The evolution of the dicynodont sacrum: constraint and innovation in the synapsid axial column

Paleobiology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 201-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher T. Griffin ◽  
Kenneth D. Angielczyk
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Poisson Regression ◽  
Vertebral Column ◽  
Morphological Evolution ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Caudal Vertebra ◽  
State Reconstruction ◽  
Universal Feature ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Close Relatives

AbstractConstraint is a universal feature of morphological evolution. The vertebral column of synapsids (mammals and their close relatives) is a classic example of this phenotypic restriction, with greatly reduced variation in the number of vertebrae compared with the sauropsid lineage. Synapsids generally possess only three sacral vertebrae, which articulate with the ilium and play a key role in locomotion. Dicynodont anomodonts are the exception to this rule, possessing seven or more sacral vertebrae while reaching a range of body sizes rivaled among synapsids only by therian mammals. Here we explore the evolution of this unusual sacral morphology in dicynodonts by (1) hypothesizing homologies of the additional sacral vertebrae, (2) using ancestral state reconstruction and phylogenetic regressions (e.g., logistic regression, Poisson regression) to track the coevolution of sacral count and body size, and (3) proposing mechanisms by which additional sacral vertebrae were incorporated during dicynodont evolution. We find that sacral vertebral morphology covaries with sacral count in consistent ways across dicynodonts, implying that sacra with a given number of vertebrae are composed of homologous elements. There is a correlation between increased sacral count and larger body size, especially at the shift from four to five sacrals near the origin of Bidentalia. Based on position, morphology, and the consistent number of presacral vertebrae among dicynodonts, we hypothesize that the additional sacrals anterior to the plesiomorphic three are duplications of the first sacral, and that a single caudosacral was incorporated by a shift in the identity of the anteriormost caudal vertebra. Although changes in sacral count appear to be correlated with shifts in body size in dicynodonts, the evolution of general morphological conservativism in the synapsid sacrum remains to be further explored.

scholarly journals Rates of ecological divergence and body size evolution are correlated with species diversification in scaly tree ferns

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1834) ◽  
pp. 20161098 ◽  
Author(s):  
Santiago Ramírez-Barahona ◽  
Josué Barrera-Redondo ◽  
Luis E. Eguiarte
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Ecological Niche ◽  
Morphological Evolution ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Species Diversification ◽  
Tree Ferns ◽  
Size Evolution ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Body Size Evolution

Variation in species richness across regions and between different groups of organisms is a major feature of evolution. Several factors have been proposed to explain these differences, including heterogeneity in the rates of species diversification and the age of clades. It has been frequently assumed that rapid rates of diversification are coupled to high rates of ecological and morphological evolution, leading to a prediction that remains poorly explored for most species: the positive association between ecological niche divergence, morphological evolution and species diversification. We combined a time-calibrated phylogeny with distribution, ecological and body size data for scaly tree ferns (Cyatheaceae) to test whether rates of species diversification are predicted by the rates at which clades have evolved distinct ecological niches and body sizes. We found that rates of species diversification are positively correlated with rates of ecological and morphological evolution, with rapidly diversifying clades also showing rapidly evolving ecological niches and body sizes. Our results show that rapid diversification of scaly tree ferns is associated with the evolution of species with comparable morphologies that diversified into similar, yet distinct, environments. This suggests parallel evolutionary pathways opening in different tropical regions whenever ecological and geographical opportunities arise. Accordingly, rates of ecological niche and body size evolution are relevant to explain the current patterns of species richness in this ‘ancient’ fern lineage across the tropics.

scholarly journals Large neotheropods from the Upper Triassic of North America and the early evolution of large theropod body sizes

2019 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 1010-1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher T. Griffin
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Upper Triassic ◽  
Early Evolution ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Femur Length ◽  
Theropod Dinosaurs ◽  
Body Sizes

AbstractLarge body sizes among nonavian theropod dinosaurs is a major feature in the evolution of this clade, with theropods reaching greater sizes than any other terrestrial carnivores. However, the early evolution of large body sizes among theropods is obscured by an incomplete fossil record, with the largest Triassic theropods represented by only a few individuals of uncertain ontogenetic stage. Here I describe two neotheropod specimens from the Upper Triassic Bull Canyon Formation of New Mexico and place them in a broader comparative context of early theropod anatomy. These specimens possess morphologies indicative of ontogenetic immaturity (e.g., absence of femoral bone scars, lack of co-ossification between the astragalus and calcaneum), and phylogenetic analyses recover these specimens as early-diverging neotheropods in a polytomy with other early neotheropods at the base of the clade. Ancestral state reconstruction for body size suggests that the ancestral theropod condition was small (~240 mm femur length), but the ancestral neotheropod was larger (~300–340 mm femur length), with coelophysoids experiencing secondary body size reduction, although this is highly dependent on the phylogenetic position of a few key taxa. Theropods evolved large body sizes before the Triassic–Jurassic extinction, as hypothesized in most other ancestral state reconstructions of theropod body sizes, but remained rare relative to smaller theropods until the Jurassic.

