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Spicher GE, Lyson TR, Evers SW. Updated cranial and mandibular description of the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) baenid turtle Saxochelys gilberti based on micro-computed tomography scans and new information on the holotype-shell association. SWISS JOURNAL OF PALAEONTOLOGY 2024; 143:2. [PMID: 38274637 PMCID: PMC10805913 DOI: 10.1186/s13358-023-00301-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Saxochelys gilberti is a baenid turtle from the Late Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of the United States of America known from cranial, shell, and other postcranial material. Baenid turtles are taxonomically diverse and common fossil elements within Late Cretaceous through Eocene faunas. Detailed anatomical knowledge is critical to understanding the systematics and morphological evolution of the group. This is particularly important as baenids represent an important group of continental vertebrates that survived the mass extinction event associated with the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary. High-resolution micro-computed tomography scanning of the holotype skull reveals additional anatomical details for the already well-known Saxochelys gilberti. This includes the revision of some anatomical statements from the original description, but also detailed knowledge on internal anatomical features of the braincase and the description of a well-preserved axis (cervical vertebra 2). Our new detailed description and previous work on the shell and postcrania make Saxochelys one of the best-described, nearly complete baenid turtles, which are often only known from either isolated shell or cranial material. A revised phylogenetic analysis confirms the position of Saxochelys gilberti as a derived baenid (Eubaeninae) more closely related to Baena arenosa than to Eubaena cephalica. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13358-023-00301-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaël E. Spicher
- Departement of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
- Institute of Geosciences, Section Paleontology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Tyler R. Lyson
- Department of Earth Sciences, Denver Museum of Nature & Science, Denver, CO USA
| | - Serjoscha W. Evers
- Departement of Geosciences, University of Fribourg, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
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2
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Han F, Wang Q, Wang H, Zhu X, Zhou X, Wang Z, Fang K, Stidham TA, Wang W, Wang X, Li X, Qin H, Fan L, Wen C, Luo J, Pan Y, Deng C. Low dinosaur biodiversity in central China 2 million years prior to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2211234119. [PMID: 36122246 PMCID: PMC9522366 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2211234119] [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: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Whether or not nonavian dinosaur biodiversity declined prior to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction remains controversial as the result of sampling biases in the fossil record, differences in the analytical approaches used, and the rarity of high-precision geochronological dating of dinosaur fossils. Using magnetostratigraphy, cyclostratigraphy, and biostratigraphy, we establish a high-resolution geochronological framework for the fossil-rich Late Cretaceous sedimentary sequence in the Shanyang Basin of central China. We have found only three dinosaurian eggshell taxa (Macroolithus yaotunensis, Elongatoolithus elongatus, and Stromatoolithus pinglingensis) representing two clades (Oviraptoridae and Hadrosauridae) in sediments deposited between ∼68.2 and ∼66.4 million y ago, indicating sustained low dinosaur biodiversity, and that assessment is consistent with the known skeletal remains in the Shanyang and surrounding basins of central China. Along with the dinosaur eggshell records from eastern and southern China, we find a decline in dinosaur biodiversity from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian. Our results support a long-term decline in global dinosaur biodiversity prior to 66 million y ago, which likely set the stage for the end-Cretaceous nonavian dinosaur mass extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Han
- Paleomagnetism and Planetary Magnetism Laboratory, School of Geophysics and Geomatics, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Huapei Wang
- Paleomagnetism and Planetary Magnetism Laboratory, School of Geophysics and Geomatics, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Xufeng Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xinying Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Zhixiang Wang
- Department of Applied Geophysics, School of Geophysics and Geomatics, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Kaiyong Fang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Thomas A. Stidham
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Wei Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
- Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Xiaolin Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Xiaoqiang Li
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Huafeng Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Longgang Fan
