1
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Buser TJ, Kee VE, Terry RC, Summers AP, Sidlauskas BL. Taurus of the Tidepool? Inferring the Function of Cranial Weapons in Intertidal Sculpins (Pisces: Cottoidea: Oligocottinae). ICHTHYOLOGY & HERPETOLOGY 2023. [DOI: 10.1643/i2022044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Thaddaeus J. Buser
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon; (VEK) ; and (BLS)
. ORCID: (BLS) 0000-0003-0597-4085
| | - Victoria E. Kee
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon; (VEK) ; and (BLS)
. ORCID: (BLS) 0000-0003-0597-4085
| | - Rebecca C. Terry
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon; . ORCID: 0000-0002-9803-6292
| | - Adam P. Summers
- Department of Biology and SAFS, University of Washington, Friday Harbor Laboratories, Friday Harbor, Washington; . ORCID: 0000-0003-1930-9748
| | - Brian L. Sidlauskas
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon; (VEK) ; and (BLS)
. ORCID: (BLS) 0000-0003-0597-4085
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2
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Arbour VM, Zanno LE, Evans DC. Palaeopathological evidence for intraspecific combat in ankylosaurid dinosaurs. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220404. [PMID: 36475422 PMCID: PMC9727678 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ankylosaurid dinosaurs were heavily armoured herbivores with tails modified into club-like weapons. These tail clubs have widely been considered defensive adaptations wielded against predatory theropod dinosaurs. Here we argue instead that ankylosaurid tail clubs were sexually selected structures used primarily for intraspecific combat. We found pathological osteoderms (armour plates) in the holotype specimen of Zuul crurivastator, which are localized to the flanks in the hip region rather than distributed randomly across the body, consistent with injuries inflicted by lateral tail-swinging and ritualized combat. We failed to find convincing evidence for predation as a key selective pressure in the evolution of the tail club. High variation in tail club size through time, and delayed ontogenetic growth of the tail club further support the sexual selection hypothesis. There is little doubt that the tail club could have been used in defence when needed, but our results suggest that sexual selection drove the evolution of this impressive weapon. This changes the prevailing view of ankylosaurs, suggesting they were behaviorally complex animals that likely engaged in ritualized combat for social dominance as in other ornithischian dinosaurs and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria M. Arbour
- Department of Knowledge, Royal BC Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada,School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lindsay E. Zanno
- Paleontology, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC, USA,Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - David C. Evans
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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3
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Broeckhoven C. Intraspecific competition: A missing link in dermal armour evolution? J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1562-1566. [PMID: 35633188 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13749] [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: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Predation is widely regarded as an important selective force in the evolution and maintenance of dermal armour; yet, the basic premise that predation and armour are strongly linked to each other has proven to be difficult to assess. In this concept, I put forward the fighting-advantage hypothesis, the view that aggressive interactions with conspecifics, not predation, might have been a key selective pressure in the evolution of dermal armour. Considering intraspecific competition as a potential explanation could not only reveal previously overlooked aspects of the functional and evolutionary significance of dermal armour, but also advance the emerging field of biomimetics in which such knowledge forms the starting point of technological innovation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Broeckhoven
- Laboratory of Functional Morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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4
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Newly detected data from Haestasaurus and review of sauropod skin morphology suggests Early Jurassic origin of skin papillae. Commun Biol 2022; 5:122. [PMID: 35145214 PMCID: PMC8831608 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03062-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Discovered in 1852, the scaly skin belonging to Haestasaurus becklesii was the first to be described in any non-avian dinosaur. Accordingly, it has played a crucial role in the reconstruction of sauropod integument and dinosaurs more broadly. Here, we reassess this historic specimen using Laser-Stimulated Fluorescence (LSF), revealing extensive, previously unknown regions of skin that augment prior interpretations of its integumentary morphology and taphonomy. Under white light, polygonal–subrounded, convex scales are visible on one side of the block (‘side A’), but LSF reveals extensive smaller and more flattened scales, which are diagenetically fragmented, on the reverse block surface (‘side B’). Contrary to the prior interpretation that the visible scales are the epidermal undersides, the presence of convex, intrascale papilliform textures on side A suggests that the external skin surface is exposed. We define intrascale papillae and provide a review of sauropod skin morphology, which clarifies that intrascale papillae are unique to and widespread across stem Neosauropoda, and likely have an evolutionary origin in the Early Jurassic. Intrascale papillae may ultimately have been integral to the evolution of gigantism in this charismatic clade. Haestasaurus becklesii claims the crown as owner of the first non-avian dinosaur skin to ever be described. Using modern imaging approaches, and considering known fossil skin across the long-necked sauropod dinosaurs, an Early Jurassic origin of the papillae within their scales is suggested.
