Oldest skeleton of a fossil flying squirrel casts new light on the phylogeny of the group

Casanovas‐Vilar, Isaac; Garcia‐Porta, Joan; Fortuny, Josep; Sanisidro, Óscar; Prieto, Jérôme; Querejeta, Marina; Llácer, Sergio; Robles, Josep M.; Bernardini, Federico

doi:10.7554/elife.39270

Cited by 22 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…Although it is not statistically significant, the presence of the Sciurini in the Palaearctic could be traced back to the early Miocene. In our reconstruction, several Pteromyini lineages dispersed into the Palaearctic from the Indomalayan realm during the late Miocene, although there is fossil evidence that some other lineages of this tribe were present in Europe from the Oligocene onwards (Heissig 1979a,1979b, De Bruijn 1999, Dawson 2003, Heissig 2003, Gómez Cano et al 2014, Casanovas‐Vilar et al 2018). In fact, other research has suggested a Palearctic origin of Pteromyini (Lu et al 2013).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 72%

A multi‐layered approach to the diversification of squirrels

Menéndez

Cano²,

Cantalapiedra

et al. 2020

Mammal Review

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The shape of the tree of life is the result of shifting diversification rates, and identifying the factors driving these shifts is one of the main aims in evolutionary biology. Various biotic and abiotic factors have been proposed to have an impact on mammal diversification, such as climatic and tectonic changes, the acquisition of new traits, and expansion into new ecosystems or landmasses. We used phylogenetic comparative methods to quantify the influence of potential drivers on diversification patterns in extant squirrels (Sciuridae, Rodentia). We conducted a multilayer approach, comparing diversification rates among squirrel lineages depending on their degree of biome specialisation, biogeographic realm occupancy, locomotion adaptations, and presence in mountainous regions. We generated the most complete phylogeny of squirrels to date, encompassing almost 80% of the extant species, and applied multiple and binary state‐dependent diversification models. All the traits examined showed an influence on diversification rates. The biome specialist lineages showed the highest speciation rates, suggesting a major role of bioclimatic specialisation on macroevolutionary patterns. A single major event, the Miocene–Pleistocene radiation of terrestrial‐adapted lineages in North America, left a signal that was recovered in two of our analyses. Both the Nearctic lineages and the terrestrial‐adapted lineages showed high speciation rates, highlighting the fact that that major evolutionary episodes may produce confounding effects in state‐dependent diversification models. Ancestral reconstructions showed that cold and warm intervals in Earth’s history had different effects on squirrels’ diversification, depending on their climatic affinities. Tropical and arboreal squirrels evolved predominantly in the warm intervals, while terrestrial and cold‐adapted squirrels radiated in the cold intervals. Our findings suggest that, while global climatic shifts are key for the speciation processes in mammalian lineages, lineage‐specific ecological adaptations are critical modulators of the responses of lineages to such environmental shifts, in an interplay that ultimately affects their diversification patterns.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 72%

A multi‐layered approach to the diversification of squirrels

Menéndez

Cano²,

Cantalapiedra

et al. 2020

Mammal Review

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“…2017; Casanova‐Vilar et al. 2018), and a multivariate PGLS regression shows that arborealists and gliders are significantly different (Table 1). The phylomorphospaces demonstrate that gliders have evolved toward a region of multivariate morphospace (i.e., the upper right quadrant in both PCAs) that is largely unoccupied by taxa of additional locomotor modes (Figs.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…In the Miopetaurista plot, the Petaurista species are highlighted because Miopetaurista and Petaurista are considered closely related sister taxa (Casanovas‐Vilar et al. 2018; Supplementary Results).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Incomplete convergence of gliding mammal skeletons*