Fossil horses from “Eohippus” (Hyracotherium) to Equus: scaling, Cope's Law, and the evolution of body size

Paleobiology ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 355-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce J. MacFadden
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Morphological Evolution ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Evolutionary Rates ◽  
Middle Pleistocene ◽  
Gradual Change ◽  
Regression Equations ◽  
Extant Species ◽  
Body Sizes

The evolution of body size in fossil horses is frequently depicted as a gradual, progressive trend toward increased body size (Cope's Law). Body size (actually body mass) was estimated for 40 species of fossil horses using dental and skeletal characters and regression equations derived from the same characters in extant species of Equus with known body mass. After body sizes were estimated, rates of morphological evolution, in darwins (d), were calculated between known ancestral and descendant fossil horse species. For the first half of horse evolution (from ca. 57 to 25 ma) body mass remained relatively static between about 25 and 50 kg with very slow evolutionary rates of 0.003–0.04 d. During the early–middle Miocene (from ca. 25 to 10 ma) there was a major diversification of body mass to about 75–400 kg and consistently higher evolutionary rates between 0.04 and 0.24 d. Since the late Miocene, body mass has generally increased with a maximum seen (in natural populations) in Equus scotti (ca. 500 kg) during the middle Pleistocene. Therefore, for horses, the traditional interpretation of gradual increase in body size through time is oversimplified because: (1) although the exception to the rule, 5 of 24 species lineages studied are characterized by dwarfism; and (2) the general trend seems to have been a long period (32 ma) of relative stasis followed by 25 ma of diversification and progressive (although not necessarily gradual) change in body size.

scholarly journals Arboreality constrains morphological evolution but not species diversification in vipers

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1869) ◽  
pp. 20171775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Rodrigues Vieira de Alencar ◽  
Marcio Martins ◽  
Gustavo Burin ◽  
Tiago Bosisio Quental
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Morphological Evolution ◽  
Trait Evolution ◽  
Morphological Diversification ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Speciation Rates ◽  
Slender Bodies ◽  
Morphological Variants ◽  
Arboreal Snakes

An increase in ecological opportunities, either through changes in the environment or acquisition of new traits, is frequently associated with an increase in species and morphological diversification. However, it is possible that certain ecological settings might prevent lineages from diversifying. Arboreality evolved multiple times in vipers, making them ideal organisms for exploring how potentially new ecological opportunities affect their morphology and speciation regimes. Arboreal snakes are frequently suggested to have a very specialized morphology, and being too large, too small, too heavy, or having short tails might be challenging for them. Using trait-evolution models, we show that arboreal vipers are evolving towards intermediate body sizes, with longer tails and more slender bodies than terrestrial vipers. Arboreality strongly constrains body size and circumference evolution in vipers, while terrestrial lineages are evolving towards a broader range of morphological variants. Trait-dependent diversification models, however, suggest similar speciation rates between microhabitats. Thus, we show that arboreality might constrain morphological evolution but not necessarily affect the rates at which lineages generate new species.

scholarly journals Verifiability of genus-level classification under quantification and parsimony theories: a case study of follicucullid radiolarians

Paleobiology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-355
Author(s):  
Yifan Xiao ◽  
Noritoshi Suzuki ◽  
Weihong He ◽  
Michael J. Benton ◽  
Tinglu Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Evolution ◽  
Late Paleozoic ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Multivariate Statistical ◽  
Quantification Theory ◽  
State Reconstruction ◽  
Multivariate Statistical Method ◽  
Multivariate Method