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5
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Soto-Acuña S, Vargas AO, Kaluza J, Leppe MA, Botelho JF, Palma-Liberona J, Simon-Gutstein C, Fernández RA, Ortiz H, Milla V, Aravena B, Manríquez LME, Alarcón-Muñoz J, Pino JP, Trevisan C, Mansilla H, Hinojosa LF, Muñoz-Walther V, Rubilar-Rogers D. Bizarre tail weaponry in a transitional ankylosaur from subantarctic Chile. Nature 2021; 600:259-263. [PMID: 34853468 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-04147-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Armoured dinosaurs are well known for their evolution of specialized tail weapons-paired tail spikes in stegosaurs and heavy tail clubs in advanced ankylosaurs1. Armoured dinosaurs from southern Gondwana are rare and enigmatic, but probably include the earliest branches of Ankylosauria2-4. Here we describe a mostly complete, semi-articulated skeleton of a small (approximately 2 m) armoured dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period of Magallanes in southernmost Chile, a region that is biogeographically related to West Antarctica5. Stegouros elengassen gen. et sp. nov. evolved a large tail weapon unlike any dinosaur: a flat, frond-like structure formed by seven pairs of laterally projecting osteoderms encasing the distal half of the tail. Stegouros shows ankylosaurian cranial characters, but a largely ancestral postcranial skeleton, with some stegosaur-like characters. Phylogenetic analyses placed Stegouros in Ankylosauria; specifically, it is related to Kunbarrasaurus from Australia6 and Antarctopelta from Antarctica7, forming a clade of Gondwanan ankylosaurs that split earliest from all other ankylosaurs. The large osteoderms and specialized tail vertebrae in Antarctopelta suggest that it had a tail weapon similar to Stegouros. We propose a new clade, the Parankylosauria, to include the first ancestor of Stegouros-but not Ankylosaurus-and all descendants of that ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Soto-Acuña
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile. .,Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Alexander O Vargas
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
| | - Jonatan Kaluza
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Fundación de Historia Natural Félix de Azara, Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marcelo A Leppe
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Laboratorio de Paleobiología, Instituto Nacional Antártico Chileno, Punta Arenas, Chile
| | - Joao F Botelho
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - José Palma-Liberona
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Carolina Simon-Gutstein
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Roy A Fernández
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Héctor Ortiz
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Universidad de Magallanes, Punta Arenas, Chile
| | - Verónica Milla
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Universidad de Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Bárbara Aravena
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Leslie M E Manríquez
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos, Sâo Leopoldo, Brazil
| | - Jhonatan Alarcón-Muñoz
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Juan Pablo Pino
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Cristine Trevisan
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Laboratorio de Paleobiología, Instituto Nacional Antártico Chileno, Punta Arenas, Chile
| | - Héctor Mansilla
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Laboratorio de Paleobiología, Instituto Nacional Antártico Chileno, Punta Arenas, Chile
| | - Luis Felipe Hinojosa
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Vicente Muñoz-Walther
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - David Rubilar-Rogers
- Red Paleontológica U-Chile, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile.,Área Paleontología, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural de Chile, Santiago, Chile
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6
