Browsing Biology by Subject "Paleontology"
Now showing items 1-16 of 16
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Boundaries and dynamics of biomes
(2014-02-24)Species are packed into biogeographic zones, where evolution can effectively operate independently to forge evolutionary novelty. Biomes are perhaps the most relevant unit of evolutionary progress, with the vast majority ... -
Digging up the Past: Postcranial Perspectives on Mammals Across the Cretaceous-Paleogene Boundary
The extinction of non-avian dinosaurs at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg, 66.04 Ma, million years ago) boundary is arguably the most seminal event in mammalian history. The K-Pg mass extinction and subsequent recovery marked ... -
Effects of the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum on ecosystem structure and plant-animal interactions: a phytolith and stable isotope perspective
The mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum (MMCO, 17–14.75 Ma) is one of Earth’s most recent, prolonged global warming events that is thought to have promoted ecological change across the globe. Although there is general agreement ... -
Histological insights into growth trajectories, life history, and community age structure in the mammalian stem lineage
Much of our understanding of the terrestrial recovery of the end-Permian mass extinction comes from tetrapod assemblages from the Karoo Basin of South Africa but Triassic tetrapods are found in South America, India, ... -
Histological insights into trait acquisition in non-mammalian synapsids
The synapsid stem lineage is classically known to document a step-wise pattern of trait acquisition however, evidence of homoplasy in synapsids is common and increased scrutiny within synapsid clades and less readily ... -
Insights into the evolution and ecology of mammals from the Hell Creek region of northeastern Montana
The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction event has historically been viewed as the catalyst for the radiation of mammals, with marked increases in body mass, taxonomic richness, and ecological disparity during the ... -
Insights into the evolution of Late Cretaceous metatherian mammals of North America: interpreting feeding ecologies using quantitative analyses
Metatherian mammals (the stem-based clade of extant marsupials and their closest relatives) were important members of North American communities during the Late Cretaceous: they were both taxonomically rich and numerically ... -
Investigating the functional morphology, locomotor diversification, and paleoecology of Mesozoic mammals
The first two-thirds of mammalian history occurred in the Mesozoic Era (252-66 Ma). Mesozoic mammals have been long thought of as generalized, nocturnal, terrestrial taxa that were constrained by selective and ecological ... -
Late Cretaceous and Paleocene Lissamphibia and Squamata of Montana and the end-Cretaceous mass extinction
Late Cretaceous and Paleocene lissamphibians (e.g., salamanders and albanerpetontids) and squamates (e.g., lizards and snakes) are common components of the nonmarine vertebrate fossil record of North America. However, ... -
Mammalian faunal recovery following the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction: a multifaceted investigation
The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction and subsequent recovery were a turning point for terrestrial ecosystems, signaling a shift from communities dominated by dinosaurs to those dominated by mammals. Mammalian ... -
The Paleobiology of South African Therocephalian Therapsids (Amniota, Synapsida) and the Effects of the End-Permian Extinction on Size, Growth, and Bone Microstructure
(2013-11-14)Despite their relative diversity in terrestrial Permian and Triassic rocks, the fossil record of therocephalian therapsids (Eutheriodontia) and their utility for understanding evolutionary patterns in the therapsid forerunners ... -
The evolutionary consequences of habitat change in grasses
Grass dominated habitats cover more than 40% of Earth’s total land surface. These ecosystems support diverse faunal communities, play a significant role in global nutrient cycling, and provide many other important ecosystem ... -
The Function of the Reflected Lamina in Therapsids and the Origin of the Mammalian Middle Ear
The selective pressures that drove the remarkable transition of the postdentary and jaw hinge bones of non-mammalian synapsids into the mammalian middle ear are uncertain because the hearing capability of early synapsids ... -
The Multituberculates as Living Animals: New Insights into the Ecomorphology, Behavior, and Life History of One of the Most Successful Mammalian Lineages
Mammals from the Mesozoic and early Cenozoic exploited a diversity of ecological niches, approaching the complexity and specialization of extant therian mammals. Among the most evolutionarily diverse and numerically abundant ... -
The rise of modern mammalian faunas: tempo and mode of faunal turnover in western Montana during the Oligocene
The ongoing biodiversity crisis affects almost one in four mammal species. The main threat affecting them is the loss of their habitat with changes in their environment. Paleontological data allow an exploration of the ... -
Vertebrate patterns of taxonomic and ecological diversity and recovery from the End-Permian Mass Extinction: two novel test cases from southern Pangea
Mass extinctions are among the most important events in the history of life on Earth and understanding their effects on life and the structure of biotic systems is restricted to the fossil record. Comparatively few studies ...