AbstractThe classical taxonomy of fossil invertebrates is based on subjective judgments of morphology, which can cause confusion, because there are no codified standards for the classification of genera. Here, we explore the validity of the genus taxonomy of 75 species and morphospecies of the Follicucullidae, a late Paleozoic family of radiolarians, using a new method, Hayashi's quantification theory II (HQT-II), a general multivariate statistical method for categorical datasets relevant to discriminant analysis. We identify a scheme of 10 genera rather than the currently accepted 3 genera (Follicucullus, Ishigaconus, and Parafollicucullus). As HQT-II cannot incorporate stratigraphic data, a phylogenetic tree of Follicucullidae was reconstructed for 38 species using maximum parsimony. Six lineages emerged, roughly in concordance with the results of HQT-II. Combined with parsimony ancestral state reconstruction, the ancestral group of this family is Haplodiacanthus. Five other groups were discriminated, the Parafollicucullus, Curvalbaillella, Pseudoalbaillella, Longtanella, and Follicucullus–Cariver lineages. The morphological evolution of these lineages comprises a minimum essential list of eight states of four traits. HQT-II is a novel discriminant analytical multivariate method that may be of value in other taxonomic problems of paleobiology.

scholarly journals Evolutionary Change in Locomotion Close to the Origin of Amniotes Inferred From Trackway Data in an Ancestral State Reconstruction Approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Buchwitz ◽  
Maren Jansen ◽  
Johan Renaudie ◽  
Lorenzo Marchetti ◽  
Sebastian Voigt
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Stride Length ◽  
Evolutionary Change ◽  
Ancestral State Reconstruction ◽  
The Body ◽  
Last Common Ancestor ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Early Permian ◽  
Skeletal Morphology ◽  
State Reconstruction

Among amniote and non-amniote tetrapod trackways from late Carboniferous to early Permian deposits, certain trackway measures vary notably. Some of this variability can be attributed to evolutionary changes in trackmaker anatomy and locomotion style close to the origin of amniotes. Here we demonstrate that steps in early amniote locomotion evolution can be addressed by applying methods of ancestral state reconstruction on trackway data – a novel approach in tetrapod ichnology. Based on (a) measurements of 186 trackways referred to the Carboniferous and early Permian ichnogenera Batrachichnus, Limnopus, Hylopus, Amphisauropus, Matthewichnus, Ichniotherium, Dimetropus, Tambachichnium, Erpetopus, Varanopus, Hyloidichnus, Notalacerta and Dromopus, (b) correlation of these ichnotaxa with specific groups of amphibian, reptiliomorph, synapsid, and reptilian trackmakers based on imprint morphology and (c) known skeletal-morphology-based phylogenies of the supposed trackmakers, we infer ancestral states for functionally controlled trackway measures in a maximum likelihood approach. The most notable finding of our analysis is a concordant change in trackway parameters within a series of ancestral amniote trackmakers, which reflects an evolutionary change in locomotion: In the ancestors of amniotes and diadectomorphs, an increase in body size was accompanied by a decrease in (normalized) gauge width and glenoacetabular length and by a change in imprint orientation toward a more trackway-parallel and forward-pointing condition. In the subsequent evolution of diadectomorph, synapsid and reptilian trackmakers after the diversification of the clades Cotylosauria (Amniota + Diadectomorpha) and Amniota, stride length increased whereas gauges decreased further or remained relatively narrow within most lineages. In accordance with this conspicuous pattern of evolutionary change in trackway measures, we interpret the body size increase as an underlying factor that triggered the reorganization of the locomotion apparatus. The secondary increase in stride length, which occurred convergently within distinct groups, is interpreted as an increase in locomotion capability when the benefits of reorganization came into effect. The track-trackmaker pair of Ichniotherium sphaerodactylum and Orobates pabsti from the early Permian Bromacker locality of the Thuringian Forest, proposed in earlier studies as a suitable ancestral amniote track-trackmaker model, fits relatively well with our modeled last common ancestor of amniotes – with the caveat that the Bromacker material is younger and some of the similarities appear to be due to convergence.

scholarly journals A Farewell to the Encephalization Quotient: A New Brain Size Measure for Comparative Primate Cognition

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Carel P. van Schaik ◽  
Zegni Triki ◽  
Redouan Bshary ◽  
Sandra A. Heldstab
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Estimation Error ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Encephalization Quotient ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Size Measure

Both absolute and relative brain sizes vary greatly among and within the major vertebrate lineages. Scientists have long debated how larger brains in primates and hominins translate into greater cognitive performance, and in particular how to control for the relationship between the noncognitive functions of the brain and body size. One solution to this problem is to establish the slope of cognitive equivalence, i.e., the line connecting organisms with an identical bauplan but different body sizes. The original approach to estimate this slope through intraspecific regressions was abandoned after it became clear that it generated slopes that were too low by an unknown margin due to estimation error. Here, we revisit this method. We control for the error problem by focusing on highly dimorphic primate species with large sample sizes and fitting a line through the mean values for adult females and males. We obtain the best estimate for the slope of circa 0.27, a value much lower than those constructed using all mammal species and close to the value expected based on the genetic correlation between brain size and body size. We also find that the estimate of cognitive brain size based on cognitive equivalence fits empirical cognitive studies better than the encephalization quotient, which should therefore be avoided in future studies on primates and presumably mammals and birds in general. The use of residuals from the line of cognitive equivalence may change conclusions concerning the cognitive abilities of extant and extinct primate species, including hominins.