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Abourachid A, Gagnier B, Furet M, Cornette R, Delapre A, Hackert R, Wenger P. Modeling intervertebral articulation: The rotule à doigt mechanical joint (RAD) in birds and mammals. J Anat 2021; 239:1287-1299. [PMID: 34291452 PMCID: PMC8602019 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The vertebrate skeleton is composed of articulated bones. Most of the articulations are classically described using mechanical joints, except the intervertebral joint. The aim of this study was to identify a joint model with the same mechanical features as the cervical joints. On the neck vertebrae, six articular surfaces participate in the joint: the cranial part of the centrum and the facets of the two prezygapophyses of a vertebra articulate on the caudal part of the centrum and the two articular facets of the postzygapophyses of the previous vertebra. We used the intervertebral joints of the birds neck to identify the mechanical joint representing intervertebral linkage. This link was described in the literature as a joint allowing two or three rotations and no translation. These features correspond to the rotule à doigt (RAD) joint, a ball and socket joint with a pin. We compared the RAD joint to the postaxial intervertebral joints of the avian neck and found it a suitable model to determine the geometrical features involved in the joint mobility. The difference in the angles of virtual axes linking the geometrical center of the centrum to the zygapophysis surfaces determines the mean dorsoventral flexion of the joint. It also helps to limit longitudinal rotation. The orientation of the zygapophysis surfaces determines the range of motion in both dorsoventral and lateral flexion. The overall system prevents dislocation. The model was validated on 13 joints of a vulture neck and 11 joints of a swallow neck and on one joint (C6-C7) in each of three mammal species: the wolf (Canis lupus), mole (Talpa europaea), and human (Homo sapiens). The RAD mechanical joint was found in all vertebral articulations. This validation of the model on different species shows that the RAD intervertebral joint model makes it possible to extract the parameters that guide and limit the mobility of the cervical spine from the complex shape of the vertebrae and to compare them in interspecific studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anick Abourachid
- Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution (Mecadev) Museum National d’Histoire NaturelleCNRSSorbonne UniversitéParis Cedex 05France
| | - Benoît Gagnier
- Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution (Mecadev) Museum National d’Histoire NaturelleCNRSSorbonne UniversitéParis Cedex 05France
| | | | - Raphael Cornette
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB) – UMR 7205Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleCNRSSorbonne UniversitéEPHEUniversité des AntillesParisFrance
| | - Arnaud Delapre
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB) – UMR 7205Muséum National d'Histoire NaturelleCNRSSorbonne UniversitéEPHEUniversité des AntillesParisFrance
| | - Remi Hackert
- Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution (Mecadev) Museum National d’Histoire NaturelleCNRSSorbonne UniversitéParis Cedex 05France
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7
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Bishop PJ, Falisse A, De Groote F, Hutchinson JR. Predictive simulations of running gait reveal a critical dynamic role for the tail in bipedal dinosaur locomotion. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:eabi7348. [PMID: 34550734 PMCID: PMC8457660 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abi7348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Locomotion has influenced the ecology, evolution, and extinction of species throughout history, yet studying locomotion in the fossil record is challenging. Computational biomechanics can provide novel insight by mechanistically relating observed anatomy to whole-animal function and behavior. Here, we leverage optimal control methods to generate the first fully predictive, three-dimensional, muscle-driven simulations of locomotion in an extinct terrestrial vertebrate, the bipedal non-avian theropod dinosaur Coelophysis. Unexpectedly, our simulations involved pronounced lateroflexion movements of the tail. Rather than just being a static counterbalance, simulations indicate that the tail played a crucial dynamic role, with lateroflexion acting as a passive, physics-based mechanism for regulating angular momentum and improving locomotor economy, analogous to the swinging arms of humans. We infer this mechanism to have existed in many other bipedal non-avian dinosaurs as well, and our methodology provides new avenues for exploring the functional diversity of dinosaur tails in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J. Bishop
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
- Geosciences Program, Queensland Museum, Brisbane, Queensland 4011, Australia
- Corresponding author. (P.J.B.); (J.R.H.)
| | - Antoine Falisse
- Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Friedl De Groote
- Department of Movement Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - John R. Hutchinson
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield AL9 7TA, UK
- Corresponding author. (P.J.B.); (J.R.H.)
