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Han F, Yu Y, Zhang S, Zeng R, Wang X, Cai H, Wu T, Wen Y, Cai S, Li C, Wu R, Zhao Q, Xu X. Exceptional Early Jurassic fossils with leathery eggs shed light on dinosaur reproductive biology. Natl Sci Rev 2024; 11:nwad258. [PMID: 38707200 PMCID: PMC11067957 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Our understanding of pre-Cretaceous dinosaur reproduction is hindered by a scarcity of evidence within fossil records. Here we report three adult skeletons and five clutches of embryo-containing eggs of a new sauropodomorph from the Lower Jurassic of southwestern China, displaying several significant reproductive features that are either unknown or unlike other early-diverging sauropodomorphs, such as relatively large eggs with a relatively thick calcareous shell formed by prominent mammillary cones, synchronous hatching and a transitional prehatching posture between the crocodilians and living birds. Most significantly, these Early Jurassic fossils provide strong evidence for the earliest known leathery eggs. Our comprehensive quantitative analyses demonstrate that the first dinosaur eggs were probably leathery, elliptical and relatively small, but with relatively long eggshell units, and that along the line to living birds, the most significant change in reptilian egg morphology occurred early in theropod evolution rather than near the origin of Aves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fenglu Han
- School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Yilun Yu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 101408, China
| | - Shukang Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Rong Zeng
- Guizhou Provincial Museum, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Xinjin Wang
- Guizhou Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, Guiyang 550001, China
| | - Huiyang Cai
- Guizhou Provincial Museum, Guiyang 550081, China
| | | | - Yingfeng Wen
- Pingba Institute of Cultural Relics Administration, Anshun 550820, China
| | - Sifu Cai
- Guizhou Provincial Museum, Guiyang 550081, China
| | - Chun Li
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Rui Wu
- School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan 430074, China
| | - Qi Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Xing Xu
- Centre for Vertebrate Evolutionary Biology, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China
- 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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2
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Choi S, Hauber ME, Legendre LJ, Kim NH, Lee YN, Varricchio DJ. Microstructural and crystallographic evolution of palaeognath (Aves) eggshells. eLife 2023; 12:e81092. [PMID: 36719067 PMCID: PMC9889092 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The avian palaeognath phylogeny has been recently revised significantly due to the advancement of genome-wide comparative analyses and provides the opportunity to trace the evolution of the microstructure and crystallography of modern dinosaur eggshells. Here, eggshells of all major clades of Palaeognathae (including extinct taxa) and selected eggshells of Neognathae and non-avian dinosaurs are analysed with electron backscatter diffraction. Our results show the detailed microstructures and crystallographies of (previously) loosely categorized ostrich-, rhea-, and tinamou-style morphotypes of palaeognath eggshells. All rhea-style eggshell appears homologous, while respective ostrich-style and tinamou-style morphotypes are best interpreted as homoplastic morphologies (independently acquired). Ancestral state reconstruction and parsimony analysis additionally show that rhea-style eggshell represents the ancestral state of palaeognath eggshells both in microstructure and crystallography. The ornithological and palaeontological implications of the current study are not only helpful for the understanding of evolution of modern and extinct dinosaur eggshells, but also aid other disciplines where palaeognath eggshells provide useful archive for comparative contrasts (e.g. palaeoenvironmental reconstructions, geochronology, and zooarchaeology).
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Affiliation(s)
- Seung Choi
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State UniversityBozemanUnited States
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Mark E Hauber
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, School of Integrative Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignUrbanaUnited States
| | - Lucas J Legendre
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Texas at AustinAustinUnited States
| | - Noe-Heon Kim
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton UniversityPrincetonUnited States
| | - Yuong-Nam Lee
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National UniversitySeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - David J Varricchio
- Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State UniversityBozemanUnited States
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Xing L, Niu K, Yang TR, Wang D, Miyashita T, Mallon JC. Hadrosauroid eggs and embryos from the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Jiangxi Province, China. BMC Ecol Evol 2022; 22:60. [PMID: 35534805 PMCID: PMC9088101 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-022-02012-x] [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: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Dinosaur eggs containing embryos are rare, limiting our understanding of dinosaur development. Recently, a clutch of subspherical dinosaur eggs was discovered while blasting for a construction project in the Upper Cretaceous red beds (Hekou Formation) of the Ganzhou Basin, Jiangxi Province, China. At least two of the eggs contain identifiable hadrosauroid embryos, described here for the first time. Results The eggs, attributable to Spheroolithidae indet., are thin-walled and small (~ 660 mL) compared to those of Lambeosaurinae. The shape of the embryonic squamosal is reminiscent of that seen in the Late Cretaceous hadrosauroids Levnesovia transoxiana, Tanius sinensis, and Nanningosaurus dashiensis, suggestive of possible affinities. Conclusion The small size of the eggs and embryos, similar to those of Hadrosaurinae, indicates that the larger eggs and hatchlings typical of Lambeosaurinae are evolutionarily derived.
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Fiorelli LE, Martinelli AG, da Silva JI, Hechenleitner EM, Soares MVT, Silva Junior JCG, da Silva JC, Borges ÉMR, Ribeiro LCB, Marconato A, Basilici G, da Silva Marinho T. First titanosaur dinosaur nesting site from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil. Sci Rep 2022; 12:5091. [PMID: 35332244 PMCID: PMC8948192 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-09125-9] [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: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Titanosaurs were successful herbivorous dinosaurs widely distributed in all continents during the Cretaceous, with the major diversity in South America. The success of titanosaurs was probably due to several physiological and ecological factors, in addition to a series of morphological traits they achieved during their evolutionary history. However, the generalist nesting behaviour using different palaeoenvironments and strategies was key to accomplish that success. Titanosaur nesting sites have been found extensively around the world, with notable records in Spain, France, Romania, India, and, especially, Argentina. Here, we describe the first titanosaur nesting site from the Late Cretaceous of Brazil that represents the most boreal nesting site for South America. Several egg-clutches, partially preserved, isolated eggs and many eggshell fragments were discovered in an Inceptisol palaeosol profile of the mining Lafarge Quarry, at the Ponte Alta District (Uberaba Municipality, Minas Gerais State), corresponding to the Serra da Galga Formation (Bauru Group, Bauru Basin). Although classical mechanical preparation and CT scans have not revealed embryonic remains in ovo, the eggs and eggshell features match those eggs containing titanosaurian embryos found worldwide. The morphology of the egg-clutches and observations of the sedimentary characteristics bolster the hypothesis that these sauropods were burrow-nester dinosaurs, as was already suggested for the group based on other nesting sites. The egg-clutches distributed in two levels along the Lafarge outcrops, together with the geopalaeontological data collected, provide clear evidence for the first colonial nesting and breeding area of titanosaur dinosaurs in Brazil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas E Fiorelli
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR-CONICET-Provincia de La Rioja-UNLaR-SEGEMAR-UNCa), Entre Ríos y Mendoza S/N, CP 5301, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina.
| | - Agustín G Martinelli
- Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia"-CONICET, Av. Ángel Gallardo 470, C1405DJR, Buenos Aires, Argentina. .,Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas L. I. Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Rua Estanislau Collenghi 194, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38039-755, Brazil.
| | - João Ismael da Silva
- Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas L. I. Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Rua Estanislau Collenghi 194, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38039-755, Brazil.,Fundação Cultural de Uberaba, Prefeitura Municipal de Uberaba, Praça Rui Barbosa 356, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38010-250, Brazil
| | - E Martín Hechenleitner
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR-CONICET-Provincia de La Rioja-UNLaR-SEGEMAR-UNCa), Entre Ríos y Mendoza S/N, CP 5301, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina.,Instituto de Biología de la Conservación y Paleobiología (IBICOPA), DACEFYN-CENIIT-UNLaR, Av. Luis M. de La Fuente S/N, CP 5300, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina
| | - Marcus Vinícius Theodoro Soares
- Department of Geology and Natural Resources, Institute of Geosciences, State University of Campinas, Rua Carlos Gomes 250, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-870, Brazil
| | - Julian C G Silva Junior
- Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas L. I. Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Rua Estanislau Collenghi 194, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38039-755, Brazil.,Laboratório de Paleontologia de Ribeirão Preto, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, 14040-901, Brazil
| | - José Carlos da Silva
- Faculdades Associadas de Uberaba (FAZU), Fundação Educacional para o Desenvolvimento das Ciências Agrárias (FUNDAGRI), Associação Brasileira dos Criadores de Zebu (ABCZ), Av. do Tutuna, 720, Tutunas, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38061-500, Brazil
| | - Élbia Messias Roteli Borges
- Escola Estadual Presidente João Pinheiro, Rua Menelick de Carvalho 383, Boa Vista, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38017-070, Brazil
| | - Luiz Carlos Borges Ribeiro
- Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas L. I. Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Rua Estanislau Collenghi 194, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38039-755, Brazil.,Faculdades Associadas de Uberaba (FAZU), Fundação Educacional para o Desenvolvimento das Ciências Agrárias (FUNDAGRI), Associação Brasileira dos Criadores de Zebu (ABCZ), Av. do Tutuna, 720, Tutunas, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38061-500, Brazil
| | - André Marconato
- Departamento de Geologia Sedimentar e Ambiental, Instituto de Geociências, Universidade de São Paulo, Rua Do Lago, 562, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, 05580-080, Brazil
| | - Giorgio Basilici
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR-CONICET-Provincia de La Rioja-UNLaR-SEGEMAR-UNCa), Entre Ríos y Mendoza S/N, CP 5301, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina.,Department of Geology and Natural Resources, Institute of Geosciences, State University of Campinas, Rua Carlos Gomes 250, Campinas, São Paulo, 13083-870, Brazil
| | - Thiago da Silva Marinho
- Centro de Pesquisas Paleontológicas L. I. Price, Complexo Cultural e Científico Peirópolis, Pró-Reitoria de Extensão Universitária, Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro, Rua Estanislau Collenghi 194, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38039-755, Brazil.,Instituto de Ciências Exatas, Naturais e Educação (ICENE), Universidade Federal do Triângulo Mineiro (UFTM), Av. Randolfo Borges Jr. 1400, Univerdecidade, Uberaba, Minas Gerais, 38064-200, Brazil
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Skawiński T, Kuziak P, Kloskowski J, Borczyk B. Phylogenetic Diversity of Ossification Patterns in the Avian Vertebral Column: A Review and New Data from the Domestic Pigeon and Two Species of Grebes. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:biology11020180. [PMID: 35205047 PMCID: PMC8869719 DOI: 10.3390/biology11020180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Simple Summary There are still many unknowns in the development of the skeleton in birds. Traditionally, the neck vertebrae were considered to be the first ossifying elements in the spine. Later studies have shown that this is not always the case. In some species, the thoracic vertebrae ossify even before them. Evolutionary analyses indicate that ancestrally the spine starts ossifying from two different sites, one located in the neck, the other in the thorax. However, the Neoaves, a group that includes all living birds except the palaeognaths, landfowl and waterfowl, are very poorly studied. In this article, we review the information about ossification patterns of the spine in birds. We also describe its development in three neoavians, the pigeon and two grebes. In the pigeon, the neck vertebrae were the first to ossify, but in the grebe, the thoracic vertebrae ossified earlier. Our analyses confirm the ancestral presence of two sites from which the ossification of the spine starts in birds. Abstract Despite many decades of studies, our knowledge of skeletal development in birds is limited in many aspects. One of them is the development of the vertebral column. For many years it was widely believed that the column ossifies anteroposteriorly. However, later studies indicated that such a pattern is not universal in birds and in many groups the ossification starts in the thoracic rather than cervical region. Recent analyses suggest that two loci, located in the cervical and thoracic vertebrae, were ancestrally present in birds. However, the data on skeletal development are very scarce in the Neoaves, a clade that includes approximately 95% of extant species. We review the available information about the vertebral column development in birds and describe the ossification pattern in three neoavians, the domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica), the great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) and the red-necked grebe (Podiceps grisegena). In P. cristatus, the vertebral column starts ossifying in the thoracic region. The second locus is present in the cervical vertebrae. In the pigeon, the cervical vertebrae ossify before the thoracics, but both the thoracic and cervical loci are present. Our ancestral state reconstructions confirm that both these loci were ancestrally present in birds, but the thoracic locus was later lost in psittacopasserans and at least some galloanserans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Skawiński
- Department of Palaeozoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Vertebrates, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland; (P.K.); (B.B.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Piotr Kuziak
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Vertebrates, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland; (P.K.); (B.B.)
| | - Janusz Kloskowski
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland;
| | - Bartosz Borczyk
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Vertebrates, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland; (P.K.); (B.B.)
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