Oviraptorosaur tail forms and functions

Persons, W. Scott; Currie, Philip J.; Norell, Mark A.

doi:10.4202/app.2012.0093

Cited by 45 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…The most important factor for this theropod was attaining sufficient wing area (for which derived feathers are unnecessary) to glide most effectively; theoretically, all Microraptor needed in order to glide at high C R would was an impervious surface. Our experimental results are, therefore, both congruent with, and build on, fossil evidence, showing that theropod filamentous integument and symmetric wing feathers first evolved for behaviours other than lift generation 9,10 . As our unfeathered model performs almost as well as our feathered one, results are congruent with the argument that gliding behaviours could have evolved in taxa with symmetric leg feathers (for example, Pedopenna 29 and Anchiornis 5 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

“…Fossils also show that feathers first evolved for non-flight functions 9,10 . Phylogenetic studies nest long-tailed birds (Archaeopteryx and relatives) within Paraves 6,7 ; as fossil members of several non-avialan lineages had well-developed, asymmetric feathers (equated with flight) 4,5 , it is certain that birds were not the only theropod lineage to possess some degree of aerial ability.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Aerodynamic performance of the feathered dinosaur Microraptor and the evolution of feathered flight

et al. 2013

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Understanding the aerodynamic performance of feathered, non-avialan dinosaurs is critical to reconstructing the evolution of bird flight. Here we show that the Early Cretaceous five-winged paravian Microraptor is most stable when gliding at high-lift coefficients (low lift/ drag ratios). Wind tunnel experiments and flight simulations show that sustaining a high-lift coefficient at the expense of high drag would have been the most efficient strategy for Microraptor when gliding from, and between, low elevations. Analyses also demonstrate that anatomically plausible changes in wing configuration and leg position would have made little difference to aerodynamic performance. Significant to the evolution of flight, we show that Microraptor did not require a sophisticated, 'modern' wing morphology to undertake effective glides. This is congruent with the fossil record and also with the hypothesis that symmetric 'flight' feathers first evolved in dinosaurs for non-aerodynamic functions, later being adapted to form lifting surfaces.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 73%

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confidence: 99%

Aerodynamic performance of the feathered dinosaur Microraptor and the evolution of feathered flight

et al. 2013

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“…Pygostyles evolved convergently in some oviraptorosaurs (Persons et al. ), therizinosaurs (Xu et al. ), and the ornithomimosaur Deinocheirus (Lee et al.…”

Section: Example From the Functional History Of Feathersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Specimens of the oviraptorosaur Caudipteryx also show that tail fans were sometimes present even when associated pygostyles were not (Persons et al. ). Thus, tail feather fans were likely widespread among oviraptorosaurs (Persons et al.…”

Section: Example From the Functional History Of Feathersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Feather evolution exemplifies sexually selected bridges across the adaptive landscape

Persons

Currie

2019

Evolution

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Over the last two decades, paleontologists have pieced together the early evolutionary history of feathers. Simple hair‐like feathers served as insulating pelage, but the first feathers with complex branching structures and a plainer form evolved for the purpose of sexual display. The evolution of these complex display feathers was essential to the later evolution of flight. Feathers illustrate how sexual selection can generate complex novel phenotypes, which are then available for natural selection to modify and direct toward novel functions. In the longstanding metaphor of the adaptive landscape, sexual selection is a means by which lineages resting on one adaptive peak may gradually bridge a gap to another peak, without the landscape itself being first altered by environmental changes.

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“…However, this method cannot calculate how large the muscles may be in the extinct species, or accurately estimate other quantifiable aspects of their anatomy. Various methods may be used to constrain muscle sizes, e.g., using the bony margins of their attachments and their pathways relative to other muscles (Hutchinson et al, 2011;Allen et al, 2013;Lautenschlager 2013;Persons IV et al, 2013;Cuff and Rayfield, 2015). However, it becomes more difficult to estimate muscle boundaries when there is no outer limit on the size of the muscles.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstruction of the musculoskeletal system in an extinct lion

Cuff

Goswami

Hutchinson

2017

Palaeontologia Electronica

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Panthera atrox is an extinct lion from the Pleistocene of North America that is one of the largest felids that has ever existed. Previous reconstructions have always relied on composite specimens, and there are no known specimens that preserve soft tissues. Here we present a reconstruction of the most complete P. atrox specimen discovered to date, from which we calculate key biological parameters including body mass. Using previously published scaling equations we estimate the size of the musculature of the limbs and vertebral column. Muscles from a modern lion were scaled to the expected sizes and placed on the skeleton. The body and the limbs were digitally reconstructed (using a convex hulling method) from the skeleton before this method was repeated with the muscled limb segments. Our results from repeating this approach for a modern lion show that the combined muscle and bone convex hull reconstructions are the most accurate for reproducing the limb dimensions, including centres of mass, of large felids. From the reconstructions it is also possible to estimate the body composition of P. atrox, which allows for the most complete soft tissue reconstruction of this extinct species, including biomechanical properties of the limbs.

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Oviraptorosaur tail forms and functions

Cited by 45 publications

References 52 publications

Aerodynamic performance of the feathered dinosaur Microraptor and the evolution of feathered flight

Aerodynamic performance of the feathered dinosaur Microraptor and the evolution of feathered flight

Feather evolution exemplifies sexually selected bridges across the adaptive landscape

Reconstruction of the musculoskeletal system in an extinct lion

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