scholarly journals A new lineage of mazaediate fungi in the Eurotiomycetes: Cryptocaliciomycetidae subclass. nov., based on the new species Cryptocalicium blascoi and the revision of the ascoma evolution

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 889-904
Author(s):  
M. Prieto ◽  
Javier Etayo ◽  
I. Olariaga
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Common Ancestor ◽  
External Surface ◽  
Evolutionary Relationships ◽  
New Order ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Multigene Phylogeny ◽  
State Reconstruction ◽  
Distinct Structure ◽  
Dark Violet

AbstractThe class Eurotiomycetes (Ascomycota, Pezizomycotina) comprises important fungi used for medical, agricultural, industrial and scientific purposes. Eurotiomycetes is a morphologically and ecologically diverse monophyletic group. Within the Eurotiomycetes, different ascoma morphologies are found including cleistothecia and perithecia but also apothecia or stromatic forms. Mazaediate representatives (with a distinct structure in which loose masses of ascospores accumulate to be passively disseminated) have evolved independently several times. Here we describe a new mazaediate species belonging to the Eurotiomycetes. The multigene phylogeny produced (7 gene regions: nuLSU, nuSSU, 5.8S nuITS, mtSSU, RPB1, RPB2 and MCM7) placed the new species in a lineage sister to Eurotiomycetidae. Based on the evolutionary relationships and morphology, a new subclass, a new order, family and genus are described to place the new species: Cryptocalicium blascoi. This calicioid species occurs on the inner side of loose bark strips of Cupressaceae (Cupressus, Juniperus). Morphologically, C. blascoi is characterized by having minute apothecioid stalked ascomata producing mazaedia, clavate bitunicate asci with hemiamyloid reaction, presence of hamathecium and an apothecial external surface with dark violet granules that becomes turquoise green in KOH. The ancestral state reconstruction analyses support a common ancestor with open ascomata for all deep nodes in Eurotiomycetes and the evolution of closed ascomata (cleistothecioid in Eurotiomycetidae and perithecioid in Chaetothyriomycetidae) from apothecioid ancestors. The appropriateness of the description of a new subclass for this fungus is also discussed.

scholarly journals Constraints on the ecomorphological convergence of zooplanktivorous butterflyfishes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer R Hodge ◽  
Yutong Song ◽  
Molly A Wightman ◽  
Analisa Milkey ◽  
Binh Tran ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
Morphological Evolution ◽  
Distinct Type ◽  
Ancestral State ◽  
Multiple Traits ◽  
Visual Identification ◽  
Form Function ◽  
Morphological Distinction ◽  
Foraging Modes

Abstract Whether distantly related organisms evolve similar strategies to meet the demands of a shared ecological niche depends on their evolutionary history and the nature of form-function relationships. In fishes, the visual identification and consumption of microscopic zooplankters, selective zooplanktivory, is a distinct type of foraging often associated with a suite of morphological specialisations. Previous work has identified inconsistencies in the trajectory and magnitude of morphological change following transitions to selective zooplanktivory, alluding to the diversity and importance of ancestral effects. Here we investigate whether transitions to selective zooplanktivory have influenced the morphological evolution of marine butterflyfishes (family Chaetodontidae), a group of small-prey specialists well known for several types of high-precision benthivory. Using Bayesian ancestral state estimation, we inferred the recent evolution of zooplanktivory among benthivorous ancestors that hunted small invertebrates and browsed by picking or scraping coral polyps. Traits related to the capture of prey appear to be functionally versatile with little morphological distinction between species with benthivorous and planktivorous foraging modes. In contrast, multiple traits related to prey detection or swimming performance are evolving toward novel, zooplanktivore-specific optima. Despite a relatively short evolutionary history, general morphological indistinctiveness, and evidence of constraint on the evolution of body size, convergent evolution has closed a near significant amount of the morphological distance between zooplanktivorous species. Overall, our findings describe the extent to which the functional demands associated with selective zooplanktivory have led to generalisable morphological features among butterflyfishes and highlight the importance of ancestral effects in shaping patterns of morphological convergence.

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