The patterns and modes of the evolution of disparity in Mesozoic birds
| Autor: | Min Wang, Chi Zhang, Zhonghe Zhou, Graeme T. Lloyd |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0303 health sciences General Immunology and Microbiology Fossils General Medicine Biological Evolution 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Dinosaurs Birds 03 medical and health sciences Paleontology Geography Palaeobiology Phylogenetics Animals Origin of birds Mesozoic General Agricultural and Biological Sciences Phylogeny 030304 developmental biology General Environmental Science |
| Zdroj: | Proc Biol Sci |
| ISSN: | 1471-2954 0962-8452 |
| DOI: | 10.1098/rspb.2020.3105 |
| Popis: | The origin of birds from non-avian theropod dinosaurs is one of the greatest transitions in evolution. Shortly after diverging from other theropods in the Late Jurassic, Mesozoic birds diversified into two major clades—the Enantiornithes and Ornithuromorpha—acquiring many features previously considered unique to the crown group along the way. Here, we present a comparative phylogenetic study of the patterns and modes of Mesozoic bird skeletal morphology and limb proportions. Our results show that the major Mesozoic avian groups are distinctive in discrete character space, but constrained in a morphospace defined by limb proportions. The Enantiornithines, despite being the most speciose group of Mesozoic birds, are much less morphologically disparate than their sister clade, the Ornithuromorpha—the clade that gave rise to living birds, showing disparity and diversity were decoupled in avian history. This relatively low disparity suggests that diversification of enantiornithines was characterized in exhausting fine morphologies, whereas ornithuromorphs continuously explored a broader array of morphologies and ecological opportunities. We suggest this clade-specific evolutionary versatility contributed to their sole survival of the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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