1
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Starostová Z, Píchová V, Bauerová A, Kubička L, Kratochvíl L. Catch-up growth and overweight adults in the offspring of young gecko mothers resembling low birth weight infants. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20230452. [PMID: 38228187 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0452] [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: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Endothermic and ectothermic amniotes differ in the timing of reproductive onset, with reptiles initiating reproduction before reaching final body size. Long-term consequences of maternal effect for early reptile offspring are poorly explored. We conducted growth experiments to compare the growth of offspring produced by young and older females of gecko Paroedura picta. Young, not fully grown females lay smaller eggs leading to production of smaller offspring. These offspring undergo accelerated growth and ultimately reach a comparable sex-specific final body length as do offspring of older females. Final body length is thus canalized with respect to the maternal effect on egg size. Notably, the offspring of young mothers have a tendency towards larger body mass. Ontogeny of the offspring of young females shares similarities with that of mammalian offspring with low birth weight or early malnutrition, exhibiting catch-up growth and a predisposition to obesity. We highlight the important consequences of early reproduction for offspring in animals that initiate reproduction prior to reaching final body size. Both life-history models and conservation practices should take into account that female lizards might produce the most fit offspring only between reaching their final body length and the onset of reproductive senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Starostová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Píchová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Anna Bauerová
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Kubička
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Kratochvíl
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Viničná 7, Prague, Czech Republic
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2
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Köhler M, Nacarino-Meneses C, Cardona JQ, Arnold W, Stalder G, Suchentrunk F, Moyà-Solà S. Insular giant leporid matured later than predicted by scaling. iScience 2023; 26:107654. [PMID: 37694152 PMCID: PMC10485033 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107654] [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: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The island syndrome describes morphological, behavioral, and life history traits that evolve in parallel in endemic insular organisms. A basic axiom of the island syndrome is that insular endemics slow down their pace of life. Although this is already confirmed for insular dwarfs, a slow life history in giants may not be adaptive, but merely a consequence of increasing body size. We tested this question in the fossil insular giant leporid Nuralagus rex. Using bone histology, we constructed both a continental extant taxon model derived from experimentally fluorochrome-labeled Lepus europaeus to calibrate life history events, and a growth model for the insular taxon. N. rex grew extremely slowly and delayed maturity well beyond predictions from continental phylogenetically corrected scaling models. Our results support the life history axiom of the island syndrome as generality for insular mammals, regardless of whether they have evolved into dwarfs or giants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike Köhler
- ICREA Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- ICP Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Edifici Z, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, C/ de Les Columnes, s/n., 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
- BABVE (Departament de Biologia Animal i d’Ecologia) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola, Spain
| | - Carmen Nacarino-Meneses
- ICP Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Edifici Z, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, C/ de Les Columnes, s/n., 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Josep Quintana Cardona
- ICP Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Edifici Z, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, C/ de Les Columnes, s/n., 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Walter Arnold
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstraße 1, Vienna A-1160, Austria
| | - Gabrielle Stalder
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstraße 1, Vienna A-1160, Austria
| | - Franz Suchentrunk
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstraße 1, Vienna A-1160, Austria
| | - Salvador Moyà-Solà
- ICREA Pg. Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- ICP Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Edifici Z, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, C/ de Les Columnes, s/n., 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
- BABVE (Departament de Biologia Animal i d’Ecologia) Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola, Spain
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3
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Herculano-Houzel S. Theropod dinosaurs had primate-like numbers of telencephalic neurons. J Comp Neurol 2023; 531:962-974. [PMID: 36603059 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25453] [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: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the neuronal composition of the brains of dinosaurs and other fossil amniotes would offer fundamental insight into their behavioral and cognitive capabilities, but brain tissue is only rarely fossilized. However, when the bony brain case is preserved, the volume and therefore mass of the brain can be estimated with computer tomography; and if the scaling relationship between brain mass and numbers of neurons for the clade is known, that relationship can be applied to estimate the neuronal composition of the brain. Using a recently published database of numbers of neurons in the telencephalon of extant sauropsids (birds, squamates, and testudines), here I show that the neuronal scaling rules that apply to these animals can be used to infer the numbers of neurons that composed the telencephalon of dinosaur, pterosaur, and other fossil sauropsid species. The key to inferring numbers of telencephalic neurons in these species is first using the relationship between their estimated brain and body mass to determine whether bird-like (endothermic) or squamate-like (ectothermic) rules apply to each fossil sauropsid species. This procedure shows that the notion of "mesothermy" in dinosaurs is an artifact due to the mixing of animals with bird-like and squamate-like scaling, and indicates that theropods such as Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus were endotherms with baboon- and monkey-like numbers of telencephalic neurons, respectively, which would make these animals not only giant but also long-lived and endowed with flexible cognition, and thus even more magnificent predators than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzana Herculano-Houzel
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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4