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Chen Wen
- Paleomagnetism and Planetary Magnetism Laboratory, School of Geophysics and Geomatics, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Jianhong Luo
- Paleomagnetism and Planetary Magnetism Laboratory, School of Geophysics and Geomatics, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Yongxin Pan
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- Chinese Academy of Sciences Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Chenglong Deng
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
- State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric Evolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
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3
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Smith KT, Bhullar BAS, Bloch JI. New Diminutive Eocene Lizard Reveals High K-Pg Survivorship and Taxonomic Diversity of Stem Xenosaurs in North America. AMERICAN MUSEUM NOVITATES 2022. [DOI: 10.1206/3986.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Krister T. Smith
- Department of Messel Research and Mammalogy, Senckenberg Research Institute, and Faculty of Biological Sciences, Institute for Ecology, Diversity and Evolution, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut; and Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York
| | - Jonathan I. Bloch
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
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4
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Bonsor JA, Barrett PM, Raven TJ, Cooper N. Dinosaur diversification rates were not in decline prior to the K-Pg boundary. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:201195. [PMID: 33391800 PMCID: PMC7735361 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Determining the tempo and mode of non-avian dinosaur extinction is one of the most contentious issues in palaeobiology. Extensive disagreements remain over whether their extinction was catastrophic and geologically instantaneous or the culmination of long-term evolutionary trends. These conflicts have arisen due to numerous hierarchical sampling biases in the fossil record and differences in analytical methodology, with some studies identifying long-term declines in dinosaur richness prior to the Cretaceous-Palaeogene (K-Pg) boundary and others proposing continued diversification. Here, we use Bayesian phylogenetic generalized linear mixed models to assess the fit of 12 dinosaur phylogenies to three speciation models (null, slowdown to asymptote, downturn). We do not find strong support for the downturn model in our analyses, which suggests that dinosaur speciation rates were not in terminal decline prior to the K-Pg boundary and that the clade was still capable of generating new taxa. Nevertheless, we advocate caution in interpreting the results of such models, as they may not accurately reflect the complexities of the underlying data. Indeed, current phylogenetic methods may not provide the best test for hypotheses of dinosaur extinction; the collection of more dinosaur occurrence data will be essential to test these ideas further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A. Bonsor
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Paul M. Barrett
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Thomas J. Raven
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- School of Environment and Technology, University of Brighton, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GA, UK
| | - Natalie Cooper
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
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5
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Abstract
We present a quantitative test of end-Cretaceous extinction scenarios and how these would have affected dinosaur habitats. Combining climate and ecological modeling tools, we demonstrate a substantial detrimental effect on dinosaur habitats caused by an impact winter scenario triggered by the Chicxulub asteroid. We were not able to obtain such an extinction state with several modeling scenarios of Deccan volcanism. We further show that the concomitant prolonged eruption of the Deccan traps might have acted as an ameliorating agent, buffering the negative effects on climate and global ecosystems that the asteroid impact produced at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary. The Cretaceous/Paleogene mass extinction, 66 Ma, included the demise of non-avian dinosaurs. Intense debate has focused on the relative roles of Deccan volcanism and the Chicxulub asteroid impact as kill mechanisms for this event. Here, we combine fossil-occurrence data with paleoclimate and habitat suitability models to evaluate dinosaur habitability in the wake of various asteroid impact and Deccan volcanism scenarios. Asteroid impact models generate a prolonged cold winter that suppresses potential global dinosaur habitats. Conversely, long-term forcing from Deccan volcanism (carbon dioxide [CO2]-induced warming) leads to increased habitat suitability. Short-term (aerosol cooling) volcanism still allows equatorial habitability. These results support the asteroid impact as the main driver of the non-avian dinosaur extinction. By contrast, induced warming from volcanism mitigated the most extreme effects of asteroid impact, potentially reducing the extinction severity.
