0000000000014719
AUTHOR
Humberto G. Ferrón
Categorical versus geometric morphometric approaches to characterizing the evolution of morphological disparity in Osteostraci (Vertebrata, stem Gnathostomata)
Morphological variation (disparity) tends to be evaluated through two non-mutually exclusive approaches: (i) quantitatively, through geometric morphometrics, and (ii) in terms of discrete, ‘cladistic’, or categorical characters. Uncertainty over the comparability of these approaches diminishes the potential to obtain nomothetic insights into the evolution of morphological disparity, and the few benchmarking studies conducted so far show contrasting results. Here, we apply both approaches to characterising morphology in the stem-gnathostome vertebrate clade Osteostraci, in order to assess congruence between these alternative methods as well as to explore the evolutionary patterns of the grou…
Evolutionary analysis of swimming speed in early vertebrates challenges the 'New Head Hypothesis'
The ecological context of early vertebrate evolution is envisaged as a long-term trend towards increasingly active food acquisition and enhanced locomotory capabilities culminating in the emergence of jawed vertebrates. However, support for this hypothesis has been anecdotal and drawn almost exclusively from the ecology of living taxa, despite knowledge of extinct phylogenetic intermediates that can inform our understanding of this formative episode. Here we analyse the evolution of swimming speed in early vertebrates based on caudal fin morphology using ancestral state reconstruction and evolutionary model fitting. We predict the lowest and highest ancestral swimming speeds in jawed verteb…
Late Devonian (Famennian) chondrichthyes from Mexico
The Paleozoic vertebrate fossil record from Mexico is very scarce and strongly biased by rock exposure, composed mainly of upper Paleozoic (Carboniferous and Permian) outcrops (e.g., Sánchez-Zavala et al., 1999; Poole et al., 2005; González- Rodríguez et al., 2013). In particular, the Mexican Paleozoic fish fossil record comprises a few isolated chondrichthyan scales and some semiarticulated symphysial tooth whorls belonging to the iconic shark Helicoprion, with ages ranging from the Late Carboniferous to the early Permian. The first reported Paleozoic fish from Mexico belongs to a semiarticulated symphysial tooth whorl of Helicoprion mexicanus from the Permian of Coahuila, near Las Delicia…
Body-axis organization in tetrapods: a model-system to disentangle the developmental origins of convergent evolution in deep time
Convergent evolution is a central concept in evolutionary theory but the underlying mechanism has been largely debated since On the Origin of Species . Previous hypotheses predict that developmental constraints make some morphologies more likely to arise than others and natural selection discards those of the lowest fitness. However, the quantification of the role and strength of natural selection and developmental constraint in shaping convergent phenotypes on macroevolutionary timescales is challenging because the information regarding performance and development is not directly available. Accordingly, current knowledge of how embryonic development and natural selection drive phenotypic …
Regional endothermy as a trigger for gigantism in some extinct macropredatory sharks
Otodontids include some of the largest macropredatory sharks that ever lived, the most extreme case being Otodus (Megaselachus) megalodon. The reasons underlying their gigantism, distribution patterns and extinction have been classically linked with climatic factors and the evolution, radiation and migrations of cetaceans during the Paleogene. However, most of these previous proposals are based on the idea of otodontids as ectothermic sharks regardless of the ecological, energetic and body size constraints that this implies. Interestingly, a few recent studies have suggested the possible existence of endothermy in these sharks thus opening the door to a series of new interpretations. Accord…
Life in the Palaeozoic: an overview of land and sea ecosystems
The Palaeozoic Era, lasting from 541-252 million years ago, was a time of dramatic geographical, climatic, and evolutionary changes. During this Era, life experienced a tremendous transformation and many critical macroevolutionary events took place, including important biotic radiations and diversifications, and three of the five major mass extinctions on the Earth history (Raup&Sepkoski 1982). The advent and diversification of most modern metazoan phyla occurred during the Cambrian and Ordovician periods, in the so-called Cambrian Explosion and Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) (Servais et al. 2010). During the Ordovician, tectonic movements lead to a global cooling that cul…