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Debaere SF, Weideli OC, Bouyoucos IA, Eustache KB, Trujillo JE, De Boeck G, Planes S, Rummer JL. Quantifying changes in umbilicus size to estimate the relative age of neonatal blacktip reef sharks ( Carcharhinus melanopterus). CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad028. [PMID: 37179709 PMCID: PMC10170742 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Sharks can incur a range of external injuries throughout their lives that originate from various sources, but some of the most notable wounds in viviparous shark neonates are at the umbilicus. Umbilical wounds typically heal within 1 to 2 months post-parturition, depending on the species, and are therefore often used as an indicator of neonatal life stage or as a relative measure of age [e.g. grouping by umbilical wound classes (UWCs), according to the size of their umbilicus]. To improve comparisons of early-life characteristics between studies, species and across populations, studies using UWCs should integrate quantitative changes. To overcome this issue, we set out to quantify changes in umbilicus size of neonatal blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) around the island of Moorea, French Polynesia, based on temporal regression relationships of umbilicus size. Here, we provide a detailed description for the construction of similar quantitative umbilical wound classifications, and we subsequently validate the accuracy of our classification and discuss two examples to illustrate its efficacy, depletion rate of maternally provided energy reserves and estimation of parturition period. A significant decrease in body condition in neonatal sharks as early as twelve days post-parturition suggests a rapid depletion of in utero-allocated energy reserves stored in the liver. Back calculations of timing of birth based on the umbilicus size of neonates determine a parturition season from September to January, with most parturitions occurring during October and November. As such, this study contributes valuable data to inform the conservation and management of young-of-the-year blacktip reef sharks, and we therefore encourage the construction and use of similar regression relationships for other viviparous shark species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shamil F Debaere
- ECOSPHERE, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ornella C Weideli
- Soneva Fushi, Boduthakurufaanu Magu, Male 20077, Maldives
- Dr Risch Medical Laboratory, Wuhrstrasse 14, 9490 Vaduz, Liechtenstein
- EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, PSL Research University, Université de Perpignan, 58 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan Cedex, France
| | - Ian A Bouyoucos
- EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, PSL Research University, Université de Perpignan, 58 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan Cedex, France
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 50 Sifton Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
| | - Kim B Eustache
- EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, PSL Research University, Université de Perpignan, 58 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan Cedex, France
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - José E Trujillo
- Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Gudrun De Boeck
- ECOSPHERE, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Serge Planes
- EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278 CRIOBE, PSL Research University, Université de Perpignan, 58 Avenue Paul Alduy, 66860 Perpignan Cedex, France
- Laboratoire d'Excellence 'CORAIL', EPHE, PSL Research University, UPVD, USR 3278 CRIOBE, 98729 Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
| | - Jodie L Rummer
- ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
- Marine Biology, College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia
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5
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Simó I, Faggiani M, Fernandez DA, Sciara AA, Arranz SE. The cellular basis of compensatory muscle growth in the teleost Odontesthes bonariensis. J Exp Biol 2021; 225:273693. [PMID: 34889453 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This study evaluates white muscle growth and in vivo cell proliferation during a fasting and refeeding trial, using pejerrey Odontesthes bonariensis as animal model, in order to better understand the cellular basis governing catch-up growth. Experiments consisted in two groups of fish, a control one continuously fed ad libitum, and a group fasted for 2 weeks and then fed for another 2 weeks. We examined how the formation of new muscle fibers and their increase in size were related to muscle precursor cell (MPC) proliferation under both experimental conditions. During fasting, the number of 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridinepositive (EdU+) cells decreased along with myogenic regulatory factors (MRF) mRNA levels related to myoblast proliferation and differentiation, and the muscle stem cell-markerPax7 mRNA level increased. Analysis of myomere cross-sectional area, distribution of muscle fiber sizes and number of fibers per myomere showed that muscle hypertrophy but not hyperplasia was inhibited during fasting. Both higher igf2 mRNA level and the persistence of cell proliferation could be supporting new myofibre formation. On the other hand, an exacerbated MPC proliferation occurred during catch-up growth, and this increase in cell number could be contributing to the growth of both pre-existing and newly form small fibers. The finding that some MPCs proliferate during fasting and that muscle growth mechanisms, hyperplasia and hypertrophy, are differentially regulated could help to explain why re-fed fish could growth at higher rates, and why they return to the lost growth trajectory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignacio Simó
- Laboratorio Mixto de Biotecnología Acuática, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Centro Científico, Tecnológico y Educativo Acuario del Río Paraná, Av. Eduardo Carrasco y Cordiviola s/n, Rosario, 2000, Argentina
| | - Mariano Faggiani
- Laboratorio Mixto de Biotecnología Acuática, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Centro Científico, Tecnológico y Educativo Acuario del Río Paraná, Av. Eduardo Carrasco y Cordiviola s/n, Rosario, 2000, Argentina
| | - Daniel A Fernandez
- Instituto de Ciencias Polares, Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (ICPA), Universidad Nacional de Tierra del Fuego (UNTDF), Fuegiabasket 251, V9410BXE Ushuaia, Argentina.,Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC-CONICET), Bernardo A. Houssay 200, V9410BXE Ushuaia, Argentina
| | - Andrés A Sciara
- Laboratorio Mixto de Biotecnología Acuática, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Centro Científico, Tecnológico y Educativo Acuario del Río Paraná, Av. Eduardo Carrasco y Cordiviola s/n, Rosario, 2000, Argentina
| | - Silvia E Arranz
- Laboratorio Mixto de Biotecnología Acuática, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario (UNR), Centro Científico, Tecnológico y Educativo Acuario del Río Paraná, Av. Eduardo Carrasco y Cordiviola s/n, Rosario, 2000, Argentina
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6
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Köhler M, Herridge V, Nacarino-Meneses C, Fortuny J, Moncunill-Solé B, Rosso A, Sanfilippo R, Palombo MR, Moyà-Solà S. Palaeohistology reveals a slow pace of life for the dwarfed Sicilian elephant. Sci Rep 2021; 11:22862. [PMID: 34819557 PMCID: PMC8613187 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02192-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The 1-m-tall dwarf elephant Palaeoloxodon falconeri from the Pleistocene of Sicily (Italy) is an extreme example of insular dwarfism and epitomizes the Island Rule. Based on scaling of life-history (LH) traits with body mass, P. falconeri is widely considered to be ‘r-selected’ by truncation of the growth period, associated with an early onset of reproduction and an abbreviated lifespan. These conjectures are, however, at odds with predictions from LH models for adaptive shifts in body size on islands. To settle the LH strategy of P. falconeri, we used bone, molar, and tusk histology to infer growth rates, age at first reproduction, and longevity. Our results from all approaches are congruent and provide evidence that the insular dwarf elephant grew at very slow rates over an extended period; attained maturity at the age of 15 years; and had a minimum lifespan of 68 years. This surpasses not only the values predicted from body mass but even those of both its giant sister taxon (P. antiquus) and its large mainland cousin (L. africana). The suite of LH traits of P. falconeri is consistent with the LH data hitherto inferred for other dwarfed insular mammals. P. falconeri, thus, not only epitomizes the Island Rule but it can also be viewed as a paradigm of evolutionary change towards a slow LH that accompanies the process of dwarfing in insular mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meike Köhler
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain. .,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain.
