Reconstruction of Microraptor and the Evolution of Iridescent Plumage

@article{Li2012ReconstructionOM,
  title={Reconstruction of Microraptor and the Evolution of Iridescent Plumage},
  author={Quanguo Li and Keqin Gao and Qingjin Meng and Julia A. Clarke and Matthew D. Shawkey and Liliana D’Alba and Rui Pei and Michael Ellison and Mark A. Norell and Jakob Vinther},
  journal={Science},
  year={2012},
  volume={335},
  pages={1215 - 1219}
}
Flashy Feathers Feather colors play key roles in the lives of birds, functioning in everything from camouflage, to thermoregulation, to sexual signaling. Much recent research has revealed that some dinosaurs also had feathers, and examination of feather components in fossil and preserved feathers has begun to reveal how feather color may have played a role in the lives of these dinosaurs. Li et al. (p. 1215) compared the characteristics of the melanosomes of the paravian dinosaur Microraptor to… 
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168 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
5
Background Citations
53
Methods Citations
4
Results Citations
4

168 Citations

Pterosaur melanosomes support signalling functions for early feathers
TLDR
The presence of diverse melanosome geometries in the skin and simple and branched feathers of a tapejarid pterosaur from the Early Cretaceous found in Brazil indicate that manipulation of feather colour—and thus functions of feathers in visual communication—has deep evolutionary origins.
Melanosome diversity and convergence in the evolution of iridescent avian feathers—Implications for paleocolor reconstruction
TLDR
It is found that iridescence is a labile trait that has evolved convergently in several lineages extending down to paravian theropods and is the most varied melanosome morphologies of all types of bird coloration sampled to date.
Feather Gene Expression Elucidates the Developmental Basis of Plumage Iridescence in African Starlings.
TLDR
Functional genomics is used to explore the developmental basis of iridescent plumage using superb starlings, showing that non-iridescent feather development is associated with genes related to pigmentation, metabolism, and mitochondrial function, and suggests that iridescence feathers form through a combination of passive self-assembly and active processes.
Melanosome evolution indicates a key physiological shift within feathered dinosaurs
Inference of colour patterning in extinct dinosaurs has been based on the relationship between the morphology of melanin-containing organelles (melanosomes) and colour in extant bird feathers. When…
Feather Evolution in Pennaraptora
TLDR
The origin and early evolution of complex feathers and flight abilities in paravian theropods were not linear processes, but more complex than previously thought.
Experimental maturation of feathers: implications for reconstructions of fossil feather colour
TLDR
These results demonstrate that reconstructions of original plumage coloration in fossils where preserved features of melanosomes are affected by diagenesis should be treated with caution, using high pressure–high temperature autoclave experiments on modern feathers to simulate the effects of burial on feather colour.
Evolution of brilliant iridescent feather nanostructures
TLDR
The evolution of thin melanin layers unlocks color-producing possibilities, more than doubling the range of colors that can be produced with a thick melanin layer and simultaneously increasing brightness.
Characterization of melanosomes involved in the production of non-iridescent structural feather colours and their detection in the fossil record
TLDR
Through analyses of fossil melanosomes, melanosome indicative of non-iridescent structural colour can be predicted in an Eocene stem group roller (Eocoracias: Coraciiformes) and with phylogenetic comparative methods the likely hue can be surmised.
New specimen of Archaeopteryx provides insights into the evolution of pennaceous feathers
TLDR
An analysis of the phylogenetic distribution of pennaceous feathers on the tail, hindlimb and arms of advanced maniraptorans and basal avialans strongly indicates that these structures evolved in a functional context other than flight, most probably in relation to display, as suggested by some previous studies.
EXPERIMENTAL MATURATION OF FEATHERS: IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERPRETATIONS OF FOSSIL FEATHERS
Abstract: Exceptionally preserved fossil feathers and feather-like integumentary structures provide valuable insights into the early evolution of feathers and flight, but taphonomic biases often make…
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