and post-birth periods in wild-collected female copperhead snakes (Viperidae; Agkistrodon contortrix). We also sought to determine whether CORT levels at (or near) birth dramatically increase and were correlated with duration of labor and litter size. Specifically, pregnant subjects (N = 14) were collected during early- to mid-gestation, held in the laboratory, and repeatedly bled to obtain plasma for steroid analyses. Progesterone showed significant changes during gestation, with the highest levels at the onset of sampling (circa 50 days prior to birth); P4 progressively declined up to parturition, and basal levels were observed thereafter. At the onset of sampling, E2 was at peak levels and fell sharply at circa 30 days prior to birth, a trend observed throughout the post-birth sampling period. Throughout the entire sampling period, T was undetectable. Although CORT showed no significant changes during gestation and several days following parturition, there was a highly significant peak at the time of birth. Our findings mirror the results of previous studies on pregnancy and steroid hormones of other live-bearing snakes, lizards, and mammals. As expected, there was a significant relationship between duration of labor and litter size; however, although levels of CORT did not achieve significance, there was a positive trend with litter size. We suggest that elevation of CORT at birth is involved in the mobilization and regulation of energy stores necessary for the physiological process of parturition and as a possible mechanism to trigger birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles F Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269-3043, USA.
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