PDF (Lo-Res) - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

More documents

Recommendations

Info

334 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEOBIOLOGY 1985. The Braincase of Archaeopteryx. In Max K. Hecht, John H. Ostrom, Gunter Viohl, and Peter Wellnhofer, editors, The Beginnings of Birds, Proceedings of the International Archaeopteryx Conference, Eichstatt, 1984, pages 123-134, 7 figures. Eichstatt: Freunde des Jura-Museums, Eichstatt. 1990. A Revision of Sphenosuchus acutus Haughton, a Crocodylomorph Reptile from the Elliot Formation (Late Triassic or Early Jurassic) of South Africa. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, series B, 330:1-120. Welman, Johann 1995. Euparkeria and the Origin of Birds. South African Journal of Science, 91:533-537'. Witmer, Lawrence M. 1991. Perspectives on Avian Origins. In Hans-Peter Schultze and Linda Trueb, editors, Origins of the Higher Groups ofTetrapods: Controversy and Consensus, pages 427-466, 17 figures. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. 1995. The Search for the Origin of Birds. 64 pages, 28 figures. New York: Franklin Watts.
Early Avian Evolution: Roundtable Report Introduction Few areas of vertebrate paleontology have advanced more over the last few years than that of the early evolution of birds. Recent findings of primitive, non-neomithine birds have been so numerous that we have more than doubled the number of valid taxa described between 1861, when the first early bird, Archaeopteryx lithographica von Meyer, was reported, and 1990. Thus, to address the plethora of new ideas and discussions that all these new findings have triggered, in the single hour of roundtable discussion that I had been assigned to moderate, was a daunting, if not impossible, task. With this in mind, and after discussing possible topics of debate with other colleagues, I decided to center the discussion on only three topics within this new profusion of evidence. The aim of this report is not to provide a review of the new data on early bird evolution, nor is it to defend my own views over those of others. Much of the new evidence has already been reviewed, and a variety of choices are available for the interested reader. Wellnhofer (1994) and Feduccia (1996) provide reviews based on a traditional "evolutionary" approach, whereas I have reviewed the new data from a strict cladistic perspective (Chiappe, 1995a). Discussion Topics Before going into the actual debate at the roundtable, it would be helpful to provide a general overview of the three topics that were discussed. 1. PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF Mononykus.—Mononykus olecranus was first reported by A. Perle, M. Norell, L. Chiappe, and J. Clark on the basis of a partial specimen from the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of southern Mongolia (Perle et al., 1993). This flightless, turkeysized animal, with short, stout forelimbs instead of wings, was regarded as phylogenetically closer to modem birds than is Archaeopteryx, and it was thus interpreted as a bird (Perle et al., Luis M. Chiappe, Department of Vertebrate Paleontology, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90007, United States. Luis M. Chiappe 335 1993, 1994; Norell et al., 1993; Chiappe, 1995a; Chiappe et al., 1996a). Placement of the bizarre Mononykus within birds raised significant debate. Opponents expressed their views both in scientific journals and books (e.g., Patterson, 1993; Ostrom, 1994; Wellnhofer, 1994; Martin, 1995a; Zhou, 1995a; Feduccia, 1996) and in popular magazines and newspapers (e.g., Feduccia, 1994; Martin and Rinaldi, 1994; see also Norell et al., 1993; Chiappe et al., 1995, 1996, 1997, for responses to these criticisms), but with the exception of L. Martin, who regarded Mononykus as a bizarre ornithomimid (Martin and Rinaldi, 1994; Martin, 1995a), critics of the avian hypothesis have not proposed an alternative, specific hypothesis of relationships. Moreover, proponents of the avian relationship of Mononykus found additional support for their views in enlarged cladistic analyses (Chiappe et al., 1996; Forster et al., 1996a) that include data on new specimens (some preserving nearly complete skulls) from the Mongolian Djadokhta-like beds of Ukhaa Tolgod (Dashzeveg et al., 1995) and from close relatives of Mononykus found in southern South America (Novas, 1996). In addition, this hypothesis received support from the work done by colleagues performing independent cladistic analyses (e.g., Chatterjee, 1995; Novas, 1996). Another topic of discussion surrounding Mononykus concerns its life style, namely, whether its short, robust forelimbs were used for digging (e.g., Ostrom, 1994; Zhou, 1995a) or for other activities (Norell et al., 1993; Chiappe, 1995b). Although this appears to be a more trivial issue, it has been used as an argument against the hypothesis of avian relationships. For example, Z. Zhou interpreted several of the characters used to support the placement of Mononykus within birds as the result of digging adaptations (Zhou, 1995a), concluding that a digging animal cannot be a bird. 2. THE AGE OF Confuciusomis.—For more than a century, and with the only exception being a "feather" of controversial origin (see Bock, 1986), Archaeopteryx lithographica stood alone as the oldest and only known Jurassic bird {Protoavis is left outside this discussion because its avian nature still needs to be confirmed; see Ostrom, 1987, 1996; Chiappe, 1995a). In 1995, L. HOU, Z. Zhou, L. Martin, and A. Feduccia reported on a Chinese bird, Confuciusomis sanctus, from lacustrine deposits of the Yixian Formation in the northwestern Liaoning Prov-
Page 1 and 2:
»'' § "S^ iFjwtM . •- .m-i Avia
Page 3:
SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO PALEOB
Page 6 and 7:
ABSTRACT Olson, Storrs L., editor.
Page 8 and 9:
EARLY WATERFOWL (ANSERIFORMES) AND
Page 10 and 11:
v m SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO PA
Page 12 and 13:
localities, all of them situated in
Page 14 and 15:
Bone of Sus scrofa Linnaeus, introd
Page 16 and 17:
duboisi are larger than the largest
Page 18 and 19:
8 iver (1897) but afterward were tr
Page 20 and 21:
10 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO PAL
Page 22 and 23:
Page 24 and 25:
Page 26 and 27:
16 Cor. Hum. Uln. Cpm. Fern. Tbt. T
Page 28 and 29:
Page 30 and 31:
20 sometatarsus are proportionally
Page 32 and 33:
22 Cor. Hum. Uln. Cpm. Fern. Tbt. T
Page 34 and 35:
Page 36 and 37:
26 Cor. Hum. Cpm. Fern. Tbt. Tmt. P
Page 38 and 39:
Page 40 and 41:
Page 42 and 43:
Page 44 and 45:
34 ability in such a way that it ca
Page 46 and 47:
Page 48 and 49:
Page 50 and 51:
Page 52 and 53:
42 2km SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO
Page 54 and 55:
Site 13 Research Base ENTRANCE Lowe
Page 56 and 57:
Page 58 and 59:
48 the last has unusually slender w
Page 60 and 61:
50 Si 5 15i 10- 5- 20 J 15 I 10 f 5
Page 62 and 63:
Page 64 and 65:
Page 66 and 67:
Page 68 and 69:
Page 70 and 71:
Page 72 and 73:
Page 74 and 75:
Page 77 and 78:
Comparison of Paleoecological Patte
Page 79 and 80:
NUMBER 89 69 TABLE 1.—Vertebrate
Page 81 and 82:
NUMBER 89 71 Mallorca, probably in
Page 83:
NUMBER 89 Alcover, J.A. 1989. Les a
Page 86 and 87:
Page 88 and 89:
Page 90 and 91:
Page 92 and 93:
Page 95 and 96:
The History of the Chatham Islands'
Page 97 and 98:
NUMBER 89 87 Species Common Name Pe
Page 99 and 100:
NUMBER 89 89 NZA 797,1930,1934 Unco
Page 101 and 102:
NUMBER 89 91 anoramphus spp.), Chat
Page 103 and 104:
NUMBER 89 93 TABLE 2.—Land snails
Page 105 and 106:
NUMBER 89 95 counterparts, with som
Page 107 and 108:
NUMBER 89 population, if such exist
Page 109 and 110:
NUMBER 89 99 FIGURE 11.—Skulls of
Page 111 and 112:
NUMBER 89 101 FIGURE 13.—Lower ma
Page 113 and 114:
NUMBER 89 the Chatham Island Pied O
Page 115 and 116:
NUMBER 89 Locality 9, Western Maung
Page 117 and 118:
NUMBER 89 107 yellowish sand (site
Page 119:
NUMBER 89 109 ogy. Notornis, supple
Page 122 and 123:
112 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO PA
Page 124 and 125:
Page 126 and 127:
Page 128 and 129:
Page 130 and 131:
Page 132 and 133:
Page 135 and 136:
The Middle Pleistocene Avifauna of
Page 137:
