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von Baczko MB, Cardillo AF, Ulloa-Guaiquin K, Desojo JB, Paulina-Carabajal A. Paleoneurology and neuroanatomical notes on the South American "rauisuchian" Saurosuchus galilei from the Ischigualasto formation, San Juan, Argentina. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024; 307:1239-1253. [PMID: 38133536 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25362] [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: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Non-crocodylomorph loricatans, traditionally known as "rauisuchians," are considered as the top predators of the Triassic continental faunas that reigned before the emergence of the well-known theropod dinosaurs. In particular, Saurosuchus galilei is a large quadrupedal prestosuchid loricatan found in the Ischigualasto Formation from northwestern Argentina. Here, we reevaluated the braincase of S. galilei and present the first paleoneurological study based on the partial natural casts of the holotype and the digital cranial endocast of the referred specimen PVSJ 32. The braincase of S. galilei was here reinterpreted, identifying the sutures of the supraoccipital, otoccipital, basioccipital, parabasisphenoid, prootic, and laterosphenoid. A unique feature identified in the braincase of S. galilei is the presence of deep paracondylar recesses associated with pharyngotympanic pneumaticity, which has not been identified in any other "rauisuchians" so far. Most of the structures of the encephalon were recognized in the cranial endocast and natural casts including cranial nerves V-XII, olfactory bulbs, main blood vessels and sinuses, and inner ear. These structures allowed us to quantify some of its sensorial capacities and recognize that S. galilei had an enhanced olfactory acuity, with coefficients higher than those expected for its body size, a condition previously observed in living crocodilians and tyrannosaurid dinosaurs. An improved sense of smell might have allowed Saurosuchus to track its prey from long distances and compensate for the poorer development of its other senses like vision and balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Belén von Baczko
- Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ariel F Cardillo
- División Paleontología Vertebrados, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Karen Ulloa-Guaiquin
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (CONICET-UNCo), Quintral 1250 (R8400FRF), Bariloche, Argentina
- Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Julia B Desojo
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- División Paleontología Vertebrados, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
| | - Ariana Paulina-Carabajal
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Biodiversidad y Medioambiente (CONICET-UNCo), Quintral 1250 (R8400FRF), Bariloche, Argentina
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Garris SS, Pierson LM, Ferkin MH. Meadow voles differentiate between scents of different sources. BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Scent marks are an important means of transmitting information between rodents, and they can be produced from several body sources. Previous studies have shown that scents from multiple sources can convey the same information; female meadow voles, for example, have three scent sources that communicate sex. However, possessing three separate sources that convey the same information is likely costly due to the metabolic energy required to produce these signals and the increased chance that eavesdropping individuals may intercept information present in these signals. In this study, we investigated if these scent sources could communicate other information, in addition to scent donor sex, by determining if male meadow voles could distinguish scent marks taken from different sources of a single female scent donor. This was accomplished with a habituation-test method, that allowed us to compare how male meadow voles differently investigate scent from a familiar and novel source of a female scent donor. Male meadow voles could distinguish between faeces and urine scent marks of a female, but could only distinguish mouth from urine and faeces scent marks when first familiarized with mouth scent marks. Our findings suggest that mouth, urine, and faeces scent marks of female meadow voles produce both redundant and distinct information. The overlap in information between scent marks produced from separate sources may be needed to provide social context, which allows receiving individuals to accurately weigh the tradeoffs associated with responding to an olfactory cue. While this overlap in information remains costly, this cost may be minimized by the different fade-out times of scent marks from distinct body sources, which may limit the amount of time information in a scent mark is available to a time period where this information is socially relevant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah S. Garris
- Department of Biological Science, University of Memphis, Ellington Hall, Memphis TN 38152, USA
| | - Lyndsey M. Pierson
- Department of Biological Science, University of Memphis, Ellington Hall, Memphis TN 38152, USA
- Department of Biology, Christian Brothers University, Cooper-Wilson Center, Memphis, TN 38104, USA
| | - Michael H. Ferkin
- Department of Biological Science, University of Memphis, Ellington Hall, Memphis TN 38152, USA
