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Nabavizadeh A. How Triceratops got its face: An update on the functional evolution of the ceratopsian head. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023. [PMID: 36883781 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25196] [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: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Ceratopsian dinosaurs arguably show some of the most extravagant external cranial morphology across all Dinosauria. For over a century, ceratopsian dinosaurs have inspired a multitude of cranial functional studies as more discoveries continued to depict a larger picture of the enormous diversity of these animals. The iconic horns and bony frills in many ceratopsians portray a plethora of shapes, sizes, and arrangements across taxa, and their overall feeding apparatus show the development of unique specializations previously unseen in large herbivores. Here, I give a brief updated review of the many functional studies investigating different aspects of the ceratopsian head. The functional role of the horns and bony frills is explored, with an overview of studies investigating their potential for weaponization or defense in either intraspecific or anti-predatory combat, among other things. A review of studies pertaining to the ceratopsian feeding apparatus is also presented here, with analyses of studies exploring their beak and snout morphology, dentition and tooth wear, cranial musculature with associated skull anatomy, and feeding biomechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Nabavizadeh
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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2
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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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Butler RJ, Sennikov AG, Dunne EM, Ezcurra MD, Hedrick BP, Maidment SCR, Meade LE, Raven TJ, Gower DJ. Cranial anatomy and taxonomy of the erythrosuchid archosauriform 'Vjushkovia triplicostata' Huene, 1960, from the Early Triassic of European Russia. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:191289. [PMID: 31827861 PMCID: PMC6894557 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.191289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/23/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Erythrosuchidae are a globally distributed and important group of apex predators that occupied Early and Middle Triassic terrestrial ecosystems following the Permo-Triassic mass extinction. The stratigraphically oldest known genus of Erythrosuchidae is Garjainia Ochev, 1958, which is known from the late Early Triassic (late Olenekian) of European Russia and South Africa. Two species of Garjainia have been reported from Russia: the type species, Garjainia prima Ochev, 1958, and 'Vjushkovia triplicostata' von Huene, 1960, which has been referred to Garjainia as either congeneric (Garjainia triplicostata) or conspecific (G. prima). The holotype of G. prima has received relatively extensive study, but little work has been conducted on type or referred material attributed to 'V. triplicostata'. However, this material includes well-preserved fossils representing all parts of the skeleton and comprises seven individuals. Here, we provide a comprehensive description and review of the cranial anatomy of material attributed to 'V. triplicostata', and draw comparisons with G. prima. We conclude that the two Russian taxa are indeed conspecific, and that minor differences between them result from a combination of preservation or intraspecific variation. Our reassessment therefore provides additional information on the cranial anatomy of G. prima. Moreover, we quantify relative head size in erythrosuchids and other early archosauromorphs in an explicit phylogenetic context for the first time. Our results show that erythrosuchids do indeed appear to have disproportionately large skulls, but that this is also true for other early archosauriforms (i.e. proterosuchids), and may reflect the invasion of hypercarnivorous niches by these groups following the Permo-Triassic extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J. Butler
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Andrey G. Sennikov
- Borissiak Paleontological Institute RAS, Profsoyuznaya 123, Moscow 117647, Russia
- Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies, Kazan Federal University, Kremlyovskaya Street 4, Kazan 420008, Russia
| | - Emma M. Dunne
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Martin D. Ezcurra
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
- Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados, CONICET—Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ‘Bernardino Rivadavia’, Ángel Gallardo 470 (C1405DJR), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Brandon P. Hedrick
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
| | - Susannah C. R. Maidment
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Luke E. Meade
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Thomas J. Raven
- Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Brighton BN1 4JG, UK
| | - David J. Gower
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
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Grinham LR, VanBuren CS, Norman DB. Testing for a facultative locomotor mode in the acquisition of archosaur bipedality. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:190569. [PMID: 31417751 PMCID: PMC6689609 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Bipedal locomotion is a defining characteristic of humans and birds and has a profound effect on how these groups interact with their environment. Results from extensive hominin research indicate that there exists an intermediate stage in hominin evolution-facultative bipedality-between obligate quadrupedality and obligate bipedality that uses both forms of locomotion. It is assumed that archosaur locomotor evolution followed this sequence of functional and hence character-state evolution. However, this assumption has never been tested in a broad phylogenetic context. We test whether facultative bipedality is a transitionary state of locomotor mode evolution in the most recent early archosaur phylogenies using maximum-likelihood ancestral state reconstructions for the first time. Across a total of seven independent transitions from quadrupedality to a state of obligate bipedality, we find that facultative bipedality exists as an intermediary mode only once, despite being acquired a total of 14 times. We also report more independent acquisitions of obligate bipedality in archosaurs than previously hypothesized, suggesting that locomotor mode is more evolutionarily fluid than expected and more readily experimented with in these reptiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke R. Grinham
- Department of Earth Science, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - Collin S. VanBuren
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - David B. Norman
- Department of Earth Science, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
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Bell PR, Campione NE, Persons WS, Currie PJ, Larson PL, Tanke DH, Bakker RT. Tyrannosauroid integument reveals conflicting patterns of gigantism and feather evolution. Biol Lett 2017; 13:rsbl.2017.0092. [PMID: 28592520 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2017] [Accepted: 05/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence for feathers in theropods has led to speculations that the largest tyrannosaurids, including Tyrannosaurus rex, were extensively feathered. We describe fossil integument from Tyrannosaurus and other tyrannosaurids (Albertosaurus, Daspletosaurus, Gorgosaurus and Tarbosaurus), confirming that these large-bodied forms possessed scaly, reptilian-like skin. Body size evolution in tyrannosauroids reveals two independent occurrences of gigantism; specifically, the large sizes in Yutyrannus and tyrannosaurids were independently derived. These new findings demonstrate that extensive feather coverings observed in some early tyrannosauroids were lost by the Albian, basal to Tyrannosauridae. This loss is unrelated to palaeoclimate but possibly tied to the evolution of gigantism, although other mechanisms exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phil R Bell
- University of New England, Armidale 2351, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Nicolás E Campione
- Palaeobiology Programme, Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Villavägen 16, SE 75236 Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | | | - Peter L Larson
- Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, Inc., Hill City, SD 57745, USA
| | - Darren H Tanke
- Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Drumheller, Alberta, Canada
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VanBuren CS, Evans DC. Evolution and function of anterior cervical vertebral fusion in tetrapods. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:608-626. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2015] [Revised: 11/07/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Collin S. VanBuren
- Department of Earth Sciences; University of Cambridge; Downing Street CB2 3EQ Cambridge U.K
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Toronto; 25 Willcocks St. Toronto M5S 3B2 Ontario Canada
| | - David C. Evans
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Toronto; 25 Willcocks St. Toronto M5S 3B2 Ontario Canada
- Department of Natural History; Royal Ontario Museum; 100 Queens Park Rd Toronto M5S 2C6 Ontario Canada
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