3D geometric morphometrics of the hind limb in the titanosaur sauropods from Lo Hueco (Cuenca, Spain)

Páramo, By Adrián; Escaso, Fernando; Mocho, Pierre; Marcos-Fernández, F.; García, José Luis Sanz; Ortega, Francisco

doi:10.1016/j.cretres.2022.105147

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 84 publications

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“…Moreover, limb bones can show large regions, such as shafts, lacking anatomical landmarks, and can thus only be correctly digitized by a sliding semilandmark approach. Recently, 3D GM studies (Lefebvre et al, 2020 , investigating the biological and taphonomic variation in Plateosaurus , and Páramo et al, 2020 , 2022 focusing on titanosaurs in a systematic context) have been performed on sauropodomorph limb long bones using anatomical landmarks and sliding semilandmarks, showing the potential of applying this method to the study of sauropodomorph evolution. Applied to the study of sauropodomoprh gigantism, 3D GM appears as a powerful framework allowing to study the allometry, that is the investigation of size and its consequences on shape variation (see Gould, 1966 ; Klingenberg, 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A path to gigantism: Three‐dimensional study of the sauropodomorph limb long bone shape variation in the context of the emergence of the sauropod bauplan

Lefebvre

Houssaye

Mallison³

et al. 2022

Journal of Anatomy

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Sauropodomorph dinosaurs include the largest terrestrial animals that ever lived on Earth. The early representatives of this clade were, however, relatively small and partially to totally bipedal, conversely to the gigantic and quadrupedal sauropods. Although the sauropod bauplan is well defined, notably by the acquisition of columnar limbs, the evolutionary sequence leading to its emergence remains debated. Here, we aim to tackle this evolutionary episode by investigating shape variation in the six limb long bones for the first time using three‐dimensional geometric morphometrics. The morphological features of the forelimb zeugopod bones related to the sauropod bauplan tend to appear abruptly, whereas the pattern is more gradual for the hindlimb zeugopod bones. The stylopod bones tend to show the same pattern as their respective zeugopods. The abrupt emergence of the sauropod forelimb questions the locomotor abilities of non‐sauropodan sauropodomorphs inferred as quadrupeds. Features characterizing sauropods tend to corroborate a view of their locomotion mainly based on stylopod retraction. An allometric investigation of the shape variation in accordance with size highlight differences in hindlimb bone allometries between the sauropods and the non‐sauropodan sauropodomorphs. These differences notably correspond to an unexpected robustness decrease trend in the sauropod hindlimb zeugopod. In addition to forelimb bones that appear to be proportionally more gracile than in non‐sauropodan sauropodomorphs, sauropods may have relied on limb architecture and features related to the size increase, rather than general robustness, to deal with the role of weight‐bearing.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A path to gigantism: Three‐dimensional study of the sauropodomorph limb long bone shape variation in the context of the emergence of the sauropod bauplan

Lefebvre

Houssaye

Mallison³

et al. 2022

Journal of Anatomy

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“…(d) Two‐dimensional geometric morphometric study comparing ontogenetic trajectories of Triceratops and Torosaurus (image modified from Maiorino, Farke, Kotsakis, & Piras, 2013). (e) Three‐dimensional geometric morphometric analysis assessing morphological variability in sauropod femora (image modified from Páramo et al, 2022). (f) Two‐dimensional analysis of vertebrae and lung structure in archosaurs.…”

Section: A Brief History Of Morphometrics In Nonavian Dinosaur Biologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Dots on a screen: The past, present, and future of morphometrics in the study of nonavian dinosaurs

