New evidence for mammaliaform ear evolution and feeding adaptation in a Jurassic ecosystem

@article{Luo2017NewEF,
  title={New evidence for mammaliaform ear evolution and feeding adaptation in a Jurassic ecosystem},
  author={Zhe-Xi Luo and Qingjin Meng and David M. Grossnickle and Di Liu and April I. Neander and Yuguang Zhang and Qiang Ji},
  journal={Nature},
  year={2017},
  volume={548},
  pages={326-329}
}
Stem mammaliaforms are forerunners to modern mammals, and they achieved considerable ecomorphological diversity in their own right. Recent discoveries suggest that eleutherodontids, a subclade of Haramiyida, were more species-rich during the Jurassic period in Asia than previously recognized. Here we report a new Jurassic eleutherodontid mammaliaform with an unusual mosaic of highly specialized characteristics, and the results of phylogenetic analyses that support the hypothesis that… Expand
View on Nature
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
59 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
3
Background Citations
8

59 Citations

Citation Type

Citation Type

The earliest-known mammaliaform fossil from Greenland sheds light on origin of mammals
TLDR
The earliest-known mandibular fossil of a mammaliaform with double molariform roots and a crown with two rows of cusps from the Late Triassic of Greenland is described and indicates that teeth with two roots can better withstand stronger mechanical stresses like those resulting from tooth occlusion, than teeth with a single root. Expand
Late-surviving stem mammal links the lowermost Cretaceous of North America and Gondwana
TLDR
It is suggested that hahnodontid mammaliaforms had a much wider, possibly Pangaean distribution during the Jurassic–Cretaceous transition, and an exceptionally preserved skull of Cifelliodon wahkarmoosuch sheds light on the evolution of the ancestral mammalian brain. Expand
New Jurassic mammaliaform sheds light on early evolution of mammal-like hyoid bones
TLDR
A Jurassic fossil shows that early premammalian ancestors possessed hyoids similar to those seen in mammals today, and a new Jurassic docodontan mammaliaform found in China that is preserved with the hyoid bones is reported. Expand
New gliding mammaliaforms from the Jurassic
TLDR
Two new eleutherodonts from the Late Jurassic period have skin membranes and skeletal features that are adapted for gliding, and show an evolutionary experimentation similar to the iterative evolutions of gliders within arboreal groups of marsupial and placental mammals. Expand
Skeleton of a Cretaceous mammal from Madagascar reflects long-term insularity
TLDR
The skeleton of Adalatherium hui, a newly discovered gondwanatherian mammal from Madagascar dated to near the end of the Cretaceous period, shows features consistent with a long evolutionary trajectory of isolation in an insular environment. Expand
New species of mammaliaform and the cranium of Borealestes (Mammaliformes: Docodonta) from the Middle Jurassic of the British Isles
TLDR
This study highlights that generic and species taxonomy of docodontans are more reliable when based on both upper and lower teeth, while lower molar morphology may underrepresent the true diversity of Mesozoic mammaliaforms. Expand
Conflict Resolution for Mesozoic Mammals: Reconciling Phylogenetic Incongruence Among Anatomical Regions
TLDR
It was shown that incongruence among mandibulodental, cranial, and postcranial anatomical partitions for the placement of the australosphenidans, haramiyids, and multituberculates could largely be explained by apparently non-phylogenetic covariance from cheek teeth and shoulder girdle characters. Expand
The Mandible and Dentition of Borealestes serendipitus (Docodonta) from the Middle Jurassic of Skye, Scotland
ABSTRACT The Middle Jurassic docodont Borealestes serendipitus was the first Mesozoic mammal found in Scotland over 40 years ago. Its affinities and morphology have remained poorly understood.… Expand
Evidence of diphyodonty and heterochrony for dental development in euharamiyidan mammals from Jurassic Yanliao Biota
Evidences for tooth replacement of known euharamiyidans are reported based on eight specimens of four species from the Jurassic Yanliao Biota, Liaoning Province, China. Tooth morphologies, eruptional… Expand
New cynodonts (Therapsida, Eucynodontia) from the Late Triassic of India and their significances
TLDR
The Upper Triassic Tiki Formation of India has yielded several new cynodont taxa, which are described on the basis of multiple isolated teeth and a jaw fragment, and such a tooth morphology occupies an intermediate position between the non-mammalian Cynodonts and the early mammals. Expand
...
1
2
3
4
5
...

