Palatal morphology predicts the paleobiology of early salamanders
Ecological preferences and life history strategies have enormous impacts on the evolution and phenotypic diversity of salamanders, but the yet established reliable ecological indicators from bony skeletons hinder investigations into the paleobiology of early salamanders. Here, we statistically demon...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2022-05-01
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| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/76864 |
| _version_ | 1828108296415870976 |
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| author | Jia Jia Guangzhao Li Ke-Qin Gao |
| author_facet | Jia Jia Guangzhao Li Ke-Qin Gao |
| author_sort | Jia Jia |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Ecological preferences and life history strategies have enormous impacts on the evolution and phenotypic diversity of salamanders, but the yet established reliable ecological indicators from bony skeletons hinder investigations into the paleobiology of early salamanders. Here, we statistically demonstrate by using time-calibrated cladograms and geometric morphometric analysis on 71 specimens in 36 species, that both the shape of the palate and many non-shape covariates particularly associated with vomerine teeth are ecologically informative in early stem- and basal crown-group salamanders. Disparity patterns within the morphospace of the palate in ecological preferences, life history strategies, and taxonomic affiliations were analyzed in detail, and evolutionary rates and ancestral states of the palate were reconstructed. Our results show that the palate is heavily impacted by convergence constrained by feeding mechanisms and also exhibits clear stepwise evolutionary patterns with alternative phenotypic configurations to cope with similar functional demand. Salamanders are diversified ecologically before the Middle Jurassic and achieved all their present ecological preferences in the Early Cretaceous. Our results reveal that the last common ancestor of all salamanders share with other modern amphibians a unified biphasic ecological preference, and metamorphosis is significant in the expansion of ecomorphospace of the palate in early salamanders. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T10:44:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a9c471c801a543a5b5780283325d5cba |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T10:44:45Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-a9c471c801a543a5b5780283325d5cba2022-12-22T04:29:06ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2022-05-011110.7554/eLife.76864Palatal morphology predicts the paleobiology of early salamandersJia Jia0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8243-0156Guangzhao Li1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5007-8338Ke-Qin Gao2School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy (Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS), Nanjing, China; Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, CanadaDepartment of Microbiology, Immunology, and Tropical Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington D.C., United StatesSchool of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, ChinaEcological preferences and life history strategies have enormous impacts on the evolution and phenotypic diversity of salamanders, but the yet established reliable ecological indicators from bony skeletons hinder investigations into the paleobiology of early salamanders. Here, we statistically demonstrate by using time-calibrated cladograms and geometric morphometric analysis on 71 specimens in 36 species, that both the shape of the palate and many non-shape covariates particularly associated with vomerine teeth are ecologically informative in early stem- and basal crown-group salamanders. Disparity patterns within the morphospace of the palate in ecological preferences, life history strategies, and taxonomic affiliations were analyzed in detail, and evolutionary rates and ancestral states of the palate were reconstructed. Our results show that the palate is heavily impacted by convergence constrained by feeding mechanisms and also exhibits clear stepwise evolutionary patterns with alternative phenotypic configurations to cope with similar functional demand. Salamanders are diversified ecologically before the Middle Jurassic and achieved all their present ecological preferences in the Early Cretaceous. Our results reveal that the last common ancestor of all salamanders share with other modern amphibians a unified biphasic ecological preference, and metamorphosis is significant in the expansion of ecomorphospace of the palate in early salamanders.https://elifesciences.org/articles/76864salamanderpaleoecologylife historypalatemetamorphosis |
| spellingShingle | Jia Jia Guangzhao Li Ke-Qin Gao Palatal morphology predicts the paleobiology of early salamanders eLife salamander paleoecology life history palate metamorphosis |
| title | Palatal morphology predicts the paleobiology of early salamanders |
| title_full | Palatal morphology predicts the paleobiology of early salamanders |
| title_fullStr | Palatal morphology predicts the paleobiology of early salamanders |
| title_full_unstemmed | Palatal morphology predicts the paleobiology of early salamanders |
| title_short | Palatal morphology predicts the paleobiology of early salamanders |
| title_sort | palatal morphology predicts the paleobiology of early salamanders |
| topic | salamander paleoecology life history palate metamorphosis |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/76864 |
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