Lonchidion derenzii, sp. nov., a new lonchidiid shark (Chondrichthyes, Hybodontiforms) from the Upper Triassic of Spain, with remarks on lonchidiid enameloid
Lonchidiidae Herman, 1977, represents one of the most diverse and controversial families of Hybodontiformes, the sister group of Neoselachii (i.e., modern sharks, skates, and rays). It was initially erected as a monogeneric family including only Lonchidion Estes, 1964, a genus of small euryhaline hybodonts from the Mesozoic. Recently, Cappetta (2012) recognized up to eight genera within the family: Baharyodon, Diplolonchidion, Vectiselachos, Hylaeobatis, Isanodus, Parvodus,Lissodus, andLonchidion, although the content of the family is still under discussion (see, e.g., Rees, 2008; Khamha et al., 2016). Major discrepancies concern the phylogenetic relationships between Lonchidion and Lissodu…
Biomechanics of Machaeracanthus pectoral fin spines provide evidence for distinctive spine function and lifestyle among early chondrichthyans
Acanthodians are a major group of Paleaozoic jawed vertebrates that constitute a paraphyletic assemblage of stem-chondrichthyans (Brazeau and Friedman, 2015). Representatives of this group are characterized, among other traits, by the presence of bony spines in front of all paired and median fins except the caudal (Denison, 1979), which has given rise to their colloquial name of 'spiny sharks'. The occurrence of pectoral fin spines is recognized as a potential gnathostome synapomorphy (Miller et al., 2003) or symplesiomorphy (Coates, 2003), being also present in other major groups of Paleaozoic jawed vertebrates, including placoderms (Young, 2010), 'non-acanthodian' chondrichthyans (Miller …
Supplementary methods, figures, tables and information from Use of nursery areas by the extinct megatooth shark Otodus megalodon (Chondrichthyes: Lamniformes)
Nursery areas are fundamental for the success of many marine species, particularly for large, slow-growing taxa with low fecundity and high age of maturity. Here, we examine the population size-class structure of the extinct gigantic shark Otodus megalodon in a newly described middle Miocene locality from Northeastern Spain, as well as in eight previously known formations (Temblor, Calvert, Pisco, Gatun, Chucunaque, Bahía Inglesa, Yorktown and Bone Valley). In all cases, body lengths of all individuals were inferred from dental parameters and the size-class structure was estimated from Kernel probability density functions and Gaussian mixture models. Our analyses support the presence of fiv…
Squamation and ecology of thelodonts
Thelodonts are an enigmatic group of Paleozoic jawless vertebrates that have been well studied from taxonomical, biostratigraphic and paleogeographic points of view, although our knowledge of their ecology and mode of life is still scant. Their bodies were covered by micrometric scales whose morphology, histology and the developmental process are extremely similar to those of extant sharks. Based on these similarities and on the well-recognized relationship between squamation and ecology in sharks, here we explore the ecological diversity and lifestyles of thelodonts. For this we use classic morphometrics and discriminant analysis to characterize the squamation patterns of a significant num…
Biomechanical insights into the dentition of megatooth sharks (Lamniformes: Otodontidae)
AbstractThe evolution of gigantism in extinct otodontid sharks was paralleled by a series of drastic modifications in their dentition including widening of the crowns, loss of lateral cusplets, and acquisition of serrated cutting edges. These traits have generally been interpreted as key functional features that enabled the transition from piscivory to more energetic diets based on marine mammals, ultimately leading to the evolution of titanic body sizes in the most recent forms (including the emblematic Otodus megalodon). To investigate this hypothesis, we evaluate the biomechanics of the anterior, lateral, and posterior teeth of five otodontid species under different loading conditions by…
Body dimensions of the extinct giant shark Otodus megalodon: a 2D reconstruction
AbstractInferring the size of extinct animals is fraught with danger, especially when they were much larger than their modern relatives. Such extrapolations are particularly risky when allometry is present. The extinct giant shark †Otodus megalodon is known almost exclusively from fossilised teeth. Estimates of †O. megalodon body size have been made from its teeth, using the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) as the only modern analogue. This can be problematic as the two species likely belong to different families, and the position of the †Otodus lineage within Lamniformes is unclear. Here, we infer †O. megalodon body dimensions based on anatomical measurements of five ecologically…