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8
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Simone Y, van der Meijden A. Armed stem to stinger: a review of the ecological roles of scorpion weapons. J Venom Anim Toxins Incl Trop Dis 2021; 27:e20210002. [PMID: 34527038 PMCID: PMC8425188 DOI: 10.1590/1678-9199-jvatitd-2021-0002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Scorpions possess two systems of weapons: the pincers (chelae) and the stinger (telson). These are placed on anatomically and developmentally well separated parts of the body, that is, the oral appendages and at the end of the body axis. The otherwise conserved body plan of scorpions varies most in the shape and relative dimensions of these two weapon systems, both across species and in some cases between the sexes. We review the literature on the ecological function of these two weapon systems in each of three contexts of usage: (i) predation, (ii) defense and (iii) sexual contests. In the latter context, we will also discuss their usage in mating. We first provide a comparative background for each of these contexts of usage by giving examples of other weapon systems from across the animal kingdom. Then, we discuss the pertinent aspects of the anatomy of the weapon systems, particularly those aspects relevant to their functioning in their ecological roles. The literature on the functioning and ecological role of both the chelae and the telson is discussed in detail, again organized by context of usage. Particular emphasis is given on the differences in morphology or usage between species or higher taxonomic groups, or between genders, as such cases are most insightful to understand the roles of each of the two distinct weapon systems of the scorpions and their evolutionary interactions. We aimed to synthesize the literature while minimizing conjecture, but also to point out gaps in the literature and potential future research opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuri Simone
- CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, Porto, Portugal
| | - Arie van der Meijden
- CIBIO Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, InBIO, Porto, Portugal
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9
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Condamine FL, Guinot G, Benton MJ, Currie PJ. Dinosaur biodiversity declined well before the asteroid impact, influenced by ecological and environmental pressures. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3833. [PMID: 34188028 PMCID: PMC8242047 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23754-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The question why non-avian dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago (Ma) remains unresolved because of the coarseness of the fossil record. A sudden extinction caused by an asteroid is the most accepted hypothesis but it is debated whether dinosaurs were in decline or not before the impact. We analyse the speciation-extinction dynamics for six key dinosaur families, and find a decline across dinosaurs, where diversification shifted to a declining-diversity pattern ~76 Ma. We investigate the influence of ecological and physical factors, and find that the decline of dinosaurs was likely driven by global climate cooling and herbivorous diversity drop. The latter is likely due to hadrosaurs outcompeting other herbivores. We also estimate that extinction risk is related to species age during the decline, suggesting a lack of evolutionary novelty or adaptation to changing environments. These results support an environmentally driven decline of non-avian dinosaurs well before the asteroid impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien L Condamine
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (Université de Montpellier | CNRS|IRD|EPHE), Montpellier, France.
| | - Guillaume Guinot
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (Université de Montpellier | CNRS|IRD|EPHE), Montpellier, France
| | - Michael J Benton
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Philip J Currie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
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10
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Park JY, Lee YN, Currie PJ, Ryan MJ, Bell P, Sissons R, Koppelhus EB, Barsbold R, Lee S, Kim SH. A new ankylosaurid skeleton from the Upper Cretaceous Baruungoyot Formation of Mongolia: its implications for ankylosaurid postcranial evolution. Sci Rep 2021; 11:4101. [PMID: 33737515 PMCID: PMC7973727 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83568-4] [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: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
A new articulated postcranial specimen of an indeterminate ankylosaurid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous (middle-upper Campanian) Baruungoyot Formation from Hermiin Tsav, southern Gobi Desert, Mongolia includes twelve dorsal vertebrae, ribs, pectoral girdles, forelimbs, pelvic girdles, hind limbs, and free osteoderms. The new specimen shows that Asian ankylosaurids evolved rigid bodies with a decreased number of pedal phalanges. It also implies that there were at least two forms of flank armor within Ankylosauridae, one with spine-like osteoderms and the other with keeled rhomboidal osteoderms. Unique anatomical features related to digging are present in Ankylosauridae, such as dorsoventrally flattened and fusiform body shapes, extensively fused series of vertebrae, anteroposteriorly broadened dorsal ribs, a robust humerus with a well-developed deltopectoral crest, a short robust ulna with a well-developed olecranon process, a trowel-like manus, and decreased numbers of pedal phalanges. Although not fossorial, ankylosaurids were likely able to dig the substrate, taking advantage of it for self-defence and survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin-Young Park
