Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 5, 2026
09:09
Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid
Published on: August 8, 2017
7.9K
Comparing growth patterns of three species: Similarities and differences
Norbert Brunner1, Manfred Kühleitner1, Werner Georg Nowak1
1University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Department of Integrative Biology and Biodiversity Research, Vienna, Austria.
Plos One
|October 24, 2019
Summary
Extinct dinosaurs and modern animals, like birds and reptiles, show similar growth patterns when analyzed with comprehensive models. Differences emerge only when growth is compared relative to lifespan or peak growth timing.
Area of Science:
- Paleontology
- Comparative Biology
- Growth Modeling
Background:
- Quantitative studies enable comparisons between extinct dinosaur growth and modern animal analogues.
- Previous dinosaur growth research relied on limited models, potentially impacting conclusion validity.
- Understanding dinosaur growth rates relative to modern species is crucial for evolutionary insights.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether extinct dinosaurs exhibited faster growth rates than modern animals (birds and reptiles).
- To apply a comprehensive class of growth models, specifically the von Bertalanffy-Pütter (BP) differential equation, to dinosaur and modern animal growth data.
- To re-evaluate existing conclusions on dinosaur growth by utilizing a more robust modeling approach.
Main Methods:
- Fitting growth data for *Tenontosaurus tilletti* (dinosaur), *Alligator mississippiensis* (reptile), and *Gallus gallus domesticus* (bird) to the von Bertalanffy-Pütter (BP) differential equation.
- Utilizing a comprehensive class of growth models for enhanced accuracy.
- Rescaling growth curves based on size, lifespan, age at inception point (maximal growth), and percentual growth for comparative analysis.
Main Results:
- Best-fitting growth curves for *Tenontosaurus tilletti*, *Alligator mississippiensis*, and *Gallus gallus domesticus* showed minimal differences when rescaled for size and lifespan.
- Discernible differences in growth patterns emerged when time was rescaled relative to the age at the inception point (maximal growth).
- Comparative analysis of percentual growth also revealed distinctions between the studied species.
Conclusions:
- The von Bertalanffy-Pütter (BP) model provides a more comprehensive framework for analyzing animal growth, including extinct dinosaurs.
- Dinosaur and modern animal growth rates are broadly comparable when adjusted for size and lifespan.
- Specific rescalings, such as age at maximal growth or percentual growth, highlight key differences in developmental timing and scaling between dinosaurs and extant species.
Related Concept Videos
02:54Evolutionary Relationships through Genome Comparisons
6.8K
Genome comparison is one of the excellent ways to interpret the evolutionary relationships between organisms. The basic principle of genome comparison is that if two species share a common feature, it is likely encoded by the DNA sequence conserved between both species. The advent of genome sequencing technologies in the late 20th century enabled scientists to understand the concept of conservation of domains between species and helped them to deduce evolutionary relationships across diverse...
6.8K
00:57Population Growth
27.7K
Population size is dynamic, increasing with birth rates and immigration, and decreasing with death rates and emigration. In ideal conditions with unlimited resources, populations can increase exponentially, which plots as a J-shaped growth rate curve of population size against time. This type of curve is characteristic of newly-introduced invasive species, or populations that have suffered catastrophic declines and are rebounding.
27.7K
02:55The Evidence for Evolution
47.5K
Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
47.5K
01:07Speciation Rates
22.5K
Overview
22.5K
01:29Life Histories
22.4K
Overview
22.4K
01:23Phylogeny
56.5K
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.
56.5K