Supplementary methods, figures, tables and information from Use of nursery areas by the extinct megatooth shark Otodus megalodon (Chondrichthyes: Lamniformes)
Nursery areas are fundamental for the success of many marine species, particularly for large, slow-growing taxa with low fecundity and high age of maturity. Here, we examine the population size-class structure of the extinct gigantic shark Otodus megalodon in a newly described middle Miocene locality from Northeastern Spain, as well as in eight previously known formations (Temblor, Calvert, Pisco, Gatun, Chucunaque, Bahía Inglesa, Yorktown and Bone Valley). In all cases, body lengths of all individuals were inferred from dental parameters and the size-class structure was estimated from Kernel probability density functions and Gaussian mixture models. Our analyses support the presence of fiv…
Evidence of endothermy in the extinct macropredatory osteichthyan Xiphactinus audax (Teleostei, Ichthyodectiformes)
Xiphactinus audax is the largest macropredatory osteichthyan ever known (Everhart et al., 2010). Some of the largest specimens exceed 5 m in total length, although the discovery of a few large, isolated teeth suggests that this teleost could reach even larger body sizes (Vavrek et al., 2016, and references therein). Fossil remains of this species have only been reported from the Upper Cretaceous of North America, across the Western Interior Basin (Schwimmer et al., 1997; Vavrek et al., 2016). The discovery of several virtually complete individuals in this area has provided valuable information about the anatomy, the dimensions, and the ecology of this species (Cope, 1872; Bardack, 1965). Xi…
Supplementary material from Functional assessment of morphological homoplasy in stem-gnathostomes
The Osteostraci and Galeaspida are stem-gnathostomes, occupying a key phylogenetic position for resolving the nature of the jawless ancestor from which jawed vertebrates evolved more than 400 million years ago. Both groups are characterized by the presence of rigid headshields that share a number of common morphological traits, in some cases hindering the resolution of their interrelationships and the exact nature of their affinities with jawed vertebrates. Here, we explore the morphological and functional diversity of osteostracan and galeaspid headshields using an innovative approach that combines geometric morphometrics and computational fluid dynamics, thereby constraining the underlyin…
Functional assessment of morphological homoplasy in stem-gnathostomes
Osteostraci and Galeaspida are stem-gnathostomes, occupying a key phylogenetic position for resolving the nature of the jawless ancestor from which jawed vertebrates evolved more than 400 million years ago. Both groups are characterized by the presence of rigid headshields that share a number of common morphological traits, in some cases hindering the resolution of their interrelationships and the exact nature of their affinities with jawed vertebrates. Here, we explore the morphological and functional diversity of osteostracan and galeaspid headshields using an innovative approach that combines geometric morphometrics and computational fluid dynamics, thereby constraining the underlying fa…
Autecology, lifestyle and hydrodynamics of early vertebrates
Capítulo 1. Introducción general Los vertebrados constituyen uno de los grupos de animales más exitosos, contando con más de 60000 especies distintas y ocupando la gran mayoría de ecosistemas marinos y continentales. Su origen y evolución han sido temas centrales para biólogos y paleontólogos durante décadas, pero las discusiones en este sentido se han visto obstaculizadas porque los grupos actuales (ciclóstomos, condrictios y osteíctios) constituyen solo una pequeña representación de toda la diversidad que existió en el pasado. Por lo tanto, el registro fósil es crucial para arrojar luz sobre estos aspectos permitiendo desvelar el momento y el tempo de la aparición de los diferentes caract…
Grouping behaviour impacts on the parasitic pressure and squamation of sharks
The evolution of grouping behaviour involves a complex trade-off of benefits and costs. Among the latter, an increase in the risk of parasitic transmission is a well-documented phenomenon that has likely promoted the evolution of defensive mechanisms in aquatic vertebrates. Here, we explore the relationship between grouping behaviour, parasitic richness (∼parasitic pressure), and the evolution of potential defensive traits in the squamation of sharks through phylogenetic, standard and zero-inflation regression models. Our results demonstrate that sharks that frequently aggregate show increased parasitic pressure, which may constitute an agent of selection. Accordingly, their squamation is c…