et al. 2020

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Ecology and biomechanics play central roles in the generation of phenotypic diversity. When unrelated taxa invade a similar ecological niche, biomechanical demands can drive convergent morphological transformations. Thus, examining convergence helps to elucidate the key catalysts of phenotypic change. Gliding mammals are often presented as a classic case of convergent evolution because they independently evolved in numerous clades, each possessing patagia ("wing" membranes) that generate lift during gliding. We use phylogenetic comparative methods to test whether the skeletal morphologies of the six clades of extant gliding mammals demonstrate convergence. Our results indicate that glider skeletons are convergent, with glider groups consistently evolving proportionally longer, more gracile limbs than arborealists, likely to increase patagial surface area. Nonetheless, we interpret gliders to represent incomplete convergence because (1) evolutionary model-fitting analyses do not indicate strong selective pressures for glider trait optima, (2) the three marsupial glider groups diverge rather than converge, and (3) the gliding groups remain separated in morphospace (rather than converging on a single morphotype), which is reflected by an unexpectedly high level of morphological disparity. That glider skeletons are morphologically diverse is further demonstrated by fossil gliders from the Mesozoic Era, which possess unique skeletal characteristics that are absent in extant gliders. Glider morphologies may be strongly influenced by factors such as body size and attachment location of patagia on the forelimb, which can vary among clades. Thus, convergence in gliders appears to be driven by a simple lengthening of the limbs, whereas additional skeletal traits reflect nuances of the gliding apparatus that are distinct among different evolutionary lineages. Our unexpected results add to growing evidence that incomplete convergence is prevalent in vertebrate clades, even among classic cases of convergence, and they highlight the importance of examining form-function relationships in light of phylogeny, biomechanics, and the fossil record. * This article corresponds to Quinn, B. L. 2020. Digest: Incomplete convergence drives formfunction relationship in gliders. Evolution.

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“…All this evidence suggests a woodland/shrubland biome [ 50 ] (Additional file 5 : Figure S4). Nonetheless, the record of the aquaphilous tragulid Dorcatherium naui [ 60 ], flying squirrels [ 61 ] and arboreal dormice at ACM/C5-D1 indicate that permanent water masses (palustrine areas or streams) and forests were also present in this phase. Accordingly, our results are consistent with more open, mosaic environments in phase III, although they may have been interspersed with restricted gallery forests, which would have provided a denser tree cover and preserved some subtropical plant elements—contrasting with the predominant vegetation of the nearby areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Palaeoecological differences underlie rare co-occurrence of Miocene European primates

et al. 2021

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Background The two main primate groups recorded throughout the European Miocene, hominoids and pliopithecoids, seldom co-occur. Due to both their rarity and insufficiently understood palaeoecology, it is currently unclear whether the infrequent co-occurrence of these groups is due to sampling bias or reflects different ecological preferences. Here we rely on the densely sampled primate-bearing sequence of Abocador de Can Mata (ACM) in Spain to test whether turnovers in primate assemblages are correlated with palaeoenvironmental changes. We reconstruct dietary evolution through time (ca. 12.6–11.4 Ma), and hence climate and habitat, using tooth-wear patterns and carbon and oxygen isotope compositions of enamel of the ubiquitous musk-deer Micromeryx. Results Our results reveal that primate species composition is strongly correlated with distinct environmental phases. Large-bodied hominoids (dryopithecines) are recorded in humid, densely-forested environments on the lowermost portion of the ACM sequence. In contrast, pliopithecoids inhabited less humid, patchy ecosystems, being replaced by dryopithecines and the small-bodied Pliobates toward the top of the series in gallery forests embedded in mosaic environments. Conclusions These results support the view that pliopithecoid primates preferred less humid habitats than hominoids, and reveal that differences in behavioural ecology were the main factor underpinning their rare co-occurrence during the European Miocene. Our findings further support that ACM hominoids, like Miocene apes as a whole, inhabited more seasonal environments than extant apes. Finally, this study highlights the importance of high-resolution, local investigations to complement larger-scale analyses and illustrates that continuous and densely sampled fossiliferous sequences are essential for deciphering the complex interplay between biotic and abiotic factors that shaped past diversity.

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Oldest skeleton of a fossil flying squirrel casts new light on the phylogeny of the group

Cited by 22 publications

References 94 publications

A multi‐layered approach to the diversification of squirrels

A multi‐layered approach to the diversification of squirrels

Incomplete convergence of gliding mammal skeletons*

Palaeoecological differences underlie rare co-occurrence of Miocene European primates

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