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6
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Padian K. Measuring and Comparing Extinction Events: Reconsidering Diversity Crises and Concepts. Integr Comp Biol 2018; 58:1191-1203. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Padian
- Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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7
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Brusatte SL, Candeiro CRA, Simbras FM. The last dinosaurs of Brazil: The Bauru Group and its implications for the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. AN ACAD BRAS CIENC 2018; 89:1465-1485. [PMID: 28954171 DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765201720160918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The non-avian dinosaurs died out at the end of the Cretaceous, ~66 million years ago, after an asteroid impact. The prevailing hypothesis is that the effects of the impact suddenly killed the dinosaurs, but the poor fossil record of latest Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) dinosaurs from outside Laurasia (and even more particularly, North America) makes it difficult to test specific extinction scenarios. Over the past few decades, a wealth of new discoveries from the Bauru Group of Brazil has revealed a unique window into the evolution of terminal Cretaceous dinosaurs from the southern continents. We review this record and demonstrate that there was a diversity of dinosaurs, of varying body sizes, diets, and ecological roles, that survived to the very end of the Cretaceous (Maastrichtian: 72-66 million years ago) in Brazil, including a core fauna of titanosaurian sauropods and abelisaurid and carcharodontosaurid theropods, along with a variety of small-to-mid-sized theropods. We argue that this pattern best fits the hypothesis that southern dinosaurs, like their northern counterparts, were still diversifying and occupying prominent roles in their ecosystems before the asteroid suddenly caused their extinction. However, this hypothesis remains to be tested with more refined paleontological and geochronological data, and we give suggestions for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen L Brusatte
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute, James Hutton Road, EH9 3FE, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Carlos R A Candeiro
- Laboratório de Paleontologia e Evolução, Curso de Geologia, Campus Aparecida de Goiânia, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Rua Mucuri, s/n, Área 03, St. Conde dos Arcos, 74968-755 Aparecida de Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - Felipe M Simbras
- Petróleo Brasileiro S.A. (PETROBRAS), Av. República do Chile, 330, 17˚ andar, Centro, 20031-170 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
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8
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Longrich NR, Scriberas J, Wills MA. Severe extinction and rapid recovery of mammals across the Cretaceous-Palaeogene boundary, and the effects of rarity on patterns of extinction and recovery. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:1495-512. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2015] [Revised: 04/05/2016] [Accepted: 04/06/2016] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- N. R. Longrich
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry; University of Bath; Bath UK
- Milner Centre for Evolution; University of Bath; Bath UK
| | - J. Scriberas
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry; University of Bath; Bath UK
| | - M. A. Wills
- Department of Biology and Biochemistry; University of Bath; Bath UK
- Milner Centre for Evolution; University of Bath; Bath UK
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9
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Bromham L. Testing hypotheses in macroevolution. STUDIES IN HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE 2016; 55:47-59. [PMID: 26774069 DOI: 10.1016/j.shpsa.2015.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Revised: 07/02/2015] [Accepted: 08/17/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Experimental manipulation of microevolution (changes in frequency of heritable traits in populations) has shed much light on evolutionary processes. But many evolutionary processes occur on scales that are not amenable to experimental manipulation. Indeed, one of the reasons that macroevolution (changes in biodiversity over time, space and lineages) has sometimes been a controversial topic is that processes underlying the generation of biological diversity generally operate at scales that are not open to direct observation or manipulation. Macroevolutionary hypotheses can be tested by using them to generate predictions then asking whether observations from the biological world match those predictions. Each study that identifies significant correlations between evolutionary events, processes or outcomes can generate new predictions that can be further tested with different datasets, allowing a cumulative process that may narrow down on plausible explanations, or lead to rejection of other explanations as inconsistent or unsupported. A similar approach can be taken even for unique events, for example by comparing patterns in different regions, lineages, or time periods. I will illustrate the promise and pitfalls of these approaches using a range of examples, and discuss the problems of inferring causality from significant evolutionary associations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindell Bromham
- Centre for Macroevolution and Macroecology, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
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10
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Brusatte SL, Butler RJ, Barrett PM, Carrano MT, Evans DC, Lloyd GT, Mannion PD, Norell MA, Peppe DJ, Upchurch P, Williamson TE. The extinction of the dinosaurs. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2014; 90:628-42. [PMID: 25065505 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Revised: 06/07/2014] [Accepted: 06/16/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Non-avian dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago, geologically coincident with the impact of a large bolide (comet or asteroid) during an interval of massive volcanic eruptions and changes in temperature and sea level. There has long been fervent debate about how these events affected dinosaurs. We review a wealth of new data accumulated over the past two decades, provide updated and novel analyses of long-term dinosaur diversity trends during the latest Cretaceous, and discuss an emerging consensus on the extinction's tempo and causes. Little support exists for a global, long-term decline across non-avian dinosaur diversity prior to their extinction at the end of the Cretaceous. However, restructuring of latest Cretaceous dinosaur faunas in North America led to reduced diversity of large-bodied herbivores, perhaps making communities more susceptible to cascading extinctions. The abruptness of the dinosaur extinction suggests a key role for the bolide impact, although the coarseness of the fossil record makes testing the effects of Deccan volcanism difficult.