Use of nursery areas by the extinct megatooth shark Otodus megalodon (Chondrichthyes: Lamniformes)
Nursery areas are fundamental for the success of many marine species, particularly for large, slow-growing taxa with low fecundity and high age of maturity. Here, we examine the population size-class structure of the extinct gigantic shark Otodus megalodon in a newly described middle Miocene locality from Northeastern Spain, as well as in eight previously known formations (Temblor, Calvert, Pisco, Gatún, Chucunaque, Bahía Inglesa, Yorktown and Bone Valley). In all cases, body lengths of all individuals were inferred from dental parameters and the size-class structure was estimated from kernel probability density functions and Gaussian mixture models. Our analyses support the presence of fi…
Ecomorphological inferences in early vertebrates: reconstructing Dunkleosteus terrelli (Arthrodira, Placodermi) caudal fin from palaeoecological data
Our knowledge about the body morphology of many extinct early vertebrates is very limited, especially in regard to their post-thoracic region. The prompt disarticulation of the dermo-skeletal elements due to taphonomic processes and the lack of a well-ossified endoskeleton in a large number of groups hinder the preservation of complete specimens. Previous reconstructions of most early vertebrates known from partial remains have been wholly based on phylogenetically closely related taxa. However, body design of fishes is determined, to a large extent, by their swimming mode and feeding niche, making it possible to recognise different morphological traits that have evolved several times in no…
Patterns of ecological diversification in thelodonts
Here we explore the spatial, temporal and phylogenetic patterns of ecological diversification for the entire clade of thelodonts, one of the earliest groups of vertebrates and longest lasting of the Palaeozoic agnathans in the fossil record. Parsimony and maximum-likelihood methods are used to reconstruct ancestral states of their geographical distributions, habitats and lifestyles. Our results support the concept that thelodonts originated during the Middle?-Late Ordovician probably in marine open waters of Laurasia, with a demersal lifestyle on hard substrates being the ancestral condition for the whole clade. Later, thelodonts underwent a complex ecological diversification and palaeobiog…
Assessing metabolic constraints on the maximum body size of actinopterygians: locomotion energetics of Leedsichthys problematicus (Actinopterygii, Pachycormiformes)
Maximum sizes attained by living actinopterygians are much smaller than those reached by chondrichthyans. Several factors, including the high metabolic requirements of bony fishes, have been proposed as possible body‐size constraints but no empirical approaches exist. Remarkably, fossil evidence has rarely been considered despite some extinct actinopterygians reaching sizes comparable to those of the largest living sharks. Here, we have assessed the locomotion energetics of Leedsichthys problematicus, an extinct gigantic suspension‐feeder and the largest actinopterygian ever known, shedding light on the metabolic limits of body size in actinopterygians and the possible underlying factors th…
Bioluminescent-like squamation in the galeomorph shark Apristurus ampliceps (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii)
Galeomorph sharks constitute the most taxonomically and ecologically diverse superorder of living selachians. Despite comprising several typically deep-water taxa, no bioluminescent species have been reported in this group so far. Interestingly, the study of shark squamation has been revealed in recent years to be a good proxy for inferring some ecological aspects of poorly known species. In particular, the high morphological specificity of the dermal denticles and the squamation patterns of all currently-known bioluminescent sharks could constitute a potential tool for predicting bioluminescence in both fossil and living taxa. Following this idea, we provide the first evidence supporting t…
Obruchevacanthus ireneae gen. et sp. nov., a new ischnacanthiform (Acanthodii) from the Lower Devonian of Spain
