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Temporal and phylogenetic evolution of the sauropod dinosaur body plan.
R Soc Open Sci. 2016 Mar; 3(3):150636.RS

Abstract

The colossal size and body plan of sauropod dinosaurs are unparalleled in terrestrial vertebrates. However, to date, there have been only limited attempts to examine temporal and phylogenetic patterns in the sauropod bauplan. Here, we combine three-dimensional computational models with phylogenetic reconstructions to quantify the evolution of whole-body shape and body segment properties across the sauropod radiation. Limitations associated with the absence of soft tissue preservation in fossils result in large error bars about mean absolute body shape predictions. However, applying any consistent skeleton : body volume ratio to all taxa does yield changes in body shape that appear concurrent with major macroevolutionary events in sauropod history. A caudad shift in centre-of-mass (CoM) in Middle Triassic Saurischia, associated with the evolution of bipedalism in various dinosaur lineages, was reversed in Late Triassic sauropodomorphs. A craniad CoM shift coincided with the evolution of quadrupedalism in the Late Triassic, followed by a more striking craniad shift in Late Jurassic-Cretaceous titanosauriforms, which included the largest sauropods. These craniad CoM shifts are strongly correlated with neck enlargement, a key innovation in sauropod evolution and pivotal to their gigantism. By creating a much larger feeding envelope, neck elongation is thought to have increased feeding efficiency and opened up trophic niches that were inaccessible to other herbivores. However, we find that relative neck size and CoM position are not strongly correlated with inferred feeding habits. Instead the craniad CoM positions of titanosauriforms appear closely linked with locomotion and environmental distributions, potentially contributing to the continued success of this group until the end-Cretaceous, with all other sauropods having gone extinct by the early Late Cretaceous.

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Authors+Show Affiliations

Bates KT
Department of Musculoskeletal Biology, Institute of Aging and Chronic Disease , University of Liverpool , The Apex Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool L7 8TX , UK.
Mannion PD
Department of Earth Science and Engineering , Imperial College London , South Kensington Campus, London SW7 2AZ , UK.
Falkingham PL
School of Natural Sciences and Psychology , Liverpool John Moores University , James Parsons Building, Bryon Street, Liverpool L3 3AF , UK.
Brusatte SL
School of GeoSciences , University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute , The King's Buildings, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE , UK.
Hutchinson JR
Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Structure and Motion Laboratory , Royal Veterinary College, University of London , Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL9 7TA , UK.
Otero A
CONICET - División Paleontología de Vertebrados , Museo de La Plata , Paseo del Bosque s/n, La Plata B1900FWA , Argentina.
Sellers WI
Faculty of Life Sciences , University of Manchester , Michael Smith Building, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT , UK.
Sullivan C
Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins , Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , 142 Xizhimenwai Dajie, Beijing 100044 , People's Republic of China.
Stevens KA
Department of Computer and Information Science , University of Oregon , Eugene, OR 97403 , USA.
Allen V
Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Structure and Motion Laboratory , Royal Veterinary College, University of London , Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL9 7TA , UK.

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article

Language

eng

PubMed ID

27069652

Citation

Bates, Karl T., et al. "Temporal and Phylogenetic Evolution of the Sauropod Dinosaur Body Plan." Royal Society Open Science, vol. 3, no. 3, 2016, p. 150636.
Bates KT, Mannion PD, Falkingham PL, et al. Temporal and phylogenetic evolution of the sauropod dinosaur body plan. R Soc Open Sci. 2016;3(3):150636.
Bates, K. T., Mannion, P. D., Falkingham, P. L., Brusatte, S. L., Hutchinson, J. R., Otero, A., Sellers, W. I., Sullivan, C., Stevens, K. A., & Allen, V. (2016). Temporal and phylogenetic evolution of the sauropod dinosaur body plan. Royal Society Open Science, 3(3), 150636. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.150636
Bates KT, et al. Temporal and Phylogenetic Evolution of the Sauropod Dinosaur Body Plan. R Soc Open Sci. 2016;3(3):150636. PubMed PMID: 27069652.
* Article titles in AMA citation format should be in sentence-case
TY - JOUR T1 - Temporal and phylogenetic evolution of the sauropod dinosaur body plan. AU - Bates,Karl T, AU - Mannion,Philip D, AU - Falkingham,Peter L, AU - Brusatte,Stephen L, AU - Hutchinson,John R, AU - Otero,Alejandro, AU - Sellers,William I, AU - Sullivan,Corwin, AU - Stevens,Kent A, AU - Allen,Vivian, Y1 - 2016/03/30/ PY - 2015/11/25/received PY - 2016/02/24/accepted PY - 2016/4/13/entrez PY - 2016/4/14/pubmed PY - 2016/4/14/medline KW - biomechanics KW - body shape KW - centre-of-mass KW - computer modelling KW - gigantism KW - phylogeny SP - 150636 EP - 150636 JF - Royal Society open science JO - R Soc Open Sci VL - 3 IS - 3 N2 - The colossal size and body plan of sauropod dinosaurs are unparalleled in terrestrial vertebrates. However, to date, there have been only limited attempts to examine temporal and phylogenetic patterns in the sauropod bauplan. Here, we combine three-dimensional computational models with phylogenetic reconstructions to quantify the evolution of whole-body shape and body segment properties across the sauropod radiation. Limitations associated with the absence of soft tissue preservation in fossils result in large error bars about mean absolute body shape predictions. However, applying any consistent skeleton : body volume ratio to all taxa does yield changes in body shape that appear concurrent with major macroevolutionary events in sauropod history. A caudad shift in centre-of-mass (CoM) in Middle Triassic Saurischia, associated with the evolution of bipedalism in various dinosaur lineages, was reversed in Late Triassic sauropodomorphs. A craniad CoM shift coincided with the evolution of quadrupedalism in the Late Triassic, followed by a more striking craniad shift in Late Jurassic-Cretaceous titanosauriforms, which included the largest sauropods. These craniad CoM shifts are strongly correlated with neck enlargement, a key innovation in sauropod evolution and pivotal to their gigantism. By creating a much larger feeding envelope, neck elongation is thought to have increased feeding efficiency and opened up trophic niches that were inaccessible to other herbivores. However, we find that relative neck size and CoM position are not strongly correlated with inferred feeding habits. Instead the craniad CoM positions of titanosauriforms appear closely linked with locomotion and environmental distributions, potentially contributing to the continued success of this group until the end-Cretaceous, with all other sauropods having gone extinct by the early Late Cretaceous. SN - 2054-5703 UR - https://www.unboundmedicine.com/medline/citation/27069652/Temporal_and_phylogenetic_evolution_of_the_sauropod_dinosaur_body_plan_ DB - PRIME DP - Unbound Medicine ER -