1. |
- Álvaro, J. Javier, et al.
(author)
-
Global Cambrian trilobite palaeobiogeography assessed using parsimony analysis of endemicity
- 2013
-
In: Early Palaeozoic Biogeography and Palaeogeography. - 0435-4052. - 9781862393738 ; Memoir 38:38, s. 273-296
-
Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Palaeobiogeographical data on Cambrian trilobites obtained during the twentieth century are combined in this paper to evaluate palaeoceanographic links through c. 30 myr, once these arthropods biomineralized. Worldwide major tectonostratigraphic units are characterized at series intervals of Cambrian time and datasets of trilobite genera (629 for Cambrian Series 2, 965 for Cambrian Series 3, and 866 for the Furongian Series) are analysed using parsimony analysis of endemicity. Special attention is given to the biogeographical observations made in microcontinents and exotic terranes. The same is done for platform-basinal transects of well-known continental margins. The parsimony analysis of endemicity analysis resulted in distinct palaeogeographical area groupings among the tectonostratigraphic units. With these groupings, several palaeobiogeographical units are distinguished, which do not necessarily fit the previously proposed biogeographical realms and provinces. Their development and spatial distributions are broadly controlled by Cambrian palaeoclimates, palaeogeographical conditions (e.g. carbonate productivity and anoxic conditions) and ocean current circulation.
|
|
2. |
- Pierce, Stephanie E., et al.
(author)
-
Vertebral architecture in the earliest stem tetrapods
- 2013
-
In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 494:7436, s. 226-229
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The construction of the vertebral column has been used as a key anatomical character in defining and diagnosing early tetrapod groups(1). Rhachitomous vertebrae(2)-in which there is a dorsally placed neural arch and spine, an anteroventially placed intercentrum and paired, posterodorsally placed pleurocentra have long been considered the ancestral morphology for tetrapods(1,3-6). Nonetheless, very little is known about vertebral anatomy in the earliest stem tetrapods, because most specimens remain trapped in surrounding matrix, obscuring Important anatomical features(7-9). Here we describe the three-dimensional vertebral architecture of the Late Devonian stem tetrapod Ichthyostega using propagation phase-contrast X-ray synchrotron. microtomography. Our scans reveal a diverse array of new morphological, and associated developmental and functional, characteristics, including a possible posterior-to-anterior vertebral ossification sequence and the first evolutionary appearance of ossified sternal elements. One of the most intriguing features relates to the positional relationships between the vertebral elements, with the pleurocentra being unexpectedly sutured or fused to the intercentra that directly succeed them, indicating a 'reverse' rhachitomous design(10). Comparison of Ichthyostega with two other stem tetrapods, Acanthostegi and Pederpess, shows that reverse rhachitomous vertebrae may be the ancestral condition for limbed vertebrates. This study fundamentally revises our current understanding' of vertebral column evolution in the earliest tetrapods and raises questions about the presumed vertebral architecture of tetrapodomorph fish(12,13) and later, more crownward, tetrapods.
|
|
3. |
|
|
4. |
|
|
5. |
- Clack, Jennifer A., et al.
(author)
-
A new genus of Devonian tetrapod from North-East Greenland, with new information on the lower jaw of Ichthyostega
- 2012
-
In: Palaeontology. - : Wiley. - 0031-0239 .- 1475-4983. ; 55:1, s. 73-86
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A new genus and species of Devonian tetrapod has been identified from material collected in 1947 from the southern slope of Mt. Celsius, Ymer phi, North-East Greenland. The specimen preserves both lower jaws, partial palate, premaxillae and maxillae, with a natural mould of parts of the shoulder girdle. The new taxon, Ymeria denticulata, shows differences in dentition, skull ornament and lateral line expression from both Acanthostega and Ichthyostega, but it shows a closer resemblance to the latter. A cladistic analysis not only suggests that Ymeria lies adjacent to Ichthyostega on the tetrapod stem, but also reveals substantial topological instability. As the third genus and the fifth species of tetrapod identified from North-East Greenland, it demonstrates the high diversity of Devonian tetrapods in that region.
|
|
6. |
|
|
7. |
- Johanson, Zerina, et al.
(author)
-
Phylogeny of lungfishes
- 2010
-
In: The Biology of Lungfishes. - Enfield, N.H. : Science Publishers. - 1578084318 - 9781578084319 ; , s. 43-60
-
Book chapter (other academic/artistic)
|
|
8. |
- Khonsari, R. H., et al.
