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Related Concept Videos

What is Evolutionary History?02:35

What is Evolutionary History?

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Scientists record evolutionary history by analyzing fossil, morphological, and genetic data. The fossil record documents the history of life on Earth and provides evidence for evolution. However, both fossil and living organisms offer evidence that outlines Earth’s evolutionary history.
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Convergent Evolution01:54

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Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
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Phylogeny is concerned with the evolutionary diversification of organisms or groups of organisms. A group of organisms with a name is called a taxon (singular). Taxa (plural) can span different levels of the evolutionary hierarchy. For instance, the group containing all birds is a taxon (comprising the class Aves), and the group of all species of daisies (the genus Bellis) is a taxon. Phylogenies can likewise include just one genus (i.e., depict species relationships) or span an entire kingdom.
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The Fossil Record02:56

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The fossil record documents only a small fraction of all organisms that have ever inhabited Earth. Fossilization is a rare process, and most organisms never become fossils. Moreover, the fossil record only exhibits fossils that have been discovered. Nevertheless, sedimentary rock fossils of long-lived, abundant, hard-bodied organisms dominate the fossil record. These fossils offer valuable information, such as an organism's physical form, behavior, and age. Studying the fossil record helps...
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Changes in the environment of the early Earth drove the evolution of organisms. As prokaryotic organisms in the oceans began to photosynthesize, they produced oxygen. Eventually, oxygen saturated the oceans and entered the air, resulting in an increase in atmospheric oxygen concentration, known as the oxygen revolution approximately 2.3 billion years ago. Therefore, organisms that could use oxygen for cellular respiration had an advantage. More than 1.5 years ago, eukaryotic cells and...
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Phylogenetic trees come in many forms. It matters in which sequence the organisms are arranged from the bottom to the top of the tree, but the branches can rotate at their nodes without altering the information. The lines connecting individual nodes can be straight, angled, or even curved.
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Updated: Mar 24, 2026

Processing Embryo, Eggshell, and Fungal Culture for Scanning Electron Microscopy
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The diapsid origin of turtles.

Rainer R Schoch1, Hans-Dieter Sues2

  • 1Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde, Rosenstein 1, D-70191 Stuttgart, Germany.

Zoology (Jena, Germany)
|March 4, 2016
PubMed
Summary

New fossils reveal turtles evolved from diapsid reptiles, not parareptiles. Discoveries clarify the origin of the turtle shell, skull structure, and Testudines

Area of Science:

  • Paleontology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Comparative Anatomy

Background:

  • The evolutionary origin of turtles (Testudines) remains a significant challenge in understanding vertebrate evolution.
  • Previous hypotheses relied heavily on molecular data, with paleontological evidence being less conclusive.
  • Debates existed regarding whether turtles originated from diapsid or parareptile lineages.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the evolutionary origin and phylogenetic position of turtles.
  • To clarify the early evolution of the turtle shell and skull.
  • To integrate new fossil evidence with existing molecular and morphological data.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of newly discovered fossil taxa: Odontochelys (early Late Triassic, China) and Pappochelys (Late Middle Triassic, Germany).
Keywords:
CarapacePlastronReptilesTurtle origins

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  • Comparative morphological analysis of fossil and extant turtle skeletons, particularly skull and shell structures.
  • Phylogenetic analyses incorporating fossil data to determine the placement of turtles within the reptile family tree.

    • Main Results:

    • Fossil evidence supports the origin of turtles from diapsid reptiles, aligning with molecular data.
    • The turtle shell's evolution involved specific developmental pathways, with the plastron partially formed by fused gastralia.
    • The derived nature of the secondarily closed temporal region of the turtle cranium is confirmed.

    Conclusions:

    • Turtles are confirmed to be derived from diapsid reptiles.
    • New fossil discoveries provide crucial insights into the evolutionary history of key turtle features like the shell and skull.
    • The findings resolve long-standing debates in paleontology and evolutionary biology regarding turtle origins.