- grid.31501.360000 0004 0470 5905School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826 South Korea
| | - Yuong-Nam Lee
- grid.31501.360000 0004 0470 5905School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826 South Korea
| | - Philip J. Currie
- grid.17089.37Department of Biological Sciences, CW 405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9 Canada
| | - Michael J. Ryan
- grid.34428.390000 0004 1936 893XDepartment of Earth Sciences, Carleton University, 2125 Herzberg Building, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6 Canada ,grid.450544.40000 0004 0448 6933Department of Palaeobiology, Canadian Museum of Nature, Station ‘D’, P.O. Box 3443, Ottawa, ON K1P 6P4 Canada
| | - Phil Bell
- grid.1020.30000 0004 1936 7371Palaeoscience Research Centre, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351 Australia
| | - Robin Sissons
- grid.17089.37Department of Biological Sciences, CW 405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9 Canada
| | - Eva B. Koppelhus
- grid.17089.37Department of Biological Sciences, CW 405 Biological Sciences Building, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E9 Canada
| | - Rinchen Barsbold
- grid.425564.40000 0004 0587 3863Institute of Paleontology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Box-46/650, Ulaanbaatar, 15160 Mongolia
| | - Sungjin Lee
- grid.31501.360000 0004 0470 5905School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826 South Korea
| | - Su-Hwan Kim
- grid.31501.360000 0004 0470 5905School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826 South Korea
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11
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Rhodes MM, Henderson DM, Currie PJ. Maniraptoran pelvic musculature highlights evolutionary patterns in theropod locomotion on the line to birds. PeerJ 2021; 9:e10855. [PMID: 33717681 PMCID: PMC7937347 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Locomotion is a fundamental aspect of palaeobiology and often investigated by comparing osteological structures and proportions. Previous studies document a stepwise accumulation of avian-like features in theropod dinosaurs that accelerates in the clade Maniraptora. However, the soft tissues that influenced the skeleton offer another perspective on locomotory adaptations. Examination of the pelvis for osteological correlates of hind limb and tail musculature allowed reconstruction of primary locomotory muscles across theropods and their closest extant relatives. Additionally, the areas of pelvic muscle origins were quantified to measure relative differences within and between taxa, to compare morphological features associated with cursoriality, and offer insight into the evolution of locomotor modules. Locomotory inferences based on myology often corroborate those based on osteology, although they occasionally conflict and indicate greater complexity than previously appreciated. Maniraptoran pelvic musculature underscores previous studies noting the multifaceted nature of cursoriality and suggests that a more punctuated step in caudal decoupling occurred at or near the base of Maniraptora.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew M Rhodes
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Philip J Currie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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12
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Campione NE, Evans DC. The accuracy and precision of body mass estimation in non-avian dinosaurs. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:1759-1797. [PMID: 32869488 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Inferring the body mass of fossil taxa, such as non-avian dinosaurs, provides a powerful tool for interpreting physiological and ecological properties, as well as the ability to study these traits through deep time and within a macroevolutionary context. As a result, over the past 100 years a number of studies advanced methods for estimating mass in dinosaurs and other extinct taxa. These methods can be categorized into two major approaches: volumetric-density (VD) and extant-scaling (ES). The former receives the most attention in non-avian dinosaurs and advanced appreciably over the last century: from initial physical scale models to three-dimensional (3D) virtual techniques that utilize scanned data obtained from entire skeletons. The ES approach is most commonly applied to extinct members of crown clades but some equations are proposed and utilized in non-avian dinosaurs. Because both approaches share a common goal, they are often viewed in opposition to one another. However, current palaeobiological research problems are often approach specific and, therefore, the decision to utilize a VD or ES approach is largely question dependent. In general, biomechanical and physiological studies benefit from the full-body reconstruction provided through a VD approach, whereas large-scale evolutionary and ecological studies require the extensive data sets afforded by an ES approach. This study summarizes both approaches to body mass estimation in stem-group taxa, specifically non-avian dinosaurs, and provides a comparative quantitative framework to reciprocally illuminate and corroborate VD and ES approaches. The results indicate that mass estimates are largely consistent between approaches: 73% of VD reconstructions occur within the expected 95% prediction intervals of the ES relationship. However, almost three quarters of outliers occur below the lower 95% prediction interval, indicating