The radiation of cynodonts and the ground plan of mammalian morphological diversity

Ruta, Marcello; Botha‐Brink, Jennifer; Mitchell, Stephen Α.; Benton, Michael J.

doi:10.1098/rspb.2013.1865

Cited by 100 publications

(116 citation statements)

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“…In another series of studies, Ruta et al explored the nature of clade expansion following the Permo-Triassic mass extinction (figure 5), including the radiations of archosaurs [60], anomodonts [41] and cynodonts [61]. These studies all used discrete characters from cladistic datasets to establish the extent of morphospace occupation through time and between clades.…”

Section: Examples Of Palaeontological Macroevolutionary Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring macroevolution using modern and fossil data

Benton

2015

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Macroevolution, encompassing the deep-time patterns of the origins of modern biodiversity, has been discussed in many contexts. Non-Darwinian models such as macromutations have been proposed as a means of bridging seemingly large gaps in knowledge, or as a means to explain the origin of exquisitely adapted body plans. However, such gaps can be spanned by new fossil finds, and complex, integrated organisms can be shown to have evolved piecemeal. For example, the fossil record between dinosaurs and Archaeopteryx has now filled up with astonishing fossil intermediates that show how the unique plexus of avian adaptations emerged step by step over 60 Myr. New numerical approaches to morphometrics and phylogenetic comparative methods allow palaeontologists and biologists to work together on deep-time questions of evolution, to explore how diversity, morphology and function have changed through time. Patterns are more complex than sometimes expected, with frequent decoupling of species diversity and morphological diversity, pointing to the need for some new generalizations about the processes that lie behind such patterns.

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Section: Examples Of Palaeontological Macroevolutionary Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring macroevolution using modern and fossil data

Benton

2015

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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“…This region of the plot is where Mesozoic mammaliaforms and the most derived NMT of this dataset are found ( Kawingasaurus , Brasilitherium , and Therioherpeton ). This overlap may reflect a close phylogenetic relationship for the 2 derived cynodonts Ruta et al, 2014] and convergent evolution of brain enlargement for Kawingasaurus [Laass and Kaestner, 2017].…”

Section: Eq In Early Therapsidamentioning

confidence: 99%

Endocranial Casts of Pre-Mammalian Therapsids Reveal an Unexpected Neurological Diversity at the Deep Evolutionary Root of Mammals

Benoît

Fernández²,

Manger³

et al. 2017

Brain Behav Evol

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The origin and evolution of the mammalian brain has long been the focus of scientific enquiry. Conversely, little research has focused on the palaeoneurology of the stem group of Mammaliaformes, the Permian and Triassic non-mammaliaform Therapsida (NMT). This is because the majority of the NMT have a non-ossified braincase, making the study of their endocranial cast (sometimes called the “fossil brain”) problematic. Thus, descriptions of the morphology and size of NMT endocranial casts have been based largely on approximations rather than reliable determination. Accordingly, here we use micro-CT scans of the skulls of 1 Dinocephalia and 3 Biarmosuchia, which are NMT with a fully ossified braincase and thus a complete endocast. For the first time, our work enables the accurate determination of endocranial shape and size in NMT. This study suggests that NMT brain size falls in the upper range of the reptilian and amphibian variation. Brain size in the dicynodont Kawingasaurus is equivalent to that of early Mammaliaformes, whereas the Dinocephalia show evidence of a secondary reduction of brain size. In addition, unlike other NMT in which the endocast has a tubular shape and its parts are arranged in a linear manner, the biarmosuchian endocast is strongly flexed at the level of the midbrain, creating a near right angle between the fore- and hindbrain. These data highlight an unexpected diversity of endocranial size and morphology in NMT, features that are usually considered conservative in this group.

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“…In particular, it follows the largest of all mass extinctions, the Permo-Triassic 'great dying' [13][14][15] . Many terrestrial vertebrate lineages originated in the aftermath of the Permo-Triassic event, but were subsequently subjected to major changes in terrestrial ecosystems throughout the ensuing Triassic and Jurassic.…”

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Geographic range did not confer resilience to extinction in terrestrial vertebrates at the end-Triassic crisis

Dunhill

Wills

2015

Nat Commun

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Rates of extinction vary greatly through geological time, with losses particularly concentrated in mass extinctions. Species duration at other times varies greatly, but the reasons for this are unclear. Geographical range correlates with lineage duration amongst marine invertebrates, but it is less clear how far this generality extends to other groups in other habitats. It is also unclear whether a wide geographical distribution makes groups more likely to survive mass extinctions. Here we test for extinction selectivity amongst terrestrial vertebrates across the end-Triassic event. We demonstrate that terrestrial vertebrate clades with larger geographical ranges were more resilient to extinction than those with smaller ranges throughout the Triassic and Jurassic. However, this relationship weakened with increasing proximity to the end-Triassic mass extinction, breaking down altogether across the event itself. We demonstrate that these findings are not a function of sampling biases; a perennial issue in studies of this kind.

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The radiation of cynodonts and the ground plan of mammalian morphological diversity

Cited by 100 publications

References 54 publications

Exploring macroevolution using modern and fossil data

Exploring macroevolution using modern and fossil data

Endocranial Casts of Pre-Mammalian Therapsids Reveal an Unexpected Neurological Diversity at the Deep Evolutionary Root of Mammals

Geographic range did not confer resilience to extinction in terrestrial vertebrates at the end-Triassic crisis

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