| | | | - Carmen Nacarino-Meneses
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Josep Fortuny
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Blanca Moncunill-Solé
- Dipartimento di Scienze, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Roma, Italy.,Centro de Investigacións Científicas Avanzadas, Universidade da Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Antonietta Rosso
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Rossana Sanfilippo
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Maria Rita Palombo
- c7o Earth Science Department, IGAG-CNR, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Salvador Moyà-Solà
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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7
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Monfroy QT, Kundrát M, O’Connor JK, Hai‐Lu Y, Marone F, Stampanoni M, Šmajda B. Synchrotron microtomography‐based osteohistology of
Gansus yumenensis
: new data on the evolution of uninterrupted bone deposition in basal birds. ACTA ZOOL-STOCKHOLM 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/azo.12402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Quentin T. Monfroy
- Department of Animal Physiology Institute of Biology and Ecology Faculty of Sciences Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice Košice Slovakia
- PaleoBioImaging Lab, Evolutionary Biodiversity Research Group Centre for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Technology and Innovation Park Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice Košice Slovakia
| | - Martin Kundrát
- PaleoBioImaging Lab, Evolutionary Biodiversity Research Group Centre for Interdisciplinary Biosciences, Technology and Innovation Park Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice Košice Slovakia
| | | | - You Hai‐Lu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment Beijing China
- College of Earth and Planetary Sciences University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing China
| | - Federica Marone
- Swiss Light Source Paul Scherrer Institut Villigen Switzerland
| | - Marco Stampanoni
- Swiss Light Source Paul Scherrer Institut Villigen Switzerland
- Institute for Biomedical Engineering ETH Zürich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Beňadik Šmajda
- Department of Animal Physiology Institute of Biology and Ecology Faculty of Sciences Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice Košice Slovakia
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8
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Laskar AH, Mohabey D, Bhattacharya SK, Liang MC. Variable thermoregulation of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs inferred by clumped isotope analysis of fossilized eggshell carbonates. Heliyon 2020; 6:e05265. [PMID: 33117899 PMCID: PMC7581925 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e05265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The thermal physiology of non-avian dinosaurs, especially the endothermic/ectothermic nature of their metabolism, inferred indirectly using body mass, biophysical modelling, bone histology and growth rate, has long been a matter of debate. Clumped isotope thermometry, based on the thermodynamically driven preference of 13C-18O bond in carbonate minerals of fossilized eggshells, yields temperature of egg formation in the oviduct and can delineate the nature of thermoregulation of some extinct dinosaur taxa. In the present study, the clumped isotope thermometry was applied to the eggshells of a few species of modern birds and reptiles to show that it is possible to obtain the body temperatures of these species in most of the cases. We then used this method to the fossil eggshells of Late Cretaceous sauropods and theropods recovered from western and central India. The estimated body temperatures varied between 29 °C and 46 °C, with an overall average of 37 °C, significantly higher than the environmental temperature (about 25 °C) of this region during the Late Cretaceous. The results also show that the theropod species with low body masses (~800 kg) had high body temperature (~38 °C), while some gigantic (~20000 kg) sauropods had low body temperatures that were comparable to or slightly higher than the environmental temperature. Our analyses suggest that these Late Cretaceous giant species were endowed with a capacity of variable thermoregulation to control their body temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amzad H Laskar
- Physical Research Laboratory Ahmedabad, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad 380009, Gujarat, India
| | - Dhananjay Mohabey
- Geological Survey of India (retired), Department of Geology, RTM Nagpur University, Law College Campus, Amravati Road, Nagpur 440001, India
| | - Sourendra K Bhattacharya
- Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taiwan.,Department of Geology and Geophysics, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, West Bengal, India
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9
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Newham E, Gill PG, Brewer P, Benton MJ, Fernandez V, Gostling NJ, Haberthür D, Jernvall J, Kankaanpää T, Kallonen A, Navarro C, Pacureanu A, Richards K, Brown KR, Schneider P, Suhonen H, Tafforeau P, Williams KA, Zeller-Plumhoff B, Corfe IJ. Reptile-like physiology in Early Jurassic stem-mammals. Nat Commun 2020; 11:5121. [PMID: 33046697 PMCID: PMC7550344 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18898-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite considerable advances in knowledge of the anatomy, ecology and evolution of early mammals, far less is known about their physiology. Evidence is contradictory concerning the timing and fossil groups in which mammalian endothermy arose. To determine the state of metabolic evolution in two of the earliest stem-mammals, the Early Jurassic Morganucodon and Kuehneotherium, we use separate proxies for basal and maximum metabolic rate. Here we report, using synchrotron X-ray tomographic imaging of incremental tooth cementum, that they had maximum lifespans considerably longer than comparably sized living mammals, but similar to those of reptiles, and so they likely had reptilian-level basal metabolic rates. Measurements of femoral nutrient foramina show Morganucodon had blood flow rates intermediate between living mammals and reptiles, suggesting maximum metabolic rates increased evolutionarily before basal metabolic rates. Stem mammals lacked the elevated endothermic metabolism of living mammals, highlighting the mosaic nature of mammalian physiological evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elis Newham
- School of Physiology, Pharmacology & Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. .,Bioengineering Science Research Group, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
| | - Pamela G Gill
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK. .,Earth Sciences Department, The Natural History Museum, London, UK.
