Integumentary Structures in Kulindadromeus zabaikalicus, a Basal Neornithischian Dinosaur from the Jurassic of Siberia

Godefroit, Pascal; Sinitsa, Sofia M.; Cincotta, Aude; McNamara, Maria E.; Reshetova, Svetlana A.; Dhouailly, Danielle

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-27223-4_4

Cited by 12 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 46 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Recently, both ‘feather‐like’ structures and scales were discovered together with remains of the middle Jurassic neornithischian Kulindadromeus zabaikalicus collected from volcanoclastic deposits in Siberia (Godefroit et al . , ; Cincotta et al . ).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical preservation of tail feathers fromAnchiornis huxleyi, a theropod dinosaur from the Tiaojishan Formation (Upper Jurassic, China)

Cincotta

Colaux

et al. 2020

Palaeontology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A panel of geochemical techniques is used here to investigate the taphonomy of fossil feathers preserved in association with the skeleton of the Jurassic theropod Anchiornis huxleyi. Extant feathers were analysed in parallel to test whether the soft tissues morphologically preserved in the fossil also exhibit a high degree of chemical preservation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) indicate that clays and iron oxide pseudomorphs occur in the surrounding sediment and also reveal the preservation of melanosome‐like microbodies in the fossil. Carbon gradient along a depth profile and co‐occurrence of carbon and sulphur are shown in the fossil by elastic backscattering (EBS) and particle‐induced x‐ray emission (PIXE), which are promising techniques for the elemental analysis of fossil soft tissues. The molecular composition of modern and fossil soft tissues was assessed from micro‐attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (micro‐ATR FTIR), solid‐state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (CP‐MAS 13C NMR) and pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry in the presence of TMAH (TMAH‐Py‐GC‐MS). Results indicate that the proteinaceous material that comprises the modern feathers is not present in the fossil feathers. The fossil feathers and the embedding sediment exhibit a highly aliphatic character. However, substantial differences exist between these samples, revealing that the organic matter of the fossil feathers is, at least partially, derived from original constituents of the feathers. Our results suggest that, despite the morphological preservation of Anchiornis feathers, original proteins, that is keratin, were probably not preserved in the 160‐myr‐old feathers.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical preservation of tail feathers fromAnchiornis huxleyi, a theropod dinosaur from the Tiaojishan Formation (Upper Jurassic, China)

Cincotta

Colaux

et al. 2020

Palaeontology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…2014) and ornithopods (Bell 2012; Godefroit et al . 2020). On the other hand, overlapping scales are the most common type of scales in modern snakes and lizards (Chang et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bristle‐like structures are also present, in concert with epidermal scales, in two ornithischians (Godefroit et al . 2014, 2020; Mayr et al . 2016); however, the homology of such bristles with the filamentous structures of non‐avian theropods is not entirely clear (Barrett et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scutate scales are also present in the tail of the basal neornithischian Kulindadromeus but unlike Juravenator and Concavenator , they are imbricated and disposed in at least four longitudinal rows on the dorsal surface of the tail (Godefroit et al . 2020). Juravenator does not preserve any feature scales, but their presence cannot be ruled out given the absence of well preserved epidermal structure on parts of the body other than the tail.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Scutellate scales are also present on the anterior surface of the tarsometatarsus and the dorsal surface of the toes in Kulindadromeus (Godefroit et al . 2014, 2020), whereas both scutellate and scutate scales are present in Concavenator (Cuesta et al . 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Epidermal complexity in the theropod dinosaur Juravenator from the Upper Jurassic of Germany

Bell

Hendrickx

2020

Palaeontology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Epidermal scales among modern reptiles are morphologically diverse and serve a variety of functions ranging from moisture balance to chemoreception. Despite being predominantly squamous‐skinned (scaly), the functional implications of this type of integument have never before been explored for a dinosaur. Re‐examination of the holotype of the theropod Juravenator starki (Kimmeridgian, Late Jurassic) reveals previously unseen diversity in its epidermal covering. In addition to the presence of short monofilaments on the dorsal and ventral parts of the tail, we identify distinctive scale patterns corresponding to discrete longitudinal bands of scutate, tuberculate and ornamented scales along the length of the tail. In modern squamous‐skinned amniotes, variation in scale architecture can be linked to functional differences between scale types. In Juravenator, distinctive circular nodes associated with the ornamented scales have recently been interpreted as integumentary sense organs. We also suggest that it is likely that the snake‐like scutate scales on the underside of the tail fulfilled a role related to mechanical protection rather than locomotory function. Whereas the literature on theropod epidermal structures has been dominated by discussions on the evolution and diversity of feathers, this study highlights the complexity of squamous integument in Juravenator, which is revealed as one of the most complex among known theropods. An exploration of the epidermal structures found in Juravenator and other non‐avian theropods reveals great complexity in the type and distribution of these structures across the clade, suggesting potential for the future inquiry into their taxonomic and biological importance.

show abstract

An evaluation of the effect of hydrofluoric acid (HF) treatment on keratins

Zhao

Pan

2022

J Exp Zool Pt B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Hydrofluoric acid (HF) is commonly used in geological and paleontological research to extract organic fossils for morphological and chemical studies. However, during HF treatment, organic matter can also be altered, which raises concerns that HF-treated organic matter may not be representative of the original organic matter.To provide reference data for protein studies on fossils, herein, we use Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to investigate the effect of HF (21.3 M) treatment on keratins, with treatment durations ranging from 2 to 48 h. Resultsshow that the FTIR spectra of HF-treated samples are overall similar to that of the untreated sample, while curve fitting shows that HF treatment has led to alteration of the secondary structure in all the HF-treated samples and the effect is timedependent. The 2-and 4-h treatment mainly reduced the content of the random coils, α-helix, and intermolecular β-sheet. From 8h onwards, the content of random coils greatly increased at the expense of other structures. Our results imply that for protein detection in fossils using FTIR spectroscopy, the negative effect of HF treatment is not substantial, as the bands characteristic of proteins, that is, amide A, amide B, amide I, amide II, and amide III, are still present after the 48-h treatment. If the target is a secondary structure, the effect of HF treatment should be considered.When HF treatment is necessary, limiting the treatment duration to less than 4h may be a choice.

show abstract

Integumentary Structures in Kulindadromeus zabaikalicus, a Basal Neornithischian Dinosaur from the Jurassic of Siberia

Cited by 12 publications

References 46 publications

Chemical preservation of tail feathers fromAnchiornis huxleyi, a theropod dinosaur from the Tiaojishan Formation (Upper Jurassic, China)

Chemical preservation of tail feathers fromAnchiornis huxleyi, a theropod dinosaur from the Tiaojishan Formation (Upper Jurassic, China)

Epidermal complexity in the theropod dinosaur Juravenator from the Upper Jurassic of Germany

An evaluation of the effect of hydrofluoric acid (HF) treatment on keratins

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About