that VD mass estimates are, on average, lower than would be expected given their stylopodial circumferences. Inconsistencies (high residual and per cent prediction deviation values) are recovered to a varying degree among all major dinosaurian clades along with an overall tendency for larger deviations between approaches among small-bodied taxa. Nonetheless, our results indicate a strong corroboration between recent iterations of the VD approach based on 3D specimen scans suggesting that our current understanding of size in dinosaurs, and hence its biological correlates, has improved over time. We advance that VD and ES approaches have fundamentally (metrically) different advantages and, hence, the comparative framework used and advocated here combines the accuracy afforded by ES with the precision provided by VD and permits the rapid identification of discrepancies with the potential to open new areas of discussion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolás E Campione
- Palaeoscience Research Centre, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, 2351, Australia
| | - David C Evans
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks St, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3B2, Canada.,Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, 100 Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 2C6, Canada
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13
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Saitta ET, Stockdale MT, Longrich NR, Bonhomme V, Benton MJ, Cuthill IC, Makovicky PJ. An effect size statistical framework for investigating sexual dimorphism in non-avian dinosaurs and other extinct taxa. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Despite reports of sexual dimorphism in extinct taxa, such claims in non-avian dinosaurs have been rare over the last decade and have often been criticized. Since dimorphism is widespread in sexually reproducing organisms today, under-reporting in the literature might suggest either methodological shortcomings or that this diverse group exhibited highly unusual reproductive biology. Univariate significance testing, especially for bimodality, is ineffective and prone to false negatives. Species recognition and mutual sexual selection hypotheses, therefore, may not be required to explain supposed absence of sexual dimorphism across the grade (a type II error). Instead, multiple lines of evidence support sexual selection and variation of structures consistent with secondary sexual characteristics, strongly suggesting sexual dimorphism in non-avian dinosaurs. We propose a framework for studying sexual dimorphism in fossils, focusing on likely secondary sexual traits and testing against all alternate hypotheses for variation in them using multiple lines of evidence. We use effect size statistics appropriate for low sample sizes, rather than significance testing, to analyse potential divergence of growth curves in traits and constrain estimates for dimorphism magnitude. In many cases, estimates of sexual variation can be reasonably accurate, and further developments in methods to improve sex assignments and account for intrasexual variation (e.g. mixture modelling) will improve accuracy. It is better to compare estimates for the magnitude of and support for dimorphism between datasets than to dichotomously reject or fail to reject monomorphism in a single species, enabling the study of sexual selection across phylogenies and time. We defend our approach with simulated and empirical data, including dinosaur data, showing that even simple approaches can yield fairly accurate estimates of sexual variation in many cases, allowing for comparison of species with high and low support for sexual variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan T Saitta
- Life Sciences Section, Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Nicholas R Longrich
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry and Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Vincent Bonhomme
- Institut des sciences de l’évolution, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | | | - Innes C Cuthill
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Peter J Makovicky
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
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14
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Barr JI, Somaweera R, Godfrey SS, Gardner MG, Bateman PW. When one tail isn't enough: abnormal caudal regeneration in lepidosaurs and its potential ecological impacts. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2020; 95:1479-1496. [PMID: 32583608 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Abnormal caudal regeneration, the production of additional tails through regeneration events, occurs in lepidosaurs as a result of incomplete autotomy or sufficient caudal wound. Despite being widely known to occur, documented events generally are limited to opportunistic single observations - hindering the understanding of the ecological importance of caudal regeneration. Here we compiled and reviewed a robust global database of both peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed records of abnormal regeneration events in lepidosaurs published over the last 400 years. Using this database, we qualitatively and quantitatively assessed the occurrence and characteristics of abnormal tail regeneration among individuals, among species, and among populations. We identified 425 observations from 366 records pertaining to 175 species of lepidosaurs across 22 families from 63 different countries. At an individual level, regenerations ranged from bifurcations to hexafurcations; from normal regeneration from the original tail to multiple regenerations arising