| | - Philippa Brewer
- Earth Sciences Department, The Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | | | - Vincent Fernandez
- Core Research Laboratories, The Natural History Museum, London, UK.,ESRF, The European Synchrotron, Grenoble, France
| | - Neil J Gostling
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - David Haberthür
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland.,Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Jukka Jernvall
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tuomas Kankaanpää
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Aki Kallonen
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Charles Navarro
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | | | - Kate Robson Brown
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Philipp Schneider
- Bioengineering Science Research Group, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Heikki Suhonen
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Katherine A Williams
- Bioengineering Science Research Group, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Berit Zeller-Plumhoff
- Institute for Materials Research, Division of Metallic Biomaterials, Helmholtz Zentrum Geesthacht, Geesthacht, Germany
| | - Ian J Corfe
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. .,Geomaterials and Applied Mineralogy group, Geological Survey of Finland, Espoo, Finland.
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10
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Lovelace DM, Hartman SA, Mathewson PD, Linzmeier BJ, Porter WP. Modeling Dragons: Using linked mechanistic physiological and microclimate models to explore environmental, physiological, and morphological constraints on the early evolution of dinosaurs. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0223872. [PMID: 32469936 PMCID: PMC7259893 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We employed the widely-tested biophysiological modeling software, Niche Mapper™ to investigate the metabolic function of the Late Triassic dinosaurs Plateosaurus and Coelophysis during global greenhouse conditions. We tested a variety of assumptions about resting metabolic rate, each evaluated within six microclimate models that bound paleoenvironmental conditions at 12° N paleolatitude, as determined by sedimentological and isotopic proxies for climate within the Chinle Formation of the southwestern United States. Sensitivity testing of metabolic variables and simulated “metabolic chamber” analyses support elevated “ratite-like” metabolic rates and intermediate “monotreme-like” core temperature ranges in these species of early saurischian dinosaur. Our results suggest small theropods may have needed partial to full epidermal insulation in temperate environments, while fully grown prosauropods would have likely been heat stressed in open, hot environments and should have been restricted to cooler microclimates such as dense forests or higher latitudes and elevations. This is in agreement with the Late Triassic fossil record and may have contributed to the latitudinal gap in the Triassic prosauropod record.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M. Lovelace
- University of Wisconsin Geology Museum, Department of Geosciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- * E-mail: (DL); (WP)
| | - Scott A. Hartman
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Paul D. Mathewson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Benjamin J. Linzmeier
- Department of Geoscience, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Warren P. Porter
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, United States of America
- * E-mail: (DL); (WP)
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11
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Farmer CG. Parental Care, Destabilizing Selection, and the Evolution of Tetrapod Endothermy. Physiology (Bethesda) 2020; 35:160-176. [PMID: 32293231 DOI: 10.1152/physiol.00058.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Parental care has evolved convergently an extraordinary number of times among tetrapods that reproduce terrestrially, suggesting strong positive selection for this behavior in the terrestrial environment. This review speculates that destabilizing selection on parental care, and especially embryo incubation, drove the convergent evolution of many tetrapod traits, including endothermy.
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Affiliation(s)
- C G Farmer
- Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; and University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah
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12
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Legendre LJ, Davesne D. The evolution of mechanisms involved in vertebrate endothermy. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190136. [PMID: 31928191 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Endothermy, i.e. the endogenous production of metabolic heat, has evolved multiple times among vertebrates, and several strategies of heat production have been studied extensively by physiologists over the course of the twentieth century. The independent acquisition of endothermy by mammals and birds has been the subject of many hypotheses regarding their origin and associated evolutionary constraints. Many groups of vertebrates, however, are thought to possess other mechanisms of heat production, and alternative ways to regulate thermogenesis that are not always considered in the palaeontological literature. Here, we perform a review of the mechanisms involved in heat production, with a focus on cellular and molecular mechanisms, in a phylogenetic context encompassing the entire vertebrate diversity. We show that endothermy in mammals and birds is not as well defined as commonly assumed by evolutionary biologists and consists of a vast array of physiological strategies, many of which are currently unknown. We also describe strategies found in other vertebrates, which may not always be considered endothermy, but nonetheless correspond to a process of active thermogenesis. We conclude that endothermy is a highly plastic character in vertebrates and provides a guideline on terminology and occurrences of the different types of heat production in vertebrate evolution. This article is part of the theme issue 'Vertebrate palaeophysiology'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas J Legendre
- Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Donald Davesne
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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13
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Rezende EL, Bacigalupe LD, Nespolo RF, Bozinovic F. Shrinking dinosaurs and the evolution of endothermy in birds. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaw4486. [PMID: 31911937 PMCID: PMC6938711 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw4486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2018] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The evolution of endothermy represents a major transition in vertebrate history, yet how and why endothermy evolved in birds and mammals remains controversial. Here, we combine a heat transfer model with theropod body size data to reconstruct the evolution of metabolic rates along the bird stem lineage. Results suggest that a reduction in size constitutes the path of least resistance for endothermy to evolve, maximizing thermal niche expansion while obviating the costs of elevated energy requirements. In this scenario, metabolism would have increased with the miniaturization observed in the Early-Middle Jurassic (~180 to 170 million years ago), resulting in a gradient of metabolic levels in the theropod phylogeny. Whereas basal theropods would exhibit lower metabolic rates, more recent nonavian lineages were likely decent thermoregulators with elevated metabolism. These analyses provide a tentative temporal sequence of the key evolutionary transitions that resulted in the emergence of small, endothermic, feathered flying dinosaurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico L. Rezende
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 6513677, Chile