Hedrick

2023

The Anatomical Record

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Using morphometrics to study nonavian dinosaur fossils is a practice that predates the origin of the word “dinosaur.” By the 1970s, linear morphometrics had become established as a valuable tool for analyzing intra‐ and interspecific variation in nonavian dinosaurs. With the advent of more recent techniques such as geometric morphometrics and more advanced statistical approaches, morphometric analyses of nonavian dinosaurs have proliferated, granting unprecedented insight into many aspects of their biology and evolution. I outline the past, present, and future of morphometrics as applied to the study of nonavian dinosaurs zeroing in on five aspects of nonavian dinosaur paleobiology where morphometrics has been widely utilized to advance our knowledge: systematics, sexual dimorphism, locomotion, macroevolution, and trackways. Morphometric methods are especially susceptible to taphonomic distortion. As such, the impact of taphonomic distortion on original fossil shape is discussed as are current and future methods for quantifying and accounting for distortion with the goal of reducing the taphonomic noise to biological signal ratio. Finally, the future of morphometrics in nonavian dinosaur paleobiology is discussed as paleobiologists move into a “virtual paleobiology” framework, whereby digital renditions of fossils are captured via methods such as photogrammetry and computed tomography. These primary data form the basis for three‐dimensional (3D) geometric morphometric analyses along with a slew of other forms of analyses. These 3D specimen data form part of the extended specimen and help to democratize paleobiology, unlocking the specimen from the physical museum and making the specimen available to researchers across the world.

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“…However, the most significant European fossil site with continental vertebrates known at the moment from this time interval is Lo Hueco in the Cuenca Province of central Spain. Abundant vertebrate fossils have been described from this locality, allowing the identification of a diverse fauna, including several groups of dinosaurs, but also abundant materials of crocodyliforms, squamates, turtles and fishes (e.g., [19][20][21][22][23][24]). Theropod materials from Lo Hueco mainly consisting of teeth and sparser, mostly isolated postcranial elements (including the tibia and proximal tarsals described below).…”

Section: The Fossil Record Of Late Cretaceous Theropod Dinosaurs In E...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In recent years, Lo Hueco has become one of the most relevant European fossil sites for the study of late Campanian-Maastrichtian continental vertebrate faunas. Abundant vertebrate fossils have been described from this locality, allowing the identification of a diverse fauna, including several groups of dinosaurs, abundant materials of crocodyliforms, squamates, turtles and fishes (e.g., [19][20][21][22][23][24]). Theropod materials are relatively scarce in Lo Hueco and consist mainly of teeth and sparser, mostly isolated postcranial elements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Eudromaeosaurian Theropod from Lo Hueco (Upper Cretaceous. Central Spain)

Malafaia

Escaso

Coria³

et al. 2023

Diversity

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The Lo Hueco fossil site (Cuenca, Spain) is one of the most relevant localities for the study of Late Cretaceous continental vertebrate faunas from Europe. The fossil record of theropod dinosaurs from this locality is represented by scarce isolated postcranial materials that were preliminarily attributed to abelisaurids and to a possible giant bird, in addition to a large assemblage of isolated teeth that were related to different maniraptoran clades. Here, we describe an isolated partial left tibia articulated with the proximal tarsals and discuss their taxonomic affinities. A review of the European fossil record of Late Cretaceous theropods was performed to analyze possible changes in the faunistical composition during this period. The specimen from Lo Hueco exhibits some characters that have been interpreted as apomorphies for maniraptoran coelurosaurs and a combination of features compatible with deinonychosaurians. Within this clade, the specimen is more favorably comparable with velociraptorine dromaeosaurids and is tentatively interpreted as a member of this group. This specimen is one of the few non-dental specimens of dromaeosaurids described thus far from the Upper Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula and contributes to a better understanding of the composition and evolutionary history of the European theropod fauna during the last stages of the Mesozoic.

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3D geometric morphometrics of the hind limb in the titanosaur sauropods from Lo Hueco (Cuenca, Spain)

Cited by 9 publications

References 84 publications

A path to gigantism: Three‐dimensional study of the sauropodomorph limb long bone shape variation in the context of the emergence of the sauropod bauplan

A path to gigantism: Three‐dimensional study of the sauropodomorph limb long bone shape variation in the context of the emergence of the sauropod bauplan

Dots on a screen: The past, present, and future of morphometrics in the study of nonavian dinosaurs

An Eudromaeosaurian Theropod from Lo Hueco (Upper Cretaceous. Central Spain)

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