Osteohistology of a Triassic dinosaur population reveals highly variable growth trajectories typified early dinosaur ontogeny
Abstract Intraspecific variation in growth trajectories provides a fundamental source of variation upon which natural selection acts. Recent work hints that early dinosaurs possessed elevated levels of such variation compared to other archosaurs, but comprehensive data uniting body size, bone histol...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-10-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22216-x |
| _version_ | 1811238735783657472 |
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| author | Daniel E. Barta Christopher T. Griffin Mark A. Norell |
| author_facet | Daniel E. Barta Christopher T. Griffin Mark A. Norell |
| author_sort | Daniel E. Barta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Intraspecific variation in growth trajectories provides a fundamental source of variation upon which natural selection acts. Recent work hints that early dinosaurs possessed elevated levels of such variation compared to other archosaurs, but comprehensive data uniting body size, bone histology, and morphological variation from a stratigraphically constrained early dinosaur population are needed to test this hypothesis. The Triassic theropod Coelophysis bauri, known from a bonebed preserving a single population of coeval individuals, provides an exceptional system to assess whether highly variable growth patterns were present near the origin of Dinosauria. Twenty-four histologically sampled individuals were less than a year to at least four years old and confirm the right-skewed age distribution of the Coelophysis assemblage. Poor correlations among size, age, and morphological maturity strongly support the presence of unique, highly variable growth trajectories in early dinosaurs relative to coeval archosaurs and their living kin. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:47:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9ebf568b7c49435d90a8078b2a6eddcf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T12:47:25Z |
| publishDate | 2022-10-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-9ebf568b7c49435d90a8078b2a6eddcf2022-12-22T03:32:35ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-10-0112111410.1038/s41598-022-22216-xOsteohistology of a Triassic dinosaur population reveals highly variable growth trajectories typified early dinosaur ontogenyDaniel E. Barta0Christopher T. Griffin1Mark A. Norell2Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee NationDepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale UniversityRichard Gilder Graduate School and Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural HistoryAbstract Intraspecific variation in growth trajectories provides a fundamental source of variation upon which natural selection acts. Recent work hints that early dinosaurs possessed elevated levels of such variation compared to other archosaurs, but comprehensive data uniting body size, bone histology, and morphological variation from a stratigraphically constrained early dinosaur population are needed to test this hypothesis. The Triassic theropod Coelophysis bauri, known from a bonebed preserving a single population of coeval individuals, provides an exceptional system to assess whether highly variable growth patterns were present near the origin of Dinosauria. Twenty-four histologically sampled individuals were less than a year to at least four years old and confirm the right-skewed age distribution of the Coelophysis assemblage. Poor correlations among size, age, and morphological maturity strongly support the presence of unique, highly variable growth trajectories in early dinosaurs relative to coeval archosaurs and their living kin.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22216-x |
| spellingShingle | Daniel E. Barta Christopher T. Griffin Mark A. Norell Osteohistology of a Triassic dinosaur population reveals highly variable growth trajectories typified early dinosaur ontogeny Scientific Reports |
| title | Osteohistology of a Triassic dinosaur population reveals highly variable growth trajectories typified early dinosaur ontogeny |
| title_full | Osteohistology of a Triassic dinosaur population reveals highly variable growth trajectories typified early dinosaur ontogeny |
| title_fullStr | Osteohistology of a Triassic dinosaur population reveals highly variable growth trajectories typified early dinosaur ontogeny |
| title_full_unstemmed | Osteohistology of a Triassic dinosaur population reveals highly variable growth trajectories typified early dinosaur ontogeny |
| title_short | Osteohistology of a Triassic dinosaur population reveals highly variable growth trajectories typified early dinosaur ontogeny |
| title_sort | osteohistology of a triassic dinosaur population reveals highly variable growth trajectories typified early dinosaur ontogeny |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-22216-x |
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