(author)
-
A mathematical model for mechanotransduction at the early steps of suture formation
- 2013
-
In: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 280:1759, s. 20122670-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Growth and patterning of craniofacial sutures is subjected to the effects of mechanical stress. Mechanotransduction processes occurring at the margins of the sutures are not precisely understood. Here, we propose a simple theoretical model based on the orientation of collagen fibres within the suture in response to local stress. We demonstrate that fibre alignment generates an instability leading to the emergence of interdigitations. We confirm the appearance of this instability both analytically and numerically. To support our model, we use histology and synchrotron X-ray microtomography and reveal the fine structure of fibres within the sutural mesenchyme and their insertion into the bone. Furthermore, using a mouse model with impaired mechanotransduction, we show that the architecture of sutures is disturbed when forces are not interpreted properly. Finally, by studying the structure of sutures in the mouse, the rat, an actinopterygian (Polypterus bichir) and a placoderm(Compagopiscis croucheri), we show that bone deposition patterns during dermal bone growth are conserved within jawed vertebrates. In total, these results support the role of mechanical constraints in the growth and patterning of craniofacial sutures, a process that was probably effective at the emergence of gnathostomes, and provide new directions for the understanding of normal and pathological suture fusion.
|
|
9. |
- Luksevics, Ervins, et al.
(author)
-
Frasnian vertebrate taphonomy and sedimentology of macrofossil concentrations from the Langsede Cliff, Latvia
- 2012
-
In: Lethaia. - : Scandinavian University Press / Universitetsforlaget AS. - 0024-1164 .- 1502-3931. ; 45:3, s. 356-370
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The siliciclastic sequence of the Upper Devonian of Kurzeme, Western Latvia, is renowned for abundant vertebrate fossils, including the stem tetrapods Obruchevichthys gracilis and Ventastega curonica. During the first detailed taphonomic study of the vertebrate assemblage from the Ogre Formation cropping out at the Langsede Cliff, Imula River, abundant vertebrate remains have been examined and identified as belonging to one psammosteid, two acanthodian and three sarcopterygian genera; the placoderm Bothriolepis maxima dominates the assemblage. Besides fully disarticulated placoderm and psammosteid plates, separate sarcopterygian scales and teeth, and acanthodian spines, partly articulated specimens including complete distal segments of Bothriolepis pectoral fins, Bothriolepis head shields and sarcopterygian lower jaws have been found. The size distribution of the placoderm bones demonstrates that the individuals within the assemblage are of approximately uniform age. Distinct zones have been traced within the horizontal distribution of the bones. These linear zones are almost perpendicular to the dominant dip azimuth of the cross-beds and ripple-laminae and most probably correspond to the depressions between subaqueous dunes. Concavity ratio varies significantly within the excavation area. The degree of fragmentation of the bones and disarticulation of the skeletons suggest that the carcasses were reworked and slightly transported before burial. Sedimentological data suggest deposition in a shallow marine environment under the influence of rapid currents. The fossiliferous bed consists of a basal bone conglomerate covered by a cross-stratified sandstone with mud drapes, which is in turn overlain by ripple laminated sandstone, indicating the bones were buried by the gradual infilling of a tidal channel. All the MiddleUpper Devonian vertebrate bone-beds from Latvia are associated with sandy to clayey deposits and have been formed in a sea-coastal zone during rapid sedimentation episodes, but differ in fossil abundance and degree of preservation.
|
|
10. |
- Novas, Fernando E., et al.
(author)
-
A new large pterosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia
- 2012
-
In: Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. - UK : Informa UK Limited. - 0272-4634 .- 1937-2809. ; 32:6, s. 1447-1452
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Here, we expand the meager record of Late Cretaceous South American pterosaurs with the description of a partial rostrum belonging to a large azhdarchid pterodactyloid. The specimen was collected close to the Bajo de Arriagada locality, corresponding to the uppermost Cretaceous Allen Formation of Argentina, around 80 km northwest of the well-sampled Bajo de Santa Rosa locality. The specimen represents the first unambiguous evidence of an azhdarchid pterosaur from South America. This specimen represents a new genus and species, Aerotitan sudamericanus, which is diagnosed based ona unique combination of characters, including one autapomorphy,and represents one of the largest known South Americanpterosaurs. The fossil here described resulted from a joint Argentine-Swedish paleontological expedition to Patagonia.
|
|