| | - Leonardo D. Bacigalupe
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
| | - Roberto F. Nespolo
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 6513677, Chile
- Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Campus Isla Teja, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
- Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology (iBio), Santiago, Chile
| | - Francisco Bozinovic
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES), Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago 6513677, Chile
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14
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Bailleul AM, O’Connor J, Schweitzer MH. Dinosaur paleohistology: review, trends and new avenues of investigation. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7764. [PMID: 31579624 PMCID: PMC6768056 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7764] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In the mid-19th century, the discovery that bone microstructure in fossils could be preserved with fidelity provided a new avenue for understanding the evolution, function, and physiology of long extinct organisms. This resulted in the establishment of paleohistology as a subdiscipline of vertebrate paleontology, which has contributed greatly to our current understanding of dinosaurs as living organisms. Dinosaurs are part of a larger group of reptiles, the Archosauria, of which there are only two surviving lineages, crocodilians and birds. The goal of this review is to document progress in the field of archosaur paleohistology, focusing in particular on the Dinosauria. We briefly review the "growth age" of dinosaur histology, which has encompassed new and varied directions since its emergence in the 1950s, resulting in a shift in the scientific perception of non-avian dinosaurs from "sluggish" reptiles to fast-growing animals with relatively high metabolic rates. However, fundamental changes in growth occurred within the sister clade Aves, and we discuss this major evolutionary transition as elucidated by histology. We then review recent innovations in the field, demonstrating how paleohistology has changed and expanded to address a diversity of non-growth related questions. For example, dinosaur skull histology has elucidated the formation of curious cranial tissues (e.g., "metaplastic" tissues), and helped to clarify the evolution and function of oral adaptations, such as the dental batteries of duck-billed dinosaurs. Lastly, we discuss the development of novel techniques with which to investigate not only the skeletal tissues of dinosaurs, but also less-studied soft-tissues, through molecular paleontology and paleohistochemistry-recently developed branches of paleohistology-and the future potential of these methods to further explore fossilized tissues. We suggest that the combination of histological and molecular methods holds great potential for examining the preserved tissues of dinosaurs, basal birds, and their extant relatives. This review demonstrates the importance of traditional bone paleohistology, but also highlights the need for innovation and new analytical directions to improve and broaden the utility of paleohistology, in the pursuit of more diverse, highly specific, and sensitive methods with which to further investigate important paleontological questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alida M. Bailleul
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Jingmai O’Connor
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Beijing, China
- CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing, China
| | - Mary H. Schweitzer
- Department of Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Science, Raleigh, NC, USA
- Department of Geology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Museum of the Rockies, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA
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15
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Hechenleitner EM, Taborda JRA, Fiorelli LE, Grellet-Tinner G, Nuñez-Campero SR. Biomechanical evidence suggests extensive eggshell thinning during incubation in the Sanagasta titanosaur dinosaurs. PeerJ 2018; 6:e4971. [PMID: 29910984 PMCID: PMC6003389 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The reproduction of titanosaur dinosaurs is still a complex and debated topic. Their Late Cretaceous nesting sites are distributed worldwide and their eggs display substantial morphological variations according to the parent species. In contrast to the typical 1.3–2.0 mm thick shells common to eggs of most titanosaur species (e.g., those that nested in Auca Mahuevo, Tama, Toteşti or Boseong), the Cretaceous Sanagasta eggs of Argentina display an unusual shell thickness of up to 7.9 mm. Their oviposition was synchronous with a palaeogeothermal process, leading to the hypothesis that their extra thick eggshell was an adaptation to this particular nesting environment. Although this hypothesis has already been supported indirectly through several investigations, the mechanical implications of developing such thick shells and how this might have affected the success of hatching remains untested. Finite element analyses estimate that the breaking point of the thick-shelled Sanagasta eggs is 14–45 times higher than for other smaller and equally sized titanosaur eggs. The considerable energetic disadvantage for piping through these thick eggshells suggests that their dissolution during incubation would have been paramount for a successful hatching.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Martín Hechenleitner
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR), Provincia de La Rioja, UNLAR, SEGEMAR, UNCa, CONICET, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina
| | - Jeremías R A Taborda
- Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, CONICET, FCEFyN), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Lucas E Fiorelli
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR), Provincia de La Rioja, UNLAR, SEGEMAR, UNCa, CONICET, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina
| | - Gerald Grellet-Tinner
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR), Provincia de La Rioja, UNLAR, SEGEMAR, UNCa, CONICET, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina.,The Orcas Island Historical Museums, Eastsound, WA, USA
| | - Segundo R Nuñez-Campero
- Centro Regional de Investigaciones Científicas y Transferencia Tecnológica de La Rioja (CRILAR), Provincia de La Rioja, UNLAR, SEGEMAR, UNCa, CONICET, Anillaco, La Rioja, Argentina
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16
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Energy intake functions and energy budgets of ectotherms and endotherms derived from their ontogenetic growth in body mass and timing of sexual maturation. J Theor Biol 2018; 444:83-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2018.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Revised: 01/28/2018] [Accepted: 02/11/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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17
