1
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Barrett PZ, Hopkins SSB. Mosaic evolution underlies feliform morphological disparity. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240756. [PMID: 39137889 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Constraint is a fundamental concept in evolutionary theory. Morphology and ecology both are limited by functional, historical and developmental factors to a subset of the theoretical range species could occupy. Cat-like carnivorans (Feliformia) offer a unique opportunity to investigate phenotypic constraint, as several feliform clades are purported to be limited to generalized ecomorphological roles, while others possess extremely specialized durophagous (bone-crushing) and sabretooth morphology. We investigated the evolutionary history of feliforms by considering their phylogeny, morphological disparity and rates of evolution. We recover results that show a mosaic pattern exists in the degree of morphological disparity per anatomical region per clade and ecology. Non-hypercarnivores, such as viverrids (civets and genets), Malagasy euplerids and lophocyonids (extinct hypocarnivores), have the greatest dental disparity, while hypercarnivores (felids, nimravids, many hyaenids) have the lowest dental disparity but highest cranial and mandibular disparity (excluding dentition). However, high disparity is not necessarily associated with high rates of evolution, but instead with ecological radiations. We reveal that relationships between specialization and disparity are not as simple as past research has concluded. Instead, morphological disparity results from an anatomical mosaic of evolution, where different ecologies correlate with and likely channel unique patterns/combinations of disparity per anatomical partition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Z Barrett
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Museum of Natural and Cultural History, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA
| | - Samantha S B Hopkins
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Museum of Natural and Cultural History, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
- Clark Honors College, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403, USA
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2
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Salesa MJ, Siliceo G, Antón M, Martínez I, Ortega F. New data on the mammalian fauna from the late middle Eocene (MP 15-16) of Mazaterón (Soria, Spain): The youngest presence of the genus Prodissopsalis (Hyaenodonta, Hyaenodontidae) in Europe. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023. [PMID: 37060198 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023]
Abstract
The Hyaenodonta were the most diverse carnivorous mammals in the European Eocene and were classically divided into three subfamilies: Sinopaninae, Arfianinae, and Proviverrinae, with this latter being the most successful of the three, as it exhibited a much larger geographic and temporal range. This classification is currently abandoned, as cladistic analyses of Hyaenodonta showed that several of these groups were paraphyletic. In any case, the former "proviverrines" were European endemic hyaenodontids which occupied the niche of small to medium-sized predators from the Ypresian (MP7) to the Priabonian (MP19). Recent phylogenetic proposals recognize the "Eurotherium clade" including this latter genus, besides Cartierodon and Prodissopsalis. A single species is known for Prodissopsalis, Prodissopsalis eocaenicus, previously recorded in European fossil sites of MP 12 to MP 14; nevertheless, the new material studied here, a mandible of a subadult individual from the late Middle Eocene (Bartonian, MP 15-16) site of La Solana (Mazaterón, Soria, Spain) constitutes a new species of Prodissopsalis and the youngest record of this genus up to now, extending its chronological range and remarking the shelter role of the northwestern region of the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle and Late Eocene. The new species, Prodissopsalis jimenezi provides new data not only on the eruption sequence of the genus, but also on the evolution of its dental adaptations, as the new species exhibits a more trenchant, hypercarnivorous dentition in comparison to the more primitive species P. eocaenicus, which would point toward a refining of the hunting abilities of this hyaenodont during the Middle Eocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel J Salesa
- Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gema Siliceo
- Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Faculty of Natural Science, Department of Geology and Paleontology, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic
| | - Mauricio Antón
- Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene Martínez
- Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco Ortega
- Grupo de Biología Evolutiva, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED), Madrid, Spain
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3
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Harano T, Asahara M. The anteriorization of tooth position underlies the atavism of tooth morphology: Insights into the morphogenesis of mammalian molars. Evolution 2022; 76:2986-3000. [PMID: 36200621 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14637] [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: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The evolution and development of complex molars as a key innovation in mammals have long been of interest yet remain poorly understood. With reference to century-old theories and modern findings, we focused on the teeth of pinnipeds (Carnivora) and cetaceans (Cetartiodactyla), which are morphologically simple compared with those of other mammals, and thus can be considered a reversal toward the ancestral state of nonmammalian synapsids. By reconstructing the evolutionary history of tooth complexity for the phylogenies of Carnivora and Cetartiodactyla, we established that a secondary evolution of simple teeth from more complex molars has occurred independently multiple times. Our phylogenetic comparative analyses showed that a simplification in tooth morphology was correlated with a more anterior dentition position relative to the component bones of the upper jaw in both Carnivora and Cetartiodactyla. These results suggest that the anterior shift of tooth position relative to the morphogenetic fields present in the jaw contributed to the evolutionary simplification in molar morphology. Our findings provide insights into the developmental basis of complex mammalian dentition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Harano
- Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Aichi Gakuin University, Nisshin, 470-0195, Japan
| | - Masakazu Asahara
- Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Aichi Gakuin University, Nisshin, 470-0195, Japan
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4
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Beck RM, Voss RS, Jansa SA. Craniodental Morphology and Phylogeny of Marsupials. BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 2022. [DOI: 10.1206/0003-0090.457.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Robin M.D. Beck
- School of Science, Engineering and Environment University of Salford, U.K. School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales, Australia Division of Vertebrate Zoology (Mammalogy) American Museum of Natural History
| | - Robert S. Voss
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology (Mammalogy) American Museum of Natural History
| | - Sharon A. Jansa
- Bell Museum and Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior University of Minnesota
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6
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Phenotyping in the era of genomics: MaTrics—a digital character matrix to document mammalian phenotypic traits. Mamm Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-021-00192-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractA new and uniquely structured matrix of mammalian phenotypes, MaTrics (Mammalian Traits for Comparative Genomics) in a digital form is presented. By focussing on mammalian species for which genome assemblies are available, MaTrics provides an interface between mammalogy and comparative genomics.MaTrics was developed within a project aimed to find genetic causes of phenotypic traits of mammals using Forward Genomics. This approach requires genomes and comprehensive and recorded information on homologous phenotypes that are coded as discrete categories in a matrix. MaTrics is an evolving online resource providing information on phenotypic traits in numeric code; traits are coded either as absent/present or with several states as multistate. The state record for each species is linked to at least one reference (e.g., literature, photographs, histological sections, CT scans, or museum specimens) and so MaTrics contributes to digitalization of museum collections. Currently, MaTrics covers 147 mammalian species and includes 231 characters related to structure, morphology, physiology, ecology, and ethology and available in a machine actionable NEXUS-format*. Filling MaTrics revealed substantial knowledge gaps, highlighting the need for phenotyping efforts. Studies based on selected data from MaTrics and using Forward Genomics identified associations between genes and certain phenotypes ranging from lifestyles (e.g., aquatic) to dietary specializations (e.g., herbivory, carnivory). These findings motivate the expansion of phenotyping in MaTrics by filling research gaps and by adding taxa and traits. Only databases like MaTrics will provide machine actionable information on phenotypic traits, an important limitation to genomics. MaTrics is available within the data repository Morph·D·Base (www.morphdbase.de).
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Lang AJ, Engler T, Martin T. Dental topographic and three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of carnassialization in different clades of carnivorous mammals (Dasyuromorphia, Carnivora, Hyaenodonta). J Morphol 2021; 283:91-108. [PMID: 34775616 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of carnassial teeth in mammals, especially in the Carnivora, has been subject of many morphometric and some dental topographic studies. Here, we use a combination of dental topographic analysis (Dirichlet normal energy) and 3D geometric morphometrics of less and high carnassialized lower teeth of carnivoran, dasyuromorph and hyaenodont taxa. Carnassial crown curvature, as indicated by Dirichlet normal energy, is high in lesser carnassialized teeth and low in higher carnassialized teeth, where it is influenced by the reduction of crown features such as cusps and crests. PC1 of the geometric morphometric analysis is linked to enlargement of the carnassial blade, reduction of the talonid crushing basin and an increasingly asymmetric cervix line with an enlarged mesial flexure in more carnassialized teeth. Distribution of PC1 values further indicates that along the tooth row of dasyuromorphs (m2-m4) and hyaenodonts (m1-m3) the most distal carnassial is the most carnassialized (principal carnassial), and in most taxa with overall higher carnassialized teeth, carnassialization successively increases from the anterior to the posterior tooth position along the tooth row. PC2 indicates that a longitudinal elongated carnassial is present in caniforms and in unspecialized feliforms, which separates these taxa in morphospace from all dasyuromorphs, hyaenodonts and specialized feliforms. An ancestral state reconstruction shows that this longitudinal elongation may be a plesiomorphic ancestral state for the Carnivora, which is different from the Dasyuromorphia and the Hyaenodonta. This elongation, enabling the presence of a longitudinally aligned carnassial blade as well as a complete talonid basin, might have provided the Carnivora with an advantage in terms of adaptive versatility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Johann Lang
