恐竜の夜行性は,スクレラルリングと軌道形態学から推測される
1Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. lschmitz@ucdavis.edu
まとめ
恐竜を含む中期アーコサウルスは,夜間と昼間の活動パターンなど,多様な活動パターンを表していた. この研究は,現代の動物に似たメソゾーイクにおける時間的なニッチ分割を明らかにしています.
科学分野:
- パレオバイオロジーの古生物学
- パレオントロジー・パレオントロジー
- 進化生物学の進化生物学について
背景:
- 日々の活動パターンは,種が生息地や資源を分割するために極めて重要です.
- 絶滅種における一時的なニッチ分割の理解は,化石のデータが限られているため,困難です.
研究 の 目的:
- 中世アーコサウルスのダイアル活動パターンを調査するために.
- メソゾーイク時代の時間的なニッチ分割の証拠を提供するために.
主な方法:
- 33種の化石アーコサウルスの (恐竜とペトロサウルスの) スクレラルリングと軌道形態の分析.
- 化石の眼の適応と,現存する羊乳類の活動パターンの比較.
主要な成果:
- 中世アーコサウルスの目は夜間活動,昼間活動,天体活動に適応していた.
- 空飛ぶアルコサウル (プテロサウル) は,主に昼間活動していた.
- 陸上の肉食動物は夜行傾向を示し,大きな草食動物は夜行傾向を示した.
結論:
- 中世アーコサウルスは様々なダイアル活動パターンを示していた.
- 証拠によると,一時的なニッチ分割はメソゾーイクにも存在していた.
- 生態学的要因は,おそらくこれらの活動パターンの進化を促し,現存する種を反映した.
関連する概念動画
Circadian Rhythms and Gene Regulation
The biological clock is involved in many aspects of regulating complex physiology in all animals. It was in 1935 when German zoologists, Hans Kalmus and Erwin Bünning, discovered the existence of circadian rhythm in Drosophila melanogaster. However, the internal molecular mechanisms behind the circadian clock remained a mystery until 1984, when Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash, and Michael W. Young discovered the expression of the Per gene oscillating over a 24-hour cycle. In subsequent years,...
Sutures of the Skull
The human skull is composed of several bones that come together to protect the brain and support the structures of the face. The junctions where these bones meet are called sutures.
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
Accessory Structures of the Eye
Optical perception, or vision, is an extraordinary sense dependent on converting light signals received via the ocular organs. These organs, known as eyes, are securely positioned within the bony cavities of the skull, called orbits. The orbits serve a dual purpose: a protective shield for the ocular globes and a stable attachment point for the soft ocular tissues. The eye's external protective mechanisms include the eyelids, which are edged with lashes that act as a barrier against foreign...
The Pineal Gland
The pineal gland, a diminutive endocrine structure named for its pinecone-shaped appearance, is situated atop the third ventricle within the diencephalon region of the forebrain. This gland, composed of secretory cells known as pinealocytes arranged in compact cords and clusters around dense particles of calcium salts, plays a pivotal role in hormonal regulation.
The primary secretion of the pineal gland is the hormone melatonin, derived from serotonin. The concentration of melatonin in the...
The primary secretion of the pineal gland is the hormone melatonin, derived from serotonin. The concentration of melatonin in the...
Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses
The circadian—or biological—clock is an intrinsic, timekeeping, molecular mechanism that allows plants to coordinate physiological activities over 24-hour cycles called circadian rhythms. Photoperiodism is a collective term for the biological responses of plants to variations in the relative lengths of dark and light periods. The period of light-exposure is called the photoperiod.
Anatomy of the Eyeball
The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle layer, the vascular tunic,...


