龙的骨设计首先在体型小的时候进化
Paul C Sereno1, Lin Tan, Stephen L Brusatte
1Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. dinosaur@uchicago.edu
概括
早期的类恐龙,早期白时期的小型恐龙,已经拥有了后来巨型类恐龙的关键特征. 这些特征使得在整个中生代的峰捕食者的兴起成为可能.
科学领域:
- 古生物学的古生物学
- 脊椎动物动物学 脊椎动物动物学
- 中生代生态系统 中生代生态系统
背景情况:
- 晚白时期的北大陆被大体的暴龙类恐龙 (>2.5) 统治.
- 这些顶峰捕食者表现出明显的功能专业化,包括大头骨,专业牙,强大的肌和特定的四肢比例.
研究的目的:
- 为了调查龙类专业化的进化起源.
- 为了确定这些特征在tyrannosauroid血统中最早出现的情况.
主要方法:
- 古生物学挖掘和化石遗迹的分析.
- 骨特征的比较解剖学研究.
- 掠食性适应的功能形态解释.
主要成果:
- 在中国东北部的低白纪发现了一种新的,体型小的,基底式的类恐龙.
- 在这个早期的物种中,确定了关键的暴龙类专业化 (大头骨,切形牙,强壮的肌结构,向的后肢).
- 这些特征存在于后来龙类动物体型显著增加之前.
结论:
- 大型暴龙类动物的功能专业化存在于它们体型小的祖先身上.
- 这些先前存在的适应促进了随后的进化辐射和类动物在中生代期间作为巨大的掠食者的主导地位.
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