New disarticulated material of typically ischnacanthid scales, tooth whorls, and ?dentigerous jaw bones that occur recurrently together at many levels of the Lower Devonian of the Iberian Chain (Spain) is described. Based on their stratigraphical occurrence, histological evidence and comparison with similar ischnacanthid assemblages from other localities, we suggest including all of these remains in a unique natural assemblage, Obruchevacanthus ireneae gen. et sp. nov. This new taxon shares some features with Trundlelepis cervicostulata from the Lower Devonian of New South Wales (Australia), as for example the presence of a poorly developed pore canal system in their scales. This feature su…
Datasets employed for and detailed results derived from the regression models from Grouping behaviour impacts on the parasitic pressure and squamation of sharks
The evolution of grouping behaviour involves a complex trade-off of benefits and costs. Among the latter, an increase in the risk of parasitic transmission is a well-documented phenomenon that has likely promoted the evolution of defensive mechanisms in aquatic vertebrates. Here, we explore the relationship between grouping behaviour, parasitic richness (∼parasitic pressure), and the evolution of potential defensive traits in the squamation of sharks through phylogenetic, standard and zero-inflation regression models. Our results demonstrate that sharks that frequently aggregate show increased parasitic pressure, which may constitute an agent of selection. Accordingly, their squamation is c…
Pre-Messinian ecological diversity of Mediterranean sharks revealed by the study of their dermal denticles
The Messinian salinity crisis (~5.59 Ma) is regarded as one of the most determining events for the recent evolutionary and palaeobiogeographic history of the Mediterranean biota. The impact of such episode has usually been assessed by evaluating the associated taxonomic turnover, however its consequences have rarely been interpreted from an ecological perspective. Here we assess the functional diversity of shark dermal denticles in a Serravallian locality from southeast Spain, providing a primary view into the pre-Messinian ecological diversity of shark communities from the Western Mediterranean. Our results reveal a high diversity of functional types of dermal denticles including dermal de…
Insight into the noble crayfish morphological diversity: a geometric morphometric approach.
The noble crayfish (Astacus astacus), a keystone species of high ecological, economic, and cultural importance in Europe, is threatened due to a long-term population decline caused by anthropogenic pressure on its habitats, the presence of non-indigenous invasive crayfish species and climate change. Since the effective protection of the remaining populations requires conservation measures based on the comprehensive knowledge of the species, including good understanding of its genetic and morphological variability, our aim was to study morphological features of the noble crayfish in Croatia using geometric morphometrics for the first time. We applied two-dimensional geometric morphometrics t…
Middle-Late Triassic chondrichthyans remains from the the Betic Range (Spain)
Purpose In the present study, we described, for first time, the chondrichthyan fauna from several Middle-Late Triassic sections in the Betic Domain and compare it with other recent described coeval faunas from the Iberian Ranges. Methods Specimens were retrieved after the dissolution (with 10% acetic acid) of carbonate rocks. Results The assemblage comprises of seven species belonging to six genera (Hybodus plicatilis, Omanoselache bucheri comb. nov., Omanoselache contrarius comb. nov., Lonchidion derenzii, Lissodus aff. L. lepagei, Pseudodalatias henarejensis and cf. Rhomaleodus budurovi), most of them non-nesoselachian. Chondrichthyans remains occur in levels dating from Ladinian to Carni…
The evolution of gigantism in active marine predators
A novel hypothesis to better understand the evolution of gigantism in active marine predators and the diversity of body sizes, feeding strategies and thermophysiologies of extinct and living aquatic vertebrates is proposed. Recent works suggest that some aspects of animal energetics can act as constraining factors for body size. Given that mass-specific metabolic rate decreases with body mass, the body size of active predators should be limited by the high metabolic demand of this feeding strategy. In this context, we propose that shifts towards higher metabolic levels can enable the same activity and feeding strategy to be maintained at bigger body sizes, offering a satisfactory explanatio…
Middle Triassic sharks from the Catalan Coastal ranges (NE Spain) and faunal colonization patterns during the westward transgression of Tethys