from a single point; and from growth from the distal third to the proximal third of the tail. Species showing abnormal regenerations included those with intra-vertebral, inter-vertebral or no autotomy planes, indicating that abnormal regenerations evidently occur across lepidosaurs regardless of whether the species demonstrates caudal autotomy or not. Within populations, abnormal regenerations were estimated at a mean ± SD of 2.75 ± 3.41% (range 0.1-16.7%). There is a significant lack of experimental studies to understand the potential ecological impacts of regeneration on the fitness and life history of individuals and populations. We hypothesised that abnormal regeneration may affect lepidosaurs via influencing kinematics of locomotion, restrictions in escape mechanisms, anti-predation tactics, and intra- and inter-specific signalling. Behaviourally testing these hypotheses would be an important future research direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- James I Barr
- Behavioural Ecology Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia.,CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, 147 Underwood Avenue, Floreat, WA, 6014, Australia
| | - Ruchira Somaweera
- CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, 147 Underwood Avenue, Floreat, WA, 6014, Australia
| | - Stephanie S Godfrey
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, 340 Great King Street, North Dunedin, Dunedin, 9016, New Zealand
| | - Michael G Gardner
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Sturt Road, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia.,The Evolutionary Biology Unit, South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
| | - Philip W Bateman
- Behavioural Ecology Laboratory, School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Kent Street, Bentley, WA, 6102, Australia
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15
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Ramm T, Roycroft EJ, Müller J. Convergent evolution of tail spines in squamate reptiles driven by microhabitat use. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20190848. [PMCID: PMC7058953 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2019] [Accepted: 01/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
The repeated evolution of convergent or analogous traits is often used as evidence for adaptive evolution. Squamate reptiles show a high degree of convergence in a variety of morphological traits; however, the evolutionary mechanisms driving these patterns are not fully understood. Here, we investigate the evolution of tail spines, a trait that evolved multiple times in evolutionarily independent clades of lizards. Taking a comparative phylogenetic approach, we use 2877 squamate species to demonstrate that the evolution of spiny tails is correlated with microhabitat use, with species that live in rocky habitats significantly more likely to have evolved spiny tails. In the light of previous behavioural observations, our results suggest that spiny-tailed lizards have an advantage in rocky habitats through predation avoidance, where tail spines are used to prevent extraction from rocky crevices. In concordance with previous research on lizard body armour, our results suggest that the evolution of tail spines is coupled to both a rock-dwelling lifestyle and predator avoidance strategies, and highlight a complex interplay between different selective pressures on the evolution of defensive morphologies in reptiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Till Ramm
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- Sciences Department, Museums Victoria, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Emily J. Roycroft
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia
- Sciences Department, Museums Victoria, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia
| | - Johannes Müller
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, Berlin 10115, Germany
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16
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Arbour VM, Zanno LE. Tail Weaponry in Ankylosaurs and Glyptodonts: An Example of a Rare but Strongly Convergent Phenotype. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2019; 303:988-998. [PMID: 30835954 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The unusual clubbed tails of glyptodonts among mammals and ankylosaurines among dinosaurs most likely functioned as weapons of intraspecific combat or interspecific defense and are characterized by stiffening of the distal tail and, in some taxa, expansion of the distal tail tip. Although similarities in tail weaponry have been noted as a potential example of convergent evolution, this hypothesis has not been tested quantitatively, particularly with metrics that can distinguish convergence from long-term stasis, assess the relative strength of convergence, and identify potential constraints in the appearance of traits during the stepwise, independent evolution of these structures. Using recently developed metrics of convergence within a phylomorphospace framework, we document that convergence accounts for over 80% of the morphological evolution in traits associated with tail weaponry in ankylosaurs and glyptodonts. In addition, we find that ankylosaurs and glyptodonts shared an independently derived, yet constrained progression of traits correlated with the presence of a tail club, including stiffening of the distal tail as a precedent to expansion of the tail tip in both clades. Despite differences in the anatomical construction of the tail club linked to lineage-specific historical contingency, these lineages experienced pronounced, quantifiable convergent evolution, supporting hypotheses of functional constraints and shared selective pressures on the evolution of these distinctive weapons. Anat Rec, 303:988-998, 2020. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria M Arbour
- Department of Knowledge, Royal BC Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lindsay E Zanno
- Department of Paleontology, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina.,Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
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17
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Rico-Guevara A, Hurme KJ. Intrasexually selected weapons. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:60-101. [PMID: 29924496 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2017] [Revised: 05/14/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
We propose a practical concept that distinguishes the particular kind of weaponry that has evolved to be used in combat between individuals of the same species and sex, which we term intrasexually selected weapons (ISWs). We present a treatise of ISWs in nature, aiming to understand their distinction and evolution from other secondary sex traits, including from 'sexually selected weapons', and from sexually dimorphic and monomorphic weaponry. We focus on the subset of secondary sex traits that are the result of same-sex combat, defined here as ISWs, provide not previously reported evolutionary patterns, and offer hypotheses to answer questions such as: why have only some species evolved weapons to fight for the opposite sex or breeding resources? We examined traits that seem to have evolved as ISWs in the entire animal phylogeny, restricting the classification of ISW to traits that are only present or enlarged in adults of one of the sexes, and are used as weapons during intrasexual fights. Because of the absence of behavioural data and, in many cases, lack of sexually discriminated series from juveniles to adults, we exclude the fossil record from this review. We merge morphological, ontogenetic, and behavioural information, and for the first time thoroughly review the tree of life to identify separate evolution of ISWs. We found that ISWs are only found in bilateral animals, appearing independently in nematodes, various groups of arthropods, and vertebrates. Our review sets a reference point to explore other taxa that we identify with potential ISWs for which behavioural or morphological studies are warranted. We establish that most ISWs come in pairs, are located in or near the head, are endo- or exoskeletal modifications, are overdeveloped structures compared with those found in females, are modified feeding structures and/or locomotor appendages, are most common in terrestrial taxa, are frequently used to guard females, territories, or both, and are also used in signalling displays to deter rivals and/or attract females. We also found that most taxa lack ISWs, that females of only a few species possess better-developed weapons than males, that the cases of independent evolution of ISWs are not evenly distributed across the phylogeny, and that animals possessing the most developed ISWs have non-hunting habits (e.g. herbivores) or are faunivores that prey on very small prey relative to their body size (e.g. insectivores). Bringing together perspectives from studies on a variety of taxa, we conceptualize that there are five ways in which a sexually dimorphic trait, apart from the primary sex traits, can be fixed: sexual selection, fecundity selection, parental role division, differential niche occupation between the sexes, and interference competition. We discuss these trends and the factors involved in the evolution of intrasexually selected weaponry in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Rico-Guevara
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 3040 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Rd, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT, 06269, U.S.A.,Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Código Postal 11001, Bogotá DC, Colombia
| | - Kristiina J Hurme
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, 3040 Valley Life Sciences Building, Berkeley, CA, 94720, U.S.A.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Rd, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT, 06269, U.S.A
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18
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Broeckhoven C, de Kock C, Hui C. Sexual dimorphism in the dermal armour of cordyline lizards (Squamata: Cordylinae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- C Broeckhoven
- Laboratory of Functional Morphology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Theoretical Ecology Group, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag, Matieland, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - C de Kock
- Department of Botany & Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag, Matieland, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - C Hui
- Theoretical Ecology Group, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag, Matieland, Stellenbosch, South Africa
- Theoretical and Physical Biosciences, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa
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19
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du Plessis A, Broeckhoven C, Yadroitsev I, Yadroitsava I, le Roux SG. Analyzing nature's protective design: The glyptodont body armor. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2018; 82:218-223. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2018.03.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2018] [Accepted: 03/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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