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Griebeler EM, Werner J. Formal comment on: Myhrvold (2016) Dinosaur metabolism and the allometry of maximum growth rate. PLoS ONE; 11(11): e0163205. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0184756. [PMID: 29489816 PMCID: PMC5830040 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 08/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In his 2016 paper, Myhrvold criticized ours from 2014 on maximum growth rates (Gmax, maximum gain in body mass observed within a time unit throughout an individual's ontogeny) and thermoregulation strategies (ectothermy, endothermy) of 17 dinosaurs. In our paper, we showed that Gmax values of similar-sized extant ectothermic and endothermic vertebrates overlap. This strongly questions a correct assignment of a thermoregulation strategy to a dinosaur only based on its Gmax and (adult) body mass (M). Contrary, Gmax separated similar-sized extant reptiles and birds (Sauropsida) and Gmax values of our studied dinosaurs were similar to those seen in extant similar-sized (if necessary scaled-up) fast growing ectothermic reptiles. Myhrvold examined two hypotheses (H1 and H2) regarding our study. However, we did neither infer dinosaurian thermoregulation strategies from group-wide averages (H1) nor were our results based on that Gmax and metabolic rate (MR) are related (H2). In order to assess whether single dinosaurian Gmax values fit to those of extant endotherms (birds) or of ectotherms (reptiles), we already used a method suggested by Myhrvold to avoid H1, and we only discussed pros and cons of a relation between Gmax and MR and did not apply it (H2). We appreciate Myhrvold's efforts in eliminating the correlation between Gmax and M in order to statistically improve vertebrate scaling regressions on maximum gain in body mass. However, we show here that his mass-specific maximum growth rate (kC) replacing Gmax (= MkC) does not model the expected higher mass gain in larger than in smaller species for any set of species. We also comment on, why we considered extant reptiles and birds as reference models for extinct dinosaurs and why we used phylogenetically-informed regression analysis throughout our study. Finally, we question several arguments given in Myhrvold in order to support his results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Maria Griebeler
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Jan Werner
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany
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18
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Myhrvold NP. Response to formal comment on Myhrvold (2016) submitted by Griebeler and Werner (2017). PLoS One 2018; 13:e0192912. [PMID: 29489880 PMCID: PMC5831047 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Accepted: 01/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Griebeler and Werner offer a formal comment on Myhrvold, 2016 defending the conclusions of Werner and Griebeler, 2014. Although the comment criticizes several aspects of methodology in Myhrvold, 2016, all three papers concur on a key conclusion: the metabolism of extant endotherms and ectotherms cannot be reliably classified using growth-rate allometry, because the growth rates of extant endotherms and ectotherms overlap. A key point of disagreement is that the 2014 paper concluded that despite this general case, one can nevertheless classify dinosaurs as ectotherms from their growth rate allometry. The 2014 conclusion is based on two factors: the assertion (made without any supporting arguments) that the comparison with dinosaurs must be restricted only to extant sauropsids, ignoring other vertebrate groups, and that extant sauropsid endotherm and ectotherm growth rates in a data set studied in the 2014 work do not overlap. The Griebeler and Werner formal comment presents their first arguments in support of the restriction proposition. In this response I show that this restriction is unsupported by established principles of phylogenetic comparison. In addition, I show that the data set studied in their 2014 work does show overlap, and that this is visible in one of its figures. I explain how either point effectively invalidates the conclusion of their 2014 paper. I also address the other methodological criticisms of Myhrvold 2016, and find them unsupported.
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19
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Wintrich T, Hayashi S, Houssaye A, Nakajima Y, Sander PM. A Triassic plesiosaurian skeleton and bone histology inform on evolution of a unique body plan. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2017; 3:e1701144. [PMID: 29242826 PMCID: PMC5729018 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1701144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2017] [Accepted: 11/16/2017] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Secondary marine adaptation is a major pattern in amniote evolution, accompanied by specific bone histological adaptations. In the aftermath of the end-Permian extinction, diverse marine reptiles evolved early in the Triassic. Plesiosauria is the most diverse and one of the longest-lived clades of marine reptiles, but its bone histology is least known among the major marine amniote clades. Plesiosaurians had a unique and puzzling body plan, sporting four evenly shaped pointed flippers and (in most clades) a small head on a long, stiffened neck. The flippers were used as hydrofoils in underwater flight. A wide temporal, morphological, and morphometric gap separates plesiosaurians from their closest relatives (basal pistosaurs, Bobosaurus). For nearly two centuries, plesiosaurians were thought to appear suddenly in the earliest Jurassic after the end-Triassic extinctions. We describe the first Triassic plesiosaurian, from the Rhaetian of Germany, and compare its long bone histology to that of later plesiosaurians sampled for this study. The new taxon is recovered as a basal member of the Pliosauridae, revealing that diversification of plesiosaurians was a Triassic event and that several lineages must have crossed into the Jurassic. Plesiosaurian histology is strikingly uniform and different from stem sauropterygians. Histology suggests the concurrent evolution of fast growth and an elevated metabolic rate as an adaptation to cruising and efficient foraging in the open sea. The new specimen corroborates the hypothesis that open ocean life of plesiosaurians facilitated their survival of the end-Triassic extinctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanja Wintrich
- Bereich Paläontologie, Steinmann-Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläontologie, Universität Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Shoji Hayashi
- Osaka Museum of Natural History, Nagai Park 1-23, Higashi-Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 546-0034, Japan
- Division of Materials and Manufacturing Science, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamada-Oka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Alexandra Houssaye
- UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Départment Adaptations du Vivant, 57 rue Cuvier CP-55, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Yasuhisa Nakajima
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa-shi, Chiba 277-8564, Japan
| | - P. Martin Sander
- Bereich Paläontologie, Steinmann-Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläontologie, Universität Bonn, Nussallee 8, 53115 Bonn, Germany
- Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
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20
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Evidence of Reproductive Stress in Titanosaurian Sauropods Triggered by an Increase in Ecological Competition. Sci Rep 2017; 7:13827. [PMID: 29062091 PMCID: PMC5653779 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14255-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
The occurrence of dinosaur pathologic eggs in the Late Cretaceous of Europe is well known, but their origin remains unclear. Here we expose the results of a detailed sampling of the conspicuous fossil record of Late Cretaceous titanosaurian eggs (oogenus Megaloolithius) from several southwestern Europe basins. After examining more than 450 samples, we observed a remarkable and statistically supported occurrence of multiple pathologic eggs in a relatively short stratigraphic range at the end of the early Maastrichtian, circa 71-70 Ma. All pathologic specimens exhibit multi-layered eggshell condition, a characteristic related to dystocia, or egg retention within the female uterus for an abnormal prolonged period of time. After exploring various scenarios, the occurrence of pathologic eggs is strongly correlated with an intense dinosaur faunal replacement that occurred during the early Maastrichtian in the Ibero-Armorican Island. Given that inter-species competiveness is proved to produce major affects in ecological communities, our results suggest that pathologies in the eggs of European titanosaurians could be a consequence of an increase in reproductive stress triggered by direct ecological competition between different dinosaurs. Thus, the present study provides a new perspective of how dinosaurs might have been affected by ecological/environmental disturbance.