Abstract Palaeogeographic changes that occurred during the Middle Triassic in the westernmost Tethyan domain were governed by a westward marine transgression of the Tethys Ocean. The transgression flooded wide areas of the eastern part of Iberia, forming new epicontinental shallow-marine environments, which were subsequently colonized by diverse faunas, including chondrichthyans. The transgression is recorded by two successive transgressive–regressive cycles: (1) middle–late Anisian and (2) late Anisian–early Carnian. Here, we describe the chondrichthyan fauna recovered from several Middle Triassic stratigraphic sections (Pelsonian-Longobardian) located at the Catalan Coastal Basin (western…
Morphometric Discriminant Analysis of isolated chondrichthyan scales for palaeoecological inferences: the Middle Triassic of the Iberian Chain (Spain) as a case of study
[EN] Palaeontological studies on exosqueletal disarticulated remains of chondrichthyans have focused on teeth and only less interest has been paid to scales due their limited taxonomic and systematic significance. However, classical works linking the morphology and the function of the squamation in extant sharks suggest that, despite their limited taxonomic value, the study of isolated scales can be a useful tool for palaeoenvironmental and palaeoecological inferences. Following this idea, we have analyzed the fossil record of shark scales from two Middle Triassic sections of the Iberian Chain (Spain), identifying different functional types by means of a morphometric discriminant analysis. …
Tiburones de aguas profundas en el Mioceno medio de Alicante: implicaciones para la recuperación de los ecosistemas abisales mediterráneos después de la crisis mesiniense
El estudio de la localidad clásica de El Chorrillo del Mioceno Medio (Serravaliense) en la Provincia de Alicante, ha permitido la recuperación de una interesante asociación de microrestos de tiburones caracterizada por al menos siete taxones (Deania calcea, ¿Isistius triangulus, ¿Squaliolus cf. schaubi, ¿Paraetmopterus sp., Pristiophorus sp., Scyliorhinus sp. y un Squaliforme indeterminado) pertenecientes a tres órdenes diferentes (Squaliformes, Pristiophoriformes y Carcharhiniformes). Asociados a estos microrestos se han identificado también macrodientes pertenecientes a Cosmopolitodus hastalis, Isurus sp., Hemipristis serra, Odontaspis sp., Carcharhinus spp. y ¿Otodus (Megaselachus) megal…
Computational Fluid Dynamics Suggests Ecological Diversification among Stem-Gnathostomes.
Summary The evolutionary assembly of the vertebrate bodyplan has been characterized as a long-term ecological trend toward increasingly active and predatory lifestyles, culminating in jawed vertebrates that dominate modern vertebrate biodiversity [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. This contrast is no more stark than between the earliest jawed vertebrates and their immediate relatives, the extinct jawless, dermal armor-encased osteostracans, which have conventionally been interpreted as benthic mud-grubbers with poor swimming capabilities and low maneuverability [ 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 ]. Using computational fluid dynamics, we show that osteostracan headshield morphology is compatible with a dive…
A Serravallian (Middle Miocene) shark fauna from Southeastern Spain and its palaeoenvironment significance
The study of a new Serravallian (Middle Miocene) locality from the Southeastern Spain has yielded a shark assemblage characterized by microremains of at least seven taxa (Deania calcea, ¿Isistius triangulus, ¿Squaliolus cf. S. schaubi, ¿Paraetmopterus sp., Pristiophorus sp., Scyliorhinus sp. and a cf. Squaliformes indet) of three different orders (Squaliformes, Pristiophoriformes and Carcharhiniformes). In addition, associated macroremains have also been found, including teeth of ¿Cosmopolitodus hastalis, Isurus sp., Hemipristis serra, Odontaspis sp., Carcharhinus spp. and ¿Otodus (Megaselachus) megalodon. The assemblage contains taxa with disparate environmental preferences including not o…
Bioluminescent-like squamation in the galeomorph shark Apristurus ampliceps (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii)
Galeomorph sharks constitute the most taxonomically and ecologically diverse superorder of living selachians. Despite comprising several typically deep-water taxa, no bioluminescent species have been reported in this group so far. Interestingly, the study of shark squamation has been revealed in recent years to be a good proxy for inferring some ecological aspects of poorly known species. In particular, the high morphological specificity of the dermal denticles and the squamation patterns of all currently-known bioluminescent sharks could constitute a potential tool for predicting bioluminescence in both fossil and living taxa. Following this idea, we provide the first evidence supporting t…
Supplementary methods, figures, tables and information from Use of nursery areas by the extinct megatooth shark Otodus megalodon (Chondrichthyes: Lamniformes)
Nursery areas are fundamental for the success of many marine species, particularly for large, slow-growing taxa with low fecundity and high age of maturity. Here, we examine the population size-class structure of the extinct gigantic shark Otodus megalodon in a newly described middle Miocene locality from Northeastern Spain, as well as in eight previously known formations (Temblor, Calvert, Pisco, Gatun, Chucunaque, Bahía Inglesa, Yorktown and Bone Valley). In all cases, body lengths of all individuals were inferred from dental parameters and the size-class structure was estimated from Kernel probability density functions and Gaussian mixture models. Our analyses support the presence of fiv…
Biomechanics of Machaeracanthus pectoral fin spines provide evidence for distinctive spine function and lifestyle among early chondrichthyans
Biomechanics of Machaeracanthus pectoral fin spines provide evidence for distinctive spine function and lifestyle among early chondrichthyans
R scripts of performed analyses from Use of nursery areas by the extinct megatooth shark Otodus megalodon (Chondrichthyes: Lamniformes)
Nursery areas are fundamental for the success of many marine species, particularly for large, slow-growing taxa with low fecundity and high age of maturity. Here, we examine the population size-class structure of the extinct gigantic shark Otodus megalodon in a newly described middle Miocene locality from Northeastern Spain, as well as in eight previously known formations (Temblor, Calvert, Pisco, Gatun, Chucunaque, Bahía Inglesa, Yorktown and Bone Valley). In all cases, body lengths of all individuals were inferred from dental parameters and the size-class structure was estimated from Kernel probability density functions and Gaussian mixture models. Our analyses support the presence of fiv…
Data from: Patterns of ecological diversification in thelodonts
Here we explore the spatial, temporal and phylogenetic patterns of ecological diversification for the entire clade of thelodonts, one of the earliest groups of vertebrates and longest lasting of the Palaeozoic agnathans in the fossil record. Parsimony and maximum-likelihood methods are used to reconstruct ancestral states of their geographical distributions, habitats and lifestyles. Our results support the concept that thelodonts originated during the Middle?–Late Ordovician probably in marine open waters of Laurasia, with a demersal lifestyle on hard substrates being the ancestral condition for the whole clade. Later, thelodonts underwent a complex ecological diversification and palaeobiog…
Evidence of endothermy in the extinct macropredatory osteichthyan Xiphactinus audax (Teleostei, Ichthyodectiformes)
Evidence of endothermy in the extinct macropredatory osteichthyan Xiphactinus audax (Teleostei, Ichthyodectiformes)
Data from: Assessing metabolic constraints on the maximum body size of actinopterygians: locomotion energetics of Leedsichthys problematicus (Actinopterygii, Pachycormiformes)
Maximum sizes attained by living actinopterygians are much smaller than those reached by chondrichthyans. Several factors, including the high metabolic requirements of bony fishes, have been proposed as possible body-size constraints but no empirical approaches exist. Remarkably, fossil evidence has rarely been considered despite some extinct actinopterygians reaching sizes comparable to those of the largest living sharks. Here, we have assessed the locomotion energetics of Leedsichthys problematicus, an extinct gigantic suspension-feeder and the largest actinopterygian ever known, shedding light on the metabolic limits of body size in actinopterygians and the possible underlying factors th…
Illustration for social media and potential cover image from Use of nursery areas by the extinct megatooth shark Otodus megalodon (Chondrichthyes: Lamniformes)
Credits: Hugo Salais (Metazoa Studio)
Máster en Paleontología Aplicada (UV). Paleoecología, paleoclimatología y paleobiogegrafía (Power Point)
1. PALEOECOLOGÍA: INTRODUCCIÓN 1.1. Conceptos básicos 1.2. Genética de paleopoblaciones 1.3. Dinámica de paleopoblaciones 1.4. Interacciones en el paleoecosistema 2. APROXIMACIONES PALEOECOLÓGICAS 2.1. Sedimentología, asociaciones fósiles y tafonomía 2.2. Icnofósiles 2.3. Analogía funcional y 'phylogenetic bracketing' 2.4. Análisis morfométrico 2.5. Análisis geoquímico y biomarcadores 2.6. Análisis biomecánico 2.7. Análisis de redes 2.8. Modelado de nicho ecológico 2.9. Métodos comparativos filogenéticos 2.10. Análisis de disparidad y filo(morfoespacio) 2.11. Mapas de rendimiento y eficiencia de Pareto