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11
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Donovan MP, Wilf P, Labandeira CC, Johnson KR, Peppe DJ. Novel insect leaf-mining after the end-Cretaceous extinction and the demise of cretaceous leaf miners, Great Plains, USA. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103542. [PMID: 25058404 PMCID: PMC4110055 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Accepted: 07/03/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant and associated insect-damage diversity in the western U.S.A. decreased significantly at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary and remained low until the late Paleocene. However, the Mexican Hat locality (ca. 65 Ma) in southeastern Montana, with a typical, low-diversity flora, uniquely exhibits high damage diversity on nearly all its host plants, when compared to all known local and regional early Paleocene sites. The same plant species show minimal damage elsewhere during the early Paleocene. We asked whether the high insect damage diversity at Mexican Hat was more likely related to the survival of Cretaceous insects from refugia or to an influx of novel Paleocene taxa. We compared damage on 1073 leaf fossils from Mexican Hat to over 9000 terminal Cretaceous leaf fossils from the Hell Creek Formation of nearby southwestern North Dakota and to over 9000 Paleocene leaf fossils from the Fort Union Formation in North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming. We described the entire insect-feeding ichnofauna at Mexican Hat and focused our analysis on leaf mines because they are typically host-specialized and preserve a number of diagnostic morphological characters. Nine mine damage types attributable to three of the four orders of leaf-mining insects are found at Mexican Hat, six of them so far unique to the site. We found no evidence linking any of the diverse Hell Creek mines with those found at Mexican Hat, nor for the survival of any Cretaceous leaf miners over the K-Pg boundary regionally, even on well-sampled, surviving plant families. Overall, our results strongly relate the high damage diversity on the depauperate Mexican Hat flora to an influx of novel insect herbivores during the early Paleocene, possibly caused by a transient warming event and range expansion, and indicate drastic extinction rather than survivorship of Cretaceous insect taxa from refugia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P. Donovan
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Peter Wilf
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Conrad C. Labandeira
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
- Department of Entomology and BEES Program, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Kirk R. Johnson
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| | - Daniel J. Peppe
- Department of Geology, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, United States of America
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12
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Weiss KM, Dunsworth H. Catastrophes in evolution: Is Cuvier's world extinct or extant? Evol Anthropol 2014; 23:130-5. [DOI: 10.1002/evan.21414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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13
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Benson RBJ, Campione NE, Carrano MT, Mannion PD, Sullivan C, Upchurch P, Evans DC. Rates of dinosaur body mass evolution indicate 170 million years of sustained ecological innovation on the avian stem lineage. PLoS Biol 2014; 12:e1001853. [PMID: 24802911 PMCID: PMC4011683 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 191] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2013] [Accepted: 03/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Large-scale adaptive radiations might explain the runaway success of a minority of extant vertebrate clades. This hypothesis predicts, among other things, rapid rates of morphological evolution during the early history of major groups, as lineages invade disparate ecological niches. However, few studies of adaptive radiation have included deep time data, so the links between extant diversity and major extinct radiations are unclear. The intensively studied Mesozoic dinosaur record provides a model system for such investigation, representing an ecologically diverse group that dominated terrestrial ecosystems for 170 million years. Furthermore, with 10,000 species, extant dinosaurs (birds) are the most speciose living tetrapod clade. We assembled composite trees of 614-622 Mesozoic dinosaurs/birds, and a comprehensive body mass dataset using the scaling relationship of limb bone robustness. Maximum-likelihood modelling and the node height test reveal rapid evolutionary rates and a predominance of rapid shifts among size classes in early (Triassic) dinosaurs. This indicates an early burst niche-filling pattern and contrasts with previous studies that favoured gradualistic rates. Subsequently, rates declined in most lineages, which rarely exploited new ecological niches. However, feathered maniraptoran dinosaurs (including Mesozoic birds) sustained rapid evolution from at least the Middle Jurassic, suggesting that these taxa evaded the effects of niche saturation. This indicates that a long evolutionary history of continuing ecological innovation paved the way for a second great radiation of dinosaurs, in birds. We therefore demonstrate links between the predominantly extinct deep time adaptive radiation of non-avian dinosaurs and the phenomenal diversification of birds, via continuing rapid rates of evolution along the phylogenetic stem lineage. This raises the possibility that the uneven distribution of biodiversity results not just from large-scale extrapolation of the process of adaptive radiation in a few extant clades, but also from the maintenance of evolvability on vast time scales across the history of life, in key lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger B. J. Benson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Nicolás E. Campione
- Departments of Earth Sciences (Palaeobiology) and Organismal Biology (Evolution and Development), Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - Matthew T. Carrano
- Department of Paleobiology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, United States of America
| | - Philip D. Mannion
- Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Corwin Sullivan
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China
| | - Paul Upchurch
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David C. Evans
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada
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14
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Vila B, Oms O, Fondevilla V, Gaete R, Galobart À, Riera V, Canudo JI. The latest succession of dinosaur tracksites in Europe: Hadrosaur ichnology, track production and palaeoenvironments. PLoS One 2013; 8:e72579. [PMID: 24019873 PMCID: PMC3760888 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0072579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2013] [Accepted: 07/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
A comprehensive review and study of the rich dinosaur track record of the Tremp Formation in the southern Pyrenees of Spain (Southwestern Europe) shows a unique succession of footprint localities prior to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event. A description of some 30 new tracksites and data on sedimentary environments, track occurrence and preservation, ichnology and chronostratigraphy are provided. These new track localities represent various facies types within a diverse set of fluvial environments. The footprint discoveries mostly represent hadrosaurian and, less abundantly, to sauropod dinosaurs. The hadrosaur tracks are significantly smaller in size than, but morphologically similar to, those of North America and Asia and are attributable to the ichnogenus Hadrosauropodus. The track succession, with more than 40 distinct track levels, indicates that hadrosaur footprints in the Ibero-Armorican region occur predominantly in the late Maaastrichtian (at least above the early Maastrichtian–late Maastrichtian boundary). The highest abundance is found noticeably found in the late Maastrichtian, with tracks occurring in the C29r magnetochron, within about the latest 300,000 years of the Cretaceous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernat Vila
- Grupo Aragosaurus–IUCA, Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain
- * E-mail:
| | - Oriol Oms
- Departament de Geologia (Estratigrafia), Facultat de Ciències Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Víctor Fondevilla
- Departament de Geologia (Estratigrafia), Facultat de Ciències Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Rodrigo Gaete
- Museu de la Conca Dellà, Isona i Conca Dellà, Lleida, Spain
| | - Àngel Galobart
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Violeta Riera
- Departament de Geologia (Estratigrafia), Facultat de Ciències Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - José Ignacio Canudo
- Grupo Aragosaurus–IUCA, Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
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Mass extinction of lizards and snakes at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2012; 109:21396-401. [PMID: 23236177 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1211526110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary is marked by a major mass extinction, yet this event is thought to have had little effect on the diversity of lizards and snakes (Squamata). A revision of fossil squamates from the Maastrichtian and Paleocene of North America shows that lizards and snakes suffered a devastating mass extinction coinciding with the Chicxulub asteroid impact. Species-level extinction was 83%, and the K-Pg event resulted in the elimination of many lizard groups and a dramatic decrease in morphological disparity. Survival was associated with small body size and perhaps large geographic range. The recovery was prolonged; diversity did not approach Cretaceous levels until 10 My after the extinction, and resulted in a dramatic change in faunal composition. The squamate fossil record shows that the end-Cretaceous mass extinction was far more severe than previously believed, and underscores the role played by mass extinctions in driving diversification.
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A new crocodylian from the late Maastrichtian of Spain: implications for the initial radiation of crocodyloids. PLoS One 2011; 6:e20011. [PMID: 21687705 PMCID: PMC3110596 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2011] [Accepted: 04/08/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The earliest crocodylians are known primarily from the Late Cretaceous of North America and Europe. The representatives of Gavialoidea and Alligatoroidea are known in the Late Cretaceous of both continents, yet the biogeographic origins of Crocodyloidea are poorly understood. Up to now, only one representative of this clade has been known from the Late Cretaceous, the basal crocodyloid Prodiplocynodon from the Maastrichtian of North America. Methodology/Principal Findings The fossil studied is a skull collected from sandstones in the lower part of the Tremp Formation, in Chron C30n, dated at −67.6 to 65.5 Ma (late Maastrichtian), in Arén (Huesca, Spain). It is located in a continuous section that contains the K/P boundary, in which the dinosaur faunas closest to the K/P boundary in Europe have been described, including Arenysaurus ardevoli and Blasisaurus canudoi. Phylogenetic analysis places the new taxon, Arenysuchus gascabadiolorum, at the base of Crocodyloidea. Conclusions/Significance The new taxon is the oldest crocodyloid representative in Eurasia. Crocodyloidea had previously only been known from the Palaeogene onwards in this part of Laurasia. Phylogenetically, Arenysuchus gascabadiolorum is situated at the base of the first radiation of crocodyloids that occurred in the late Maastrichtian, shedding light on this part of the cladogram. The presence of basal crocodyloids at the end of the Cretaceous both in North America and Europe provides new evidence of the faunal exchange via the Thulean Land Bridge during the Maastrichtian.
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Schulte P, Alegret L, Arenillas I, Arz JA, Barton PJ, Bown PR, Bralower TJ, Christeson GL, Claeys P, Cockell CS, Collins GS, Deutsch A, Goldin TJ, Goto K, Grajales-Nishimura JM, Grieve RAF, Gulick SPS, Johnson KR, Kiessling W, Koeberl C, Kring DA, Macleod KG, Matsui T, Melosh J, Montanari A, Morgan JV, Neal CR, Norris RD, Pierazzo E, Ravizza G, Rebolledo-Vieyra M, Reimold WU, Robin E, Salge T, Speijer RP, Sweet AR, Urrutia-Fucugauchi J, Vajda V, Whalen MT, Willumsen PS. Response—Cretaceous Extinctions. Science 2010. [DOI: 10.1126/science.328.5981.975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Schulte
- GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schlossgarten 5, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Laia Alegret
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra e Instituto Universitario de Investigación de Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón, Universidad de Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, E-50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Ignacio Arenillas
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra e Instituto Universitario de Investigación de Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón, Universidad de Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, E-50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - José A. Arz
- Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra e Instituto Universitario de Investigación de Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón, Universidad de Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, E-50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Penny J. Barton
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - Paul R. Bown
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Timothy J. Bralower
- Department of Geosciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Gail L. Christeson
- Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78759, USA
| | - Philippe Claeys
- Earth System Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Charles S. Cockell
- Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space, and Astronomical Research, Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK
| | - Gareth S. Collins
- Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BP, UK
| | - Alexander Deutsch
- Institut fur Planetologie, Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Tamara J. Goldin
- Department of Lithospheric Research, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Kazuhisa Goto
- Planetary Exploration Research Center, Chiba Institute of Technology 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino, 275-0016 Chiba, Japan
| | - José M. Grajales-Nishimura
- Programa de Geología de Exploracíon y Explotacíon, Dirección de Investigación y Posgrado, Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo, Eje Lázaro Cárdenas No. 152, C.P. 07730, México City, México
| | | | - Sean P. S. Gulick
- Institute for Geophysics, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78759, USA
| | - Kirk R. Johnson
- Research and Collections Division, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, 2001 Colorado Boulevard, Denver, CO 80205, USA
| | - Wolfgang Kiessling
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute at the Humboldt University Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 43, D-10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Christian Koeberl
- Department of Lithospheric Research, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - David A. Kring
- Center for Lunar Science and Exploration, Universities Space Research Association–Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058–1113, USA
| | - Kenneth G. Macleod
- Department of Geological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Takafumi Matsui
- Planetary Exploration Research Center, Chiba Institute of Technology 2-17-1 Tsudanuma, Narashino, 275-0016 Chiba, Japan
| | - Jay Melosh
- Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907–2051, USA
| | | | - Joanna V. Morgan
- Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London SW7 2BP, UK
| | - Clive R. Neal
- Department of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Richard D. Norris
- SIO Geological Collections, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA 92093–0244, USA
| | | | - Greg Ravizza
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology, University of Hawaii, Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - Mario Rebolledo-Vieyra
- Unidad de Ciencias del Agua, Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán, Cancún, Quintana Roo, 77500, México
| | - Wolf Uwe Reimold
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute at the Humboldt University Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 43, D-10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Eric Robin
- Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, Institut Pierre et Simon Laplace, Commission à l'Énergie Atomique/CNRS/Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yveunes-UMR 1572, Avenue de la Terrasse, F-91198 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France
| | - Tobias Salge
- Bruker Nano GmbH, Schwarzschildstraße 12, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert P. Speijer
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, K.U.Leuven, Box 2408, Celestijnenlaan 200E, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Arthur R. Sweet
- Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada Calgary, 3303 33rd Street NW, Calgary, AB T2L 2A7, Canada
| | - Jaime Urrutia-Fucugauchi
- Laboratorio de Paleomagnetismo y Paleoambientes, Programa Universitario de Perforaciones en Oceanos y Continentes, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), DF 04510 México, México
| | - Vivi Vajda
- Department of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Michael T. Whalen
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
| | - Pi S. Willumsen
- Department of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
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Schulte P, Alegret L, Arenillas I, Arz JA, Barton PJ, Bown PR, Bralower TJ, Christeson GL, Claeys P, Cockell CS, Collins GS, Deutsch A, Goldin TJ, Goto K, Grajales-Nishimura JM, Grieve RAF, Gulick SPS, Johnson KR, Kiessling W, Koeberl C, Kring DA, MacLeod KG, Matsui T, Melosh J, Montanari A, Morgan JV, Neal CR, Nichols DJ, Norris RD, Pierazzo E, Ravizza G, Rebolledo-Vieyra M, Reimold WU, Robin E, Salge T, Speijer RP, Sweet AR, Urrutia-Fucugauchi J, Vajda V, Whalen MT, Willumsen PS. The Chicxulub Asteroid Impact and Mass Extinction at the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary. Science 2010; 327:1214-8. [PMID: 20203042 DOI: 10.1126/science.1177265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 258] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Peter Schulte
- GeoZentrum Nordbayern, Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Schlossgarten 5, D-91054 Erlangen, Germany.
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Kennedy BM, van Soest MC. Flow of Mantle Fluids Through the Ductile Lower Crust: Helium Isotope Trends. Science 2007; 318:1433-6. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1147537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 160] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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D'Hondt S. Consequences of the Cretaceous/Paleogene Mass Extinction for Marine Ecosystems. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2005. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.35.021103.105715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
▪ Abstract One of the greatest mass extinctions in Earth's history occurred at the end of the Cretaceous era, sixty-five million years (Myr) ago. Considerable evidence indicates that the impact of a large asteroid or comet was the ultimate cause of this extraordinary event. At the time of mass extinction, the organic flux to the deep sea collapsed, and production of calcium carbonate by marine plankton radically declined. These biogeochemical processes did not fully recover for a few million years. The drastic decline and long lag in final recovery of these processes are most simply explained as consequences of open-ocean ecosystem alteration by the mass extinction. If this explanation is correct, the extent and timing of marine biogeochemical recovery from the end-Cretaceous event was ultimately contingent on the extent and timing of open-ocean ecosystem recovery. The biogeochemical recovery may in turn have created new evolutionary opportunities for a diverse array of marine organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven D'Hondt
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett Bay Campus, Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882
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