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Werner J, Griebeler EM. Was endothermy in amniotes induced by an early stop in growth during ontogeny? Naturwissenschaften 2017; 104:90. [PMID: 29022052 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-017-1513-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2017] [Revised: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Endothermy and its evolution are still an unresolved issue. Here, we present a model which transforms an ectothermic amniote (ancestor) into a derived amniote (descendant) showing many characteristics seen in extant endothermic birds and mammals. Consistent with the fossil record within the ancestral lineages of birds and mammals, the model assumes that mutations in genes which get active during ontogeny and affect body growth resulted in a reduced asymptotic body size and an early growth stop of the descendant. We show that such a postulated early growth stop in the descendant simultaneously increases the growth rate and metabolic rate, and also changes six life history traits (offspring mass, annual clutch/litter mass, number of offspring per year, age and mass at which sexual maturity is reached, age at which the individual is fully grown) of the descendant compared to a similar-sized ancestor. All these changes coincide with known differences between recent ectothermic and endothermic amniotes. We also elaborate many other differences and similarities in biological characteristics supporting the early growth stop. An early stop in growth during ontogeny thus could have played a key role in the evolution of endothermy within the reptilia and therapsids. It generated variability in characteristics of ancestral ectotherms, which was subject to natural selection in the past and resulted in many adaptations linked to endothermy in today's birds and mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Werner
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, P.O. Box 3980, 55099, Mainz, Germany.
| | - Eva Maria Griebeler
- Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution, Evolutionary Ecology, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, P.O. Box 3980, 55099, Mainz, Germany
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22
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Else PL. Membrane peroxidation in vertebrates: Potential role in metabolism and growth. EUR J LIPID SCI TECH 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ejlt.201600319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul L. Else
- School of Medicine; University of Wollongong; Lipid Research Centre (in IHMRI); Wollongong NSW Australia
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23
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Myhrvold NP. Dinosaur Metabolism and the Allometry of Maximum Growth Rate. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0163205. [PMID: 27828977 PMCID: PMC5102473 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0163205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2015] [Accepted: 09/06/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The allometry of maximum somatic growth rate has been used in prior studies to classify the metabolic state of both extant vertebrates and dinosaurs. The most recent such studies are reviewed, and their data is reanalyzed. The results of allometric regressions on growth rate are shown to depend on the choice of independent variable; the typical choice used in prior studies introduces a geometric shear transformation that exaggerates the statistical power of the regressions. The maximum growth rates of extant groups are found to have a great deal of overlap, including between groups with endothermic and ectothermic metabolism. Dinosaur growth rates show similar overlap, matching the rates found for mammals, reptiles and fish. The allometric scaling of growth rate with mass is found to have curvature (on a log-log scale) for many groups, contradicting the prevailing view that growth rate allometry follows a simple power law. Reanalysis shows that no correlation between growth rate and basal metabolic rate (BMR) has been demonstrated. These findings drive a conclusion that growth rate allometry studies to date cannot be used to determine dinosaur metabolism as has been previously argued.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan P. Myhrvold
- Intellectual Ventures, Bellevue, Washington, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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24
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Clauss M, Nurutdinova I, Meloro C, Gunga HC, Jiang D, Koller J, Herkner B, Sander PM, Hellwich O. Reconstruction of body cavity volume in terrestrial tetrapods. J Anat 2016; 230:325-336. [PMID: 27813090 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Although it is generally assumed that herbivores have more voluminous body cavities due to larger digestive tracts required for the digestion of plant fiber, this concept has not been addressed quantitatively. We estimated the volume of the torso in 126 terrestrial tetrapods (synapsids including basal synapsids and mammals, and diapsids including birds, non-avian dinosaurs and reptiles) classified as either herbivore or carnivore in digital models of mounted skeletons, using the convex hull method. The difference in relative torso volume between diet types was significant in mammals, where relative torso volumes of herbivores were about twice as large as that of carnivores, supporting the general hypothesis. However, this effect was not evident in diapsids. This may either reflect the difficulty to reliably reconstruct mounted skeletons in non-avian dinosaurs, or a fundamental difference in the bauplan of different groups of tetrapods, for example due to differences in respiratory anatomy. Evidently, the condition in mammals should not be automatically assumed in other, including more basal, tetrapod lineages. In both synapsids and diapsids, large animals showed a high degree of divergence with respect to the proportion of their convex hull directly supported by bone, with animals like elephants or Triceratops having a low proportion, and animals such as rhinoceros having a high proportion of bony support. The relevance of this difference remains to be further investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Clauss
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Irina Nurutdinova
- Computer Vision and Remote Sensing, Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Carlo Meloro
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Duofang Jiang
- Computer Vision and Remote Sensing, Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes Koller
- Computer Vision and Remote Sensing, Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernd Herkner
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum, Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - P Martin Sander
- Steinmann Institute of Palaeontology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Olaf Hellwich
- Computer Vision and Remote Sensing, Technical University Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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25
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Foth C, Hedrick BP, Ezcurra MD. Cranial ontogenetic variation in early saurischians and the role of heterochrony in the diversification of predatory dinosaurs. PeerJ 2016; 4:e1589. [PMID: 26839749 PMCID: PMC4734445 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/21/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Non-avian saurischian skulls underwent at least 165 million years of evolution and shapes varied from elongated skulls, such as in the theropod Coelophysis, to short and box-shaped skulls, such as in the sauropod Camarasaurus. A number of factors have long been considered to drive skull shape, including phylogeny, dietary preferences and functional constraints. However, heterochrony is increasingly being recognized as an important factor in dinosaur evolution. In order to quantitatively analyse the impact of heterochrony on saurischian skull shape, we analysed five ontogenetic trajectories using two-dimensional geometric morphometrics in a phylogenetic framework. This allowed for the comparative investigation of main ontogenetic shape changes and the evaluation of how heterochrony affected skull shape through both ontogenetic and phylogenetic trajectories. Using principal component analyses and multivariate regressions, it was possible to quantify different ontogenetic trajectories and evaluate them for evidence of heterochronic events allowing testing of previous hypotheses on cranial heterochrony in saurischians. We found that the skull shape of the hypothetical ancestor of Saurischia likely led to basal Sauropodomorpha through paedomorphosis, and to basal Theropoda mainly through peramorphosis. Paedomorphosis then led from Orionides to Avetheropoda, indicating that the paedomorphic trend found by previous authors in advanced coelurosaurs may extend back into the early evolution of Avetheropoda. Not only are changes in saurischian skull shape complex due to the large number of factors that affected it, but heterochrony itself is complex, with a number of possible reversals throughout non-avian saurischian evolution. In general, the sampling of complete ontogenetic trajectories including early juveniles is considerably lower than the sampling of single adult or subadult individuals, which is a major impediment to the study of heterochrony on non-avian dinosaurs. Thus, the current work represents an exploratory analysis. To better understand the cranial ontogeny and the impact of heterochrony on skull evolution in saurischians, the data set that we present here must be expanded and complemented with further sampling from future fossil discoveries, especially of juvenile individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Foth
- SNSB, Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, München, Germany; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany; Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg/Freiburg, Fribourg, Switzerland
| | - Brandon P Hedrick
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, United States
| | - Martin D Ezcurra
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München, Germany; CONICET, Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Buenos Aires, Argentina; School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Foth C, Evers SW, Pabst B, Mateus O, Flisch A, Patthey M, Rauhut OWM. New insights into the lifestyle of Allosaurus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) based on another specimen with multiple pathologies. PeerJ 2015; 3:e940. [PMID: 26020001 PMCID: PMC4435507 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2015] [Accepted: 04/16/2015] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Adult large-bodied theropods are often found with numerous pathologies. A large, almost complete, probably adult Allosaurus specimen from the Howe Stephens Quarry, Morrison Formation (Late Kimmeridgian–Early Tithonian), Wyoming, exhibits multiple pathologies. Pathologic bones include the left dentary, two cervical vertebrae, one cervical and several dorsal ribs, the left scapula, the left humerus, the right ischium, and two left pedal phalanges. These pathologies can be classified as follows: the fifth cervical vertebra, the scapula, several ribs and the ischium are probably traumatic, and a callus on the shaft of the left pedal phalanx II-2 is probably traumatic-infectious. Traumatically fractured elements exposed to frequent movement (e.g., the scapula and the ribs) show a tendency to develop pseudarthroses instead of a callus. The pathologies in the lower jaw and a reduced extensor tubercle of the left pedal phalanx II-2 are most likely traumatic or developmental in origin. The pathologies on the fourth cervical are most likely developmental in origin or idiopathic, that on the left humerus could be traumatic, developmental, infectious or idiopathic, whereas the left pedal phalanx IV-1 is classified as idiopathic. With exception of the ischium, all as traumatic/traumatic-infectious classified pathologic elements show unambiguous evidences of healing, indicating that the respective pathologies did not cause the death of this individual. Alignment of the scapula and rib pathologies from the left side suggests that all may have been caused by a single traumatic event. The ischial fracture may have been fatal. The occurrence of multiple lesions interpreted as traumatic pathologies again underlines that large-bodied theropods experienced frequent injuries during life, indicating an active predatory lifestyle, and their survival perhaps supports a gregarious behavior for Allosaurus. Alternatively, the frequent survival of traumatic events could be also related to the presence of non-endothermic metabolic rates that allow survival based on sporadic food consumption or scavenging behavior. Signs of pathologies consistent with infections are scarce and locally restricted, indicating a successful prevention of the spread of pathogens, as it is the case in extant reptiles (including birds).
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Foth
- SNBS, Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie , München , Germany ; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , München , Germany ; Department of Geosciences, University of Fribourg/Freiburg , Fribourg , Switzerland
| | - Serjoscha W Evers
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , München , Germany ; Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford , Oxford , UK
| | - Ben Pabst
- Sauriermuseum Aathal , Aathal-Seegräben , Switzerland
| | - Octávio Mateus
- CICEGe, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, FCT, Universidade Nova de Lisboa , Caparica , Portugal ; Museu da Lourinhã , Rua João Luis de Moura, Lourinhã , Portugal
| | - Alexander Flisch
- Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology , Center for X-ray Analytics, Düebendorf , Switzerland
| | - Mike Patthey
- Vetsuisse Fakulty, Universität Zürich , Zürich , Switzerland
| | - Oliver W M Rauhut
- SNBS, Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie , München , Germany ; Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität , München , Germany
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