Modularity and heterochrony in the evolution of the ceratopsian dinosaur frill
Abstract The fossil record provides compelling examples of heterochrony at macroevolutionary scales such as the peramorphic giant antlers of the Irish elk. Heterochrony has also been invoked in the evolution of the distinctive cranial frill of ceratopsian dinosaurs such as Triceratops. Although cera...
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doaj-ef57db4439d54db094ae7787e328805d2021-04-02T11:49:02ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582020-07-0110136288630910.1002/ece3.6361Modularity and heterochrony in the evolution of the ceratopsian dinosaur frillAlbert Prieto‐Márquez0Joan Garcia‐Porta1Shantanu H. Joshi2Mark A. Norell3Peter J. Makovicky4Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona Barcelona SpainCREAF Barcelona SpainDepartment of Neurology and Ahmanson Lovelace Brain Mapping Center University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles CA USADivision of Paleontology American Museum of Natural History New York NY USAIntegrative Research Center Field Museum of Natural History Chicago IL USAAbstract The fossil record provides compelling examples of heterochrony at macroevolutionary scales such as the peramorphic giant antlers of the Irish elk. Heterochrony has also been invoked in the evolution of the distinctive cranial frill of ceratopsian dinosaurs such as Triceratops. Although ceratopsian frills vary in size, shape, and ornamentation, quantitative analyses that would allow for testing hypotheses of heterochrony are lacking. Here, we use geometric morphometrics to examine frill shape variation across ceratopsian diversity and within four species preserving growth series. We then test whether the frill constitutes an evolvable module both across and within species, and compare growth trajectories of taxa with ontogenetic growth series to identify heterochronic processes. Evolution of the ceratopsian frill consisted primarily of progressive expansion of its caudal and caudolateral margins, with morphospace occupation following taxonomic groups. Although taphonomic distortion represents a complicating factor, our data support modularity both across and within species. Peramorphosis played an important role in frill evolution, with acceleration operating early in neoceratopsian evolution followed by progenesis in later diverging cornosaurian ceratopsians. Peramorphic evolution of the ceratopsian frill may have been facilitated by the decoupling of this structure from the jaw musculature, an inference that predicts an expansion of morphospace occupation and higher evolutionary rates among ceratopsids as indeed borne out by our data. However, denser sampling of the meager record of early‐diverging taxa is required to test this further.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6361dinosaurevolutionheterochronymodularitymorphometrics |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Albert Prieto‐Márquez Joan Garcia‐Porta Shantanu H. Joshi Mark A. Norell Peter J. Makovicky |
spellingShingle |
Albert Prieto‐Márquez Joan Garcia‐Porta Shantanu H. Joshi Mark A. Norell Peter J. Makovicky Modularity and heterochrony in the evolution of the ceratopsian dinosaur frill Ecology and Evolution dinosaur evolution heterochrony modularity morphometrics |
author_facet |
Albert Prieto‐Márquez Joan Garcia‐Porta Shantanu H. Joshi Mark A. Norell Peter J. Makovicky |
author_sort |
Albert Prieto‐Márquez |
title |
Modularity and heterochrony in the evolution of the ceratopsian dinosaur frill |
title_short |
Modularity and heterochrony in the evolution of the ceratopsian dinosaur frill |
title_full |
Modularity and heterochrony in the evolution of the ceratopsian dinosaur frill |
title_fullStr |
Modularity and heterochrony in the evolution of the ceratopsian dinosaur frill |
title_full_unstemmed |
Modularity and heterochrony in the evolution of the ceratopsian dinosaur frill |
title_sort |
modularity and heterochrony in the evolution of the ceratopsian dinosaur frill |
publisher |
Wiley |
series |
Ecology and Evolution |
issn |
2045-7758 |
publishDate |
2020-07-01 |
description |
Abstract The fossil record provides compelling examples of heterochrony at macroevolutionary scales such as the peramorphic giant antlers of the Irish elk. Heterochrony has also been invoked in the evolution of the distinctive cranial frill of ceratopsian dinosaurs such as Triceratops. Although ceratopsian frills vary in size, shape, and ornamentation, quantitative analyses that would allow for testing hypotheses of heterochrony are lacking. Here, we use geometric morphometrics to examine frill shape variation across ceratopsian diversity and within four species preserving growth series. We then test whether the frill constitutes an evolvable module both across and within species, and compare growth trajectories of taxa with ontogenetic growth series to identify heterochronic processes. Evolution of the ceratopsian frill consