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Urban CA, Legendre LJ, Clarke JA. Description of natal down of the ostrich (Struthio camelus) and comparison with common quail (Coturnix coturnix): Developmental and evolutionary implications. J Anat 2023; 243:1007-1023. [PMID: 37515428 PMCID: PMC10641043 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13936] [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: 05/01/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Natal down is a feather stage that differs in both form and function from the definitive feathers of adult birds. It has a simpler structure that has been speculated to be similar to the body coverings of non-avian dinosaurs. However, inference of the evolution of natal down has been limited by our understanding of its structural variation in extant birds. Most descriptive work has focused on neognathous birds, limiting our knowledge of the full diversity of feathers in extant taxa. Here, we describe the natal down of a post-hatch ostrich (Struthio camelus) and compare it to that of a post-hatch quail (Coturnix coturnix). We confirm the presence of featherless spaces (apteria) in S. camelus and the lack of barbules on the tips of natal down in both species. We also find differences between dorsal and ventral natal down structures, such as barbule density in S. camelus and the extent of the bare portion of the barb in both species. Surprisingly, we do not find that the neoptiles of either species follow the ideal morphologies for increasing insulation. Finally, we hypothesize that the different barb types present in S. camelus natal down result from a large addition of new barb ridges during development, which is not known except in feathers with a rachis. These results have implications for our understanding of how structure informs function and development in understudied feather types, such as those shared by non-avian dinosaurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen A Urban
- Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Lucas J Legendre
- Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Julia A Clarke
- Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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2
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Peñalver E, Peris D, Álvarez-Parra S, Grimaldi DA, Arillo A, Chiappe L, Delclòs X, Alcalá L, Sanz JL, Solórzano-Kraemer MM, Pérez-de la Fuente R. Symbiosis between Cretaceous dinosaurs and feather-feeding beetles. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2217872120. [PMID: 37068225 PMCID: PMC10151472 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2217872120] [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: 10/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 04/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Extant terrestrial vertebrates, including birds, have a panoply of symbiotic relationships with many insects and arachnids, such as parasitism or mutualism. Yet, identifying arthropod-vertebrate symbioses in the fossil record has been based largely on indirect evidence; findings of direct association between arthropod guests and dinosaur host remains are exceedingly scarce. Here, we present direct and indirect evidence demonstrating that beetle larvae fed on feathers from an undetermined theropod host (avian or nonavian) 105 million y ago. An exceptional amber assemblage is reported of larval molts (exuviae) intimately associated with plumulaceous feather and other remains, as well as three additional amber pieces preserving isolated conspecific exuviae. Samples were found in the roughly coeval Spanish amber deposits of El Soplao, San Just, and Peñacerrada I. Integration of the morphological, systematic, and taphonomic data shows that the beetle larval exuviae, belonging to three developmental stages, are most consistent with skin/hide beetles (family Dermestidae), an ecologically important group with extant keratophagous species that commonly inhabit bird and mammal nests. These findings show that a symbiotic relationship involving keratophagy comparable to that of beetles and birds in current ecosystems existed between their Early Cretaceous relatives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrique Peñalver
- Centro Nacional Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Valencia46004, Spain
| | - David Peris
- Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l’Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona08028, Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona08028, Spain
- Institut Botànic de Barcelona (CSIC-Ajuntament de Barcelona), Barcelona08038, Spain
| | - Sergio Álvarez-Parra
- Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l’Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona08028, Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona08028, Spain
| | - David A. Grimaldi
- Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New YorkNY10024-5192
| | - Antonio Arillo
- Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense, Madrid28040, Spain
| | - Luis Chiappe
- Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles90007
| | - Xavier Delclòs
- Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l’Oceà, Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona08028, Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona08028, Spain
| | - Luis Alcalá
- Parque de las Ciencias de Andalucía, Granada18006, Spain
| | - José Luis Sanz
- Unidad de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid28049, Spain
- Real Academia Española de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Madrid28004, Spain
| | - Mónica M. Solórzano-Kraemer
- Department of Palaeontology and Historical Geology, Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt am Main60325, Germany
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3
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Terrill RS, Shultz AJ. Feather function and the evolution of birds. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:540-566. [PMID: 36424880 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The ability of feathers to perform many functions either simultaneously or at different times throughout the year or life of a bird is integral to the evolutionary history of birds. Many studies focus on single functions of feathers, but any given feather performs many functions over its lifetime. These functions necessarily interact with each other throughout the evolution and development of birds, so our knowledge of avian evolution is incomplete without understanding the multifunctionality of feathers, and how different functions may act synergistically or antagonistically during natural selection. Here, we review how feather functions interact with avian evolution, with a focus on recent technological and discovery-based advances. By synthesising research into feather functions over hierarchical scales (pattern, arrangement, macrostructure, microstructure, nanostructure, molecules), we aim to provide a broad context for how the adaptability and multifunctionality of feathers have allowed birds to diversify into an astounding array of environments and life-history strategies. We suggest that future research into avian evolution involving feather function should consider multiple aspects of a feather, including multiple functions, seasonal wear and renewal, and ecological or mechanical interactions. With this more holistic view, processes such as the evolution of avian coloration and flight can be understood in a broader and more nuanced context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan S Terrill
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, 1600 Campus rd., Los Angeles, CA, 90042, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Stanislaus, Turlock, CA, 95382, USA
| | - Allison J Shultz
- Ornithology Department, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA
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4
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Chitimia-Dobler L, Mans BJ, Handschuh S, Dunlop JA. A remarkable assemblage of ticks from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Parasitology 2022; 149:1-36. [PMID: 35241194 PMCID: PMC10090602 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182022000269] [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: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Four fossil ticks (Arachnida: Parasitiformes: Ixodida) are described from mid-Cretaceous (ca. 100 Ma) Burmese amber of Myanmar. Ixodes antiquorum sp. nov. (Ixodidae) is the first Mesozoic record of Ixodes and the oldest representative of the most species-rich extant tick genus. Its affinities appear to lie with modern Australian forms, consistent with the hypothesis that Burmese amber hosted Gondwanan faunal elements. Even more remarkable is Khimaira fossus gen. et sp. nov. which combines a body resembling that of a soft tick (Argasidae) with a basis capitulum more like that of a hard tick (Ixodidae). We refer it to Khimairidae fam. nov. as a possible transitional form between the two main families of ticks alive today. Another member of the extinct Deinocrotonidae is described as Deinocroton copia sp. nov., while the first described adult female for Cornupalpatum burmanicum is associated with a dinosaur feather barb.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ben J. Mans
- Epidemiology, Parasites and Vectors, Agricultural Research Council-Onderstepoort Veterinary Research, Onderstepoort, South Africa
- The Department of Veterinary Tropical Diseases, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Department of Life and Consumer Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Stephan Handschuh
- VetCore Facility for Research, Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien, Veterinärplatz 1, A-1210Vienna, Austria
| | - Jason A. Dunlop
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstrasse 43, D-10115Berlin, Germany
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Álvarez-Parra S, Delclòs X, Solórzano-Kraemer MM, Alcalá L, Peñalver E. Cretaceous amniote integuments recorded through a taphonomic process unique to resins. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19840. [PMID: 33199731 PMCID: PMC7669849 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76830-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Fossil records of vertebrate integuments are relatively common in both rocks, as compressions, and amber, as inclusions. The integument remains, mainly the Mesozoic ones, are of great interest due to the panoply of palaeobiological information they can provide. We describe two Spanish Cretaceous amber pieces that are of taphonomic importance, one bearing avian dinosaur feather remains and the other, mammalian hair. The preserved feather remains originated from an avian dinosaur resting in contact with a stalactite-shaped resin emission for the time it took for the fresh resin to harden. The second piece shows three hair strands recorded on a surface of desiccation, with the characteristic scale pattern exceptionally well preserved and the strands aligned together, which can be considered the record of a tuft. These assemblages were recorded through a rare biostratinomic process we call "pull off vestiture" that is different from the typical resin entrapment and embedding of organisms and biological remains, and unique to resins. The peculiarity of this process is supported by actualistic observations using sticky traps in Madagascar. Lastly, we reinterpret some exceptional records from the literature in the light of that process, thus bringing new insight to the taphonomic and palaeoecological understanding of the circumstances of their origins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Álvarez-Parra
- Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, c/ Martí i Franquès S/N, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Xavier Delclòs
- Departament de Dinàmica de la Terra i de l'Oceà and Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Facultat de Ciències de la Terra, Universitat de Barcelona, c/ Martí i Franquès S/N, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mónica M Solórzano-Kraemer
- Paläontologie und Historische Geologie, Senckenberg Forschungsinstitut und Naturmuseum, Senckenberganlage 25, 60325, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Luis Alcalá
- Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinópolis/Museo Aragonés de Paleontología, Av. Sagunto s/n, 44002, Teruel, Spain
| | - Enrique Peñalver
- Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (Museo Geominero), c/ Cirilo Amorós 42, 46004, Valencia, Spain
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6
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Wang S, Chang WL, Zhang Q, Ma M, Yang F, Zhuo D, Hans HIC, Yang R, Wu P, Habib M, Juan WT, Chuong CM. Variations of Mesozoic feathers: Insights from the morphogenesis of extant feather rachises. Evolution 2020; 74:2121-2133. [PMID: 32614075 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2019] [Revised: 06/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The rachises of extant feathers, composed of dense cortex and spongy internal medulla, are flexible and light, yet stiff enough to withstand the load required for flight, among other functions. Incomplete knowledge of early feathers prevents a full understanding of how cylindrical rachises have evolved. Bizarre feathers with unusually wide and flattened rachises, known as "rachis-dominated feathers" (RDFs), have been observed in fossil nonavian and avian theropods. Newly discovered RDFs embedded in early Late Cretaceous Burmese ambers (about 99 million year ago) suggest the unusually wide and flattened rachises mainly consist of a dorsal cortex, lacking a medulla and a ventral cortex. Coupled with findings on extant feather morphogenesis, known fossil RDFs were categorized into three morphotypes based on their rachidial configurations. For each morphotype, potential developmental scenarios were depicted by referring to the rachidial development in chickens, and relative stiffness of each morphotype was estimated through functional simulations. The results suggest rachises of RDFs are developmentally equivalent to a variety of immature stages of cylindrical rachises. Similar rachidial morphotypes documented in extant penguins suggest that the RDFs are not unique to Mesozoic theropods, although they are likely to have evolved independently in extant penguins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuo Wang
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90033
| | - Wei-Ling Chang
- Integrative Stem Cell Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 40447, Taiwan
| | - Qiyue Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Menglu Ma
- Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Feng Yang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Imaging Technology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - De Zhuo
- Beijing Xiachong Amber Museum, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Harn I-Chen Hans
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90033
- International Research Center of Wound Repair and Regeneration, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, 70101, Taiwan
| | - Rui Yang
- Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution, College of Life Sciences, Capital Normal University, Beijing, 100048, China
| | - Ping Wu
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90033
| | - Michael Habib
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90033
- Los Angeles County Museum of Natural History, Los Angeles, California, 90007
| | - Wen-Tau Juan
- Integrative Stem Cell Center, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, 40447, Taiwan
- Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Science, China Medical University, Taichung, 40402, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Ming Chuong
- Department of Pathology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, 90033
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Bell A, Chiappe LM. Anatomy of Parahesperornis: Evolutionary Mosaicism in the Cretaceous Hesperornithiformes (Aves). Life (Basel) 2020; 10:life10050062. [PMID: 32422986 PMCID: PMC7281208 DOI: 10.3390/life10050062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2020] [Revised: 05/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The Hesperornithiformes constitute the first known avian lineage to secondarily lose flight in exchange for the evolution of a highly derived foot-propelled diving lifestyle, thus representing the first lineage of truly aquatic birds. First unearthed in the 19th century, and today known from numerous Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian-Maastrichtian) sites distributed across the northern hemisphere, these toothed birds have become icons of early avian evolution. Initially erected as a taxon in 1984 by L. D. Martin, Parahesperornis alexi is known from the two most complete hesperornithiform specimens discovered to date and has yet to be fully described. P. alexi thus contributes significantly to our understanding of hesperornithiform birds, despite often being neglected in favor of the iconic Hesperornis. Here, we present a full anatomical description of P. alexi based upon the two nearly complete specimens in the collections of the University of Kansas Natural History Museum, as well as an extensive comparison to other hesperornithiform taxa. This study reveals P. alexi to possess a mosaic of basal and derived traits found among other hesperornithiform taxa, indicating a transitional form in the evolution of these foot-propelled diving birds. This study describes broad evolutionary patterns within the Hesperornithiformes, highlighting the significance of these birds as not only an incredible example of the evolution of ecological specializations, but also for understanding modern bird evolution, as they are the last known divergence of pre-modern bird diversification.
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