References

SHOWING 1-10 OF 30 REFERENCES
A new arboreal haramiyid shows the diversity of crown mammals in the Jurassic period
TLDR
A new haramiyid from the Jurassic period of China is reported, which is, to the authors' knowledge, the largest reported so far and shows again that, regardless of various phylogenetic scenarios, a complex pattern of evolution involving many convergences and/or reversals existed in Mesozoic mammals. Expand
A Jurassic mammaliaform and the earliest mammalian evolutionary adaptations
TLDR
A new fossil from the Middle Jurassic that has a mandibular middle ear, a gradational transition of thoracolumbar vertebrae and primitive ankle features, but highly derived molars with a high crown and multiple roots that are partially fused is described. Expand
Evolutionary development in basal mammaliaforms as revealed by a docodontan
TLDR
It is argued that these morphogenetic mechanisms ofmodern mammals were operating before the rise of modern mammals, driving the morphological disparity in the earliest mammaliaform diversification. Expand
An arboreal docodont from the Jurassic and mammaliaform ecological diversification
TLDR
A new docodontan mammaliaform from the Middle Jurassic of China has skeletal features for climbing and dental characters indicative of an omnivorous diet that included plant sap, revealing a greater ecological diversity in an early mammaliaforms clade at a more fundamental taxonomic level not only between major clades as previously thought. Expand
New gliding mammaliaforms from the Jurassic
TLDR
Two new eleutherodonts from the Late Jurassic period have skin membranes and skeletal features that are adapted for gliding, and show an evolutionary experimentation similar to the iterative evolutions of gliders within arboreal groups of marsupial and placental mammals. Expand
Three new Jurassic euharamiyidan species reinforce early divergence of mammals
TLDR
The phylogeny suggests that allotherian mammals evolved from a Late Triassic Haramiyavia-like ancestor and diversified into euharamiyidans and multituberculates with a cosmopolitan distribution, implying homologous acquisition of many craniodental and postcranial features in the two groups. Expand
Mandibular and dental characteristics of Late Triassic mammaliaform Haramiyavia and their ramifications for basal mammal evolution
TLDR
Tests of competing phylogenetic hypotheses with new data show that Late Triassic haramiyids are a separate clade from multituberculate mammals and are excluded from the Mammalia, suggesting that dietary diversification is a major factor in the earliest mammaliaform evolution. Expand
Haramiyids and Triassic mammalian evolution
TLDR
The discovery of haramiyid dentaries, a maxilla and other skeletal remains in the Upper Triassic of East Greenland revealsHaramiyids as highly specialized mammals with a novel pattern of puncture-crushing occlusion that differs dramatically from the grinding or shearing mechanisms of other Early Mesozoic mammals. Expand
A new eutriconodont mammal and evolutionary development in early mammals
TLDR
A Mesozoic eutriconodont nested within crown mammals that clearly illustrates this transition: the middle ear bones are connected to the mandible via an ossified Meckel’s cartilage, adding to the evidence of homoplasy of vertebral characters in the thoraco-lumbar transition and unfused lumbar ribs among early mammals. Expand
Earliest Evolution of Multituberculate Mammals Revealed by a New Jurassic Fossil
TLDR
A new basal multi is described from a nearly complete skeleton that shows that the underpinnings of these adaptations arose early in the evolution of the order, setting the stage for the major diversification and radiation of the group that came during the Cretaceous and Paleogene. Expand
...
1
2
3
...