- Institute of Geosciences, Section Paleontology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Thomas Engler
- Institute of Geosciences, Section Paleontology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Thomas Martin
- Institute of Geosciences, Section Paleontology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Landy S, Peralta S, Vogelnest L, Fiani N. The Macroscopic and Radiographic Skull and Dental Pathology of the Tasmanian Devil ( Sarcophilus harrisii). Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:693578. [PMID: 34179178 PMCID: PMC8222698 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.693578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
While the gross skull and dental morphology, masticatory biomechanics, dental eruption patterns, and radiographic dental anatomy has been described in the Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), to date no studies have comprehensively examined the prevalence and appearance of pathologic processes affecting their skulls and dentition. As such, the aim of this study was to describe macroscopic and radiographic anatomy and identify the prevalence of anatomic variations and pathological processes in Tasmanian devil dentition and skulls. To do so, anatomical and pathological findings were documented in Tasmanian devil skulls using photography and dental radiography. Assessment of skull trauma, anatomical and developmental abnormalities, periodontitis, endodontic disease, and tooth resorption was performed. A total of 28 Tasmanian devil skulls containing 1,028 teeth were examined. Evidence of postmortem trauma was common. The most common positional abnormality was palatal or buccal rotation of the premolar teeth. While the alveolar bone margin was commonly positioned apically to the cementoenamel junction (98.2%), only 14.2% demonstrated evidence of periodontitis. Tooth fractures were common, affecting 27 skulls, however radiographic signs of endodontic disease were only noted in 4.5% of affected teeth, as was non-inflammatory root resorption (2.0%). A wider root canal width, which was used as a criterion for age determination, was associated with smaller skull dimensions, incompletely erupted teeth, and subjectively less fusion of the mandibular symphysis. Through an improved understanding of what constitutes normal anatomy and the appearance and frequency of pathologic processes that affect the skulls and teeth, this knowledge can help develop a foundation for understanding the oral health and management of live animals for this endangered species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanna Landy
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Santiago Peralta
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Larry Vogelnest
- Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Mosman, NSW, Australia
| | - Nadine Fiani
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
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Saeki N, Inui-Yamamoto C, Kuraki M, Itoh S, Inubushi T, Okamoto M, Akiyama S, Wakisaka S, Abe M. Senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice exhibit reduced entoconid in the lower second molar. Arch Oral Biol 2021; 128:105172. [PMID: 34058725 DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2021.105172] [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: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The position and size of the major cusps in mammalian molars are arranged in a characteristic pattern that depends on taxonomy. In humans, the cusp which locates distally within each molar is smaller than the mesially located cusp, which is referred to as "distal reduction". Although this concept has been well-recognized, it is still unclear how this reduction occurs. Current study examined whether senescence-accelerating mouse prone 8 (SAMP8) mice could be a possible animal model for studying how the mammalian molar cusp size is determined. DESIGN SAMP8 mice were compared with parental control (SAMR1) mice. Microcomputed tomography images of young and aged mice were captured to observe molar cusp morphologies. Cusp height from cement-enamel junction and mesio-distal length of molars were measured. The statistical comparison of the measurements was performed by Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS SAMP8 mice showed reduced development of the disto-lingual cusp (entoconid) of lower second molar when compared with SAMR1 mice. The enamel thickness and structure was disturbed at entoconid, and aged SAMP8 mice displayed severe wear of the entoconid in lower second molar. These phenotypes were observed on both sides of the lower second molar. CONCLUSIONS In addition to the general senescence phenotype observed in SAMP8 mice, this strain may genetically possess molar cusp phenotypes which is determined prenatally. Further, SAMP8 mice would be a potential model strain to study the genetic causes of the distal reduction of molar cusp size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Saeki
- Department of Oral Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Yamada-oka 1-8, Suita, Osaka, Japan; Division of Special Care Dentistry, Osaka University Dental Hospital, Osaka, Japan
| | - Chizuko Inui-Yamamoto
- Department of Oral Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Yamada-oka 1-8, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Moe Kuraki
- Department of Oral Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Yamada-oka 1-8, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shousaku Itoh
- Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan
| | - Toshihiro Inubushi
- Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan
| | - Motoki Okamoto
- Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Osaka, Japan
| | - Shigehisa Akiyama
- Division of Special Care Dentistry, Osaka University Dental Hospital, Osaka, Japan
| | - Satoshi Wakisaka
- Department of Oral Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Yamada-oka 1-8, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Makoto Abe
- Department of Oral Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, Yamada-oka 1-8, Suita, Osaka, Japan.
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Engelman RK, Flynn JJ, Wyss AR, Croft DA. Eomakhaira molossus, A New Saber-Toothed Sparassodont (Metatheria: Thylacosmilinae) from the Early Oligocene (?Tinguirirican) Cachapoal Locality, Andean Main Range, Chile. AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES 2020. [DOI: 10.1206/3957.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - John J. Flynn
- Division of Paleontology and Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History
| | - André R. Wyss
- Department of Earth Science, University of California, Santa Barbara
| | - Darin A. Croft
- Department of Anatomy, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
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11
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Brocklehurst N. Morphological evolution in therocephalians breaks the hypercarnivore ratchet. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20190590. [PMID: 30966993 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Large carnivorous mammals have been suggested to show a ratchet-like mode of morphological evolution. A limited number of specializations for hypercarnivory evolve repeatedly in multiple clades, with those lineages evolving such specialities being unable to retreat back along their evolutionary trajectory or jump between adaptive peaks. While it has been hypothesized that such mechanisms should have applied to the evolution of other terrestrial carnivores, the non-mammalian synapsid clade Therocephalia appears to defy this expectation. The earliest, basalmost members of this clade are large macropredators, and it is later that small carnivores appear, seemingly evolving from top-predator ancestors. In order to test this reading of therocephalian evolution, variation in rates of body size evolution were tested for and incorporated into an ancestral reconstruction. Similar studies were made of the evolution of discrete characters related to carnivory. All analyses indicate the ancestral therocephalian was a large macro-predator, with serrated teeth, elongated canines and robust lower jaws. Small sizes apparently evolve later. It is therefore suggested that the hypercarnivore ratchet is a feature of mammalian evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil Brocklehurst
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford , 3 South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3AN , UK
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12
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Zack SP. The first North American Propterodon (Hyaenodonta: Hyaenodontidae), a new species from the late Uintan of Utah. PeerJ 2019; 7:e8136. [PMID: 31772846 PMCID: PMC6876642 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.8136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 11/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The carnivorous mammalian fauna from the Uintan (late middle Eocene) of North America remains relatively poorly documented. This is unfortunate, as this is a critical interval in the transition from "creodont" to carnivoran dominated carnivore guilds. This study reports a new species from the Uinta Formation of the Uinta Basin, Utah, the first North American species of the otherwise Asian hyaenodont genus Propterodon. The new species, Propterodon witteri, represented by a dentary with M2-3 from the late Uintan Leota Quarry, is larger than the well-known P. morrisi and P. tongi and has a larger M3 talonid, but is otherwise very similar. A phylogenetic analysis of hyaenodont interrelationships recovers P. witteri as a hyaenodontine but is generally poorly resolved. A relationship between Hyaenodontinae and Oxyaenoides, recovered by many recent analyses, is not supported. Among the Asian species of Propterodon, P. pishigouensis is reidentified as a machaeroidine oxyaenid and recombined as Apataelurus pishigouensis new combination. Isphanatherium ferganensis may also represent an Asian machaeroidine. Identification of a North American species of Propterodon and an Asian Apataelurus increases the similarity of North American Uintan and Asian Irdinmanhan faunas and suggests that there was substantial exchange of carnivorous fauna during the late middle Eocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawn P. Zack
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine –Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, United States of America
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America
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A Nearly Complete Juvenile Skull of the Marsupial Sparassocynus derivatus from the Pliocene of Argentina, the Affinities of “Sparassocynids”, and the Diversification of Opossums (Marsupialia; Didelphimorphia; Didelphidae). J MAMM EVOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-019-09471-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Croft DA, Engelman RK, Dolgushina T, Wesley G. Diversity and disparity of sparassodonts (Metatheria) reveal non-analogue nature of ancient South American mammalian carnivore guilds. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2017.2012. [PMID: 29298933 PMCID: PMC5784193 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
This study investigates whether terrestrial mammalian carnivore guilds of ancient South America, which developed in relative isolation, were similar to those of other continents. We do so through analyses of clade diversification, ecomorphology and guild structure in the Sparassodonta, metatherians that were the predominant mammalian carnivores of pre-Pleistocene South America. Body mass and 16 characters of the dentition are used to quantify morphological diversity (disparity) in sparassodonts and to compare them to extant marsupial and placental carnivores and extinct North American carnivoramorphans. We also compare trophic diversity of the Early Miocene terrestrial carnivore guild of Santa Cruz, Argentina to that of 14 modern and fossil guilds from other continents. We find that sparassodonts had comparatively low ecomorphological disparity throughout their history and that South American carnivore palaeoguilds, as represented by that of Santa Cruz, Argentina, were unlike modern or fossil carnivore guilds of other continents in their lack of mesocarnivores and hypocarnivores. Our results add to a growing body of evidence highlighting non-analogue aspects of extinct South American mammals and illustrate the dramatic effects that historical contingency can have on the evolution of mammalian palaeocommunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Darin A Croft
- Department of Anatomy, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Russell K Engelman
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Tatiana Dolgushina
- School of Writing, Literature and Film, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Gina Wesley
- Department of Biology, Montgomery College, Rockville, MD, USA
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Montuelle SJ, Kane EA. Food Capture in Vertebrates: A Complex Integrative Performance of the Cranial and Postcranial Systems. FEEDING IN VERTEBRATES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-13739-7_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Billet G, Bardin J. Serial Homology and Correlated Characters in Morphological Phylogenetics: Modeling the Evolution of Dental Crests in Placentals. Syst Biol 2018; 68:267-280. [DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syy071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 10/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Billet
- CR2P, UMR 7207, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, 8 rue Buffon 75005 Paris, France
| | - Jérémie Bardin
- CR2P, UMR 7207, Sorbonne Université, MNHN, CNRS, T.46-56, E.5, case 104, 4 place Jussieu, 75252 Paris cedex 05, France
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Tarquini SD, Chemisquy MA, Prevosti FJ. Evolution of the Carnassial in Living Mammalian Carnivores (Carnivora, Didelphimorphia, Dasyuromorphia): Diet, Phylogeny, and Allometry. J MAMM EVOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-018-9448-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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Zrzavý J, Duda P, Robovský J, Okřinová I, Pavelková Řičánková V. Phylogeny of the Caninae (Carnivora): Combining morphology, behaviour, genes and fossils. ZOOL SCR 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/zsc.12293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jan Zrzavý
- Department of Zoology; Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Duda
- Department of Zoology; Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
- Center for Theoretical Study; Charles University and Czech Academy of Sciences; Prague Czech Republic
| | - Jan Robovský
- Department of Zoology; Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Isabela Okřinová
- Department of Zoology; Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Věra Pavelková Řičánková
- Department of Zoology; Faculty of Science; University of South Bohemia; České Budějovice Czech Republic
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Fraser D, Haupt RJ, Barr WA. Phylogenetic signal in tooth wear dietary niche proxies. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:5355-5368. [PMID: 29938058 PMCID: PMC6010706 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2018] [Revised: 02/23/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
In the absence of independent observational data, ecologists and paleoecologists use proxies for the Eltonian niches of species (i.e., the resource or dietary axes of the niche). Some dietary proxies exploit the fact that mammalian teeth experience wear during mastication, due to both tooth-on-tooth and food-on-tooth interactions. The distribution and types of wear detectible at micro- and macroscales are highly correlated with the resource preferences of individuals and, in turn, species. Because methods that quantify the distribution of tooth wear (i.e., analytical tooth wear methods) do so by direct observation of facets and marks on the teeth of individual animals, dietary inferences derived from them are thought to be independent of the clade to which individuals belong. However, an assumption of clade or phylogenetic independence when making species-level dietary inferences may be misleading if phylogenetic niche conservatism is widespread among mammals. Herein, we test for phylogenetic signal in data from numerous analytical tooth wear studies, incorporating macrowear (i.e., mesowear) and microwear (i.e., low-magnification microwear and dental microwear texture analysis). Using two measures of phylogenetic signal, heritability (H2) and Pagel's λ, we find that analytical tooth wear data are not independent of phylogeny and failing to account for such nonindependence leads to overestimation of discriminability among species with different dietary preferences. We suggest that morphological traits inherited from ancestral clades (e.g., tooth shape) influence the ways in which the teeth wear during mastication and constrain the foods individuals of a species can effectively exploit. We do not suggest that tooth wear is simply phylogeny in disguise; the tooth wear of individuals and species likely varies within some range that is set by morphological constraints. We therefore recommend the use of phylogenetic comparative methods in studies of mammalian tooth wear, whenever possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danielle Fraser
- PalaeobiologyCanadian Museum of NatureOttawaONCanada
- Department of PaleobiologySmithsonian InstitutionNational Museum of Natural HistoryWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
| | - Ryan J. Haupt
- Department of PaleobiologySmithsonian InstitutionNational Museum of Natural HistoryWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
- Department of Geology and GeophysicsUniversity of WyomingLaramieWyoming
| | - W. Andrew Barr
- Department of PaleobiologySmithsonian InstitutionNational Museum of Natural HistoryWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human PaleobiologyDepartment of AnthropologyGeorge Washington UniversityWashingtonDistrict of Columbia
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