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Fossorialidad y desarrollo evolutivo en dos mamíferos del Cretácico

  • 0Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China. maofangyuan@ivpp.ac.cn.

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Resumen

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Los fósiles recién descubiertos del Cretácico Temprano revelan una evolución convergente en los mamíferos. Estas especies antiguas, adaptadas para excavar, muestran signos tempranos de plasticidad en su esqueleto.

Área De La Ciencia

  • Paleontología
  • Evolución de los vertebrados
  • Biología del desarrollo

Sus Antecedentes

  • Mammaliamorpha incluye a los antepasados y descendientes de Tritylodontidae y Mammalia.
  • Los tritilodontidos fueron cinodontes herbívoros desde el Triásico Tardío hasta el Cretácico Temprano.
  • Los Eutriconodontans se consideran un grupo de mamíferos extintos con diferentes clasificaciones.

Objetivo Del Estudio

  • Para reportar el descubrimiento de un nuevo tritylodontid y eutriconodontan de la Biota Jehol del Cretácico Temprano.
  • Investigar las adaptaciones convergentes para la vida fossorial (excavadora) en estas especies distantes.
  • Analizar los cambios evolutivos en el esqueleto axial y sus fundamentos de desarrollo en los mamíferos del tallo.

Principales Métodos

  • Descubrimiento y análisis de fósiles dentro de la Jehol Biota.
  • Morfología comparativa para identificar características convergentes y adaptaciones esqueléticas.
  • Examen del recuento y las características vertebrales para inferir patrones de desarrollo.

Principales Resultados

  • Descubrimiento de los primeros tritylodontids en el Jehol Biota, junto con los eutriconodontans comunes.
  • Ambas especies exhiben adaptaciones convergentes para la vida fossorial, identificadas como "excavadoras de rasguños".
  • Se observó un mayor número de vértebras presacrales con cambios merísticos y homeóticos, lo que indica cambios evolutivos.

Conclusiones

  • Estos fósiles proporcionan información sobre el desarrollo evolutivo del esqueleto axial de los mamíferos.
  • Los hallazgos sugieren que la plasticidad del desarrollo en la somitogénesis y la expresión del gen HOX estaba presente en los mamíferos madreamorfos.
  • La interacción de los mecanismos de desarrollo y la selección natural probablemente impulsó una evolución diversa del plan corporal en los clados de mamíferos.

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