NUMBER 89 Accordi, B. 1962. La grot
Page 140 and 141:
130 FIGURE 1.—Map showing locatio
Page 142 and 143:
132 Cranium Mandibula Scapula Clavi
Page 144 and 145:
Page 146 and 147:
Page 149 and 150:
Seabirds and Late Pleistocene Marin
Page 151 and 152:
NUMBER 89 141 METHODS Only strictly
Page 153 and 154:
NUMBER 89 143 FIGURE 2.—Area of s
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162:
NUMBER 89 151 FIGURE 10.—Area of
Page 163 and 164:
NUMBER 89 153 FIGURE 12.—Area of
Page 165 and 166:
NUMBER 89 155 the period studied. T
Page 167:
NUMBER 89 157 Walker, C.A., G.M. Wr
Page 170 and 171:
Page 172 and 173:
Page 174 and 175:
164 Vl 620 M 570 £ 520 S 470f •
Page 176 and 177:
166 birds, such as the two species
Page 178 and 179:
Page 180 and 181:
170 cional Autonoma de Mexico, for
Page 182 and 183:
Page 184 and 185:
174 ated with this specimen, see Mi
Page 187 and 188:
The Fossil Record of Condors (Cicon
Page 189 and 190:
NUMBER 89 179 FIGURE 2.—Geographi
Page 191 and 192:
NUMBER 89 181 FIGURE 5.—Vulturida
Page 193 and 194:
NUMBER 89 183 FIGURE 7.—Referred
Page 195 and 196:
Two New Fossil Eagles from the Late
Page 197 and 198:
NUMBER 89 187 TABLE 1.—Measuremen
Page 199 and 200:
NUMBER 89 189 carpal trochlea relat
Page 201 and 202:
NUMBER 89 191 FIGURE 4.—Holotypic
Page 203 and 204:
NUMBER 89 193 We compared the parat
Page 205 and 206:
NUMBER 89 195 FIGURE 6.—Distribut
Page 207 and 208:
NUMBER 89 197 the Florida State Mus
Page 209 and 210:
A New Genus of Dwarf Megapode (Gall
Page 211 and 212:
NUMBER 89 201 lis hypotarsi along t
Page 213 and 214:
NUMBER 89 203 The fossil is larger
Page 215 and 216:
NUMBER 89 205 Clark, George A., Jr.
Page 217 and 218:
A New Genus and Species of the Fami
Page 219 and 220:
NUMBER 89 209 son with other known
Page 221 and 222:
NUMBER 89 211 FIGURE 1.—Argornis
Page 223 and 224:
NUMBER 89 213 AM AL AM AL AM AL AM
Page 225 and 226:
NUMBER 89 215 caput humeri perpendi
Page 227 and 228:
Selmes absurdipes, New Genus, New S
Page 229 and 230:
NUMBER 89 219 FIGURE 2.—Selmes ab
Page 231 and 232:
NUMBER 89 221 Costae: Deformed frag
Page 233 and 234:
A Fossil Screamer (Anseriformes: An
Page 235 and 236:
NUMBER 89 FIGURE 3.—Chaunoides an
Page 237 and 238:
NUMBER 89 227 B C D FIGURE 6.—The
Page 239 and 240:
NUMBER 89 229 FIGURE 9.—Right tib
Page 241 and 242:
The Anseriform Relationships of Ana
Page 243 and 244:
NUMBER 89 233 Subfamily ANATALAVINA
Page 245 and 246:
NUMBER 89 235 mal was found under t
Page 247 and 248:
NUMBER 89 237 tion, with retroartic
Page 249 and 250:
NUMBER 89 FIGURE 7.—Sternum and p
Page 251 and 252:
NUMBER 89 241 der. The bone is very
Page 253:
NUMBER 89 243 Eocene records of the
Page 256 and 257:
Page 258 and 259:
Page 260 and 261:
Page 263 and 264:
Presbyornis isoni and Other Late Pa
Page 265 and 266:
NUMBER 89 255 FIGURE 1.—Referred
Page 267 and 268:
NUMBER 89 257 vical vertebrae of th
Page 269:
NUMBER 89 259 (Olson and Parris, 19
Page 272 and 273:
Page 274 and 275:
Page 276 and 277:
Page 278 and 279:
Page 280 and 281:
Page 282 and 283:
Page 284 and 285:
274 America. Science, 214(4526): 12
Page 286 and 287:
276 concerning the amphicoelous str
Page 288 and 289:
278 ment of the radius that are con
Page 290 and 291:
280 The left coracoid is represente
Page 292 and 293:
Page 294 and 295: 284 Kurochkin, E.N. 1982. [New Orde
Page 296 and 297: 286 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO PA
Page 298 and 299: 288 Palaeontological Institute. [Sp
Page 300 and 301: 290 1991). In this paper we use a "
Page 305 and 306: Implantation and Replacement of Bir
Page 307 and 308: NUMBER 89 297 saurs (Figure 1E-G).
Page 309 and 310: NUMBER 89 299 would seem unlikely a
Page 311 and 312: Humeral Rotation and Wrist Supinati
Page 313 and 314: NUMBER 89 303 apparent. It is now c
Page 315 and 316: NUMBER 89 305 FIGURE 3.—Dorsal vi
Page 317 and 318: NUMBER 89 307 FIGURE 4.—Wing of t
Page 319: NUMBER 89 309 Jura-Museums, Eichsta
Page 335: Early Evolution of Birds: Roundtabl
Page 348 and 349: 338 evolved independently twice." M
Page 356: 1 i'~L ,i "^ 1 •vw* HBB!/'' . m
show all

PDF (Lo-Res) - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?