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Colombo M, Segura L. Forest edges negatively influence daily nest survival rates of a grassland Tinamou, the Spotted Nothura ( Nothura maculosa). CAN J ZOOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2020-0210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Grassland degradation and fragmentation produced by land use have globally impacted biodiversity. In the Neotropics, the Pampas Grasslands have been greatly altered by agriculture and the introduction of exotic trees. To evaluate the effects of changing habitat features on indigenous grassland fauna, we studied a breeding population of a ground-nesting bird, the Spotted Nothura (Nothura maculosa (Temminck, 1815)), in a natural grassland under cattle grazing in central-east Argentina. We estimated daily nest survival rate (DSR) and modeled it as a function of habitat (distance to habitat edges, cattle density, and nest concealment) and temporal factors. Of the 80 nests found, 64 (80%) failed, predation being the principal cause of failure. DSR was 0.874, estimating a cumulative survival of only 6.8% throughout egg laying and incubation. DSR increased with distance to continuous forests and decreased with nest age. Nests located near forest edges could have increased predation risk because they are potentially exposed to forest-dwelling predators in addition to grassland-dependent predators. Considering the low success found and the ongoing invasion of exotic trees in the region, we encourage governments to protect large areas of grassland to ensure adequate nest success for Tinamous and other ground-nesting birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- M.A. Colombo
- División Zoología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata-CONICET, Paseo del Bosque s/n (B1900FWA), La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- División Zoología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata-CONICET, Paseo del Bosque s/n (B1900FWA), La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - L.N. Segura
- División Zoología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata-CONICET, Paseo del Bosque s/n (B1900FWA), La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- División Zoología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata-CONICET, Paseo del Bosque s/n (B1900FWA), La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Price CJ, Banks PB, Brown S, Latham MC, Latham ADM, Pech RP, Norbury GL. Invasive mammalian predators habituate to and generalize avian prey cues: a mechanism for conserving native prey. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 30:e02200. [PMID: 32573866 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Invasive mammalian predators can cause the decline and extinction of vulnerable native species. Many invasive mammalian predators are dietary generalists that hunt a variety of prey. These predators often rely upon olfaction when foraging, particularly at night. Little is understood about how prey odor cues are used to inform foraging decisions. Prey cues can vary spatially and temporally in their association with prey and can either reveal the location of prey or lead to unsuccessful foraging. Here we examine how two wild-caught invasive mammalian bird predator species (European hedgehogs Erinaceus europaeus and ferrets Mustela putorius furo) respond to unrewarded bird odors over successive exposures, first demonstrating that the odors are perceptually different using house mice (Mus musculus) as a biological olfactometer. We aim to test if introduced predators categorize odor cues of similar prey together, a tactic that could increase foraging efficiency. We exposed house mice to the odors using a standard habituation/dishabituation test in a laboratory setting, and wild-caught European hedgehogs and ferrets in an outdoor enclosure using a similar procedure. Mice discriminated among all bird odors presented, showing more interest in chicken odor than quail or gull odor. Both predator species showed a decline in interest toward unrewarded prey odor (i.e., habituation), but only ferrets generalized their response from one unrewarded bird odor to another bird odor. Hedgehog responses to unrewarded bird odors were highly variable between individuals. Taken together, our results reveal interspecific and intraspecific differences in response to prey odors, which we argue are a consequence of different diet breadth, life and evolutionary histories, and the conditions in each experiment. Generalization of prey odors may have enabled some species of invasive predators to efficiently hunt a range of intraguild prey species, for example, ground-nesting shorebirds. Olfactory manipulation of predators may be a useful conservation tool for threatened prey if it reduces the conspicuousness of vulnerable prey.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine J Price
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, 2006, Australia
| | - Peter B Banks
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, 2006, Australia
| | - Samantha Brown
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, PO Box 69040, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand
| | - M Cecilia Latham
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, PO Box 69040, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand
| | - A David M Latham
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, PO Box 69040, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand
| | - Roger P Pech
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, PO Box 69040, Lincoln, 7640, New Zealand
| | - Grant L Norbury
- Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research, PO Box 282, Alexandra, 9340, New Zealand
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Biagolini-Jr C, Perrella DF. Bright coloration of male blue manakin is not connected to higher rates of nest predation. Acta Ethol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-020-00352-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Biagolini-Jr C, dos Santos PVR. Egg ejection cost can limit defence strategies against brood parasitism. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12803] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Biagolini-Jr
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia; Universidade de Brasília; Brasília Brazil
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Larson ER, Eastwood JR, Micallef S, Wehbe J, Bennett ATD, Berg ML. Nest microclimate predicts bill growth in the Adelaide rosella (Aves: Psittaculidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eliza R Larson
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Justin R Eastwood
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sarah Micallef
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jacinta Wehbe
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Andrew T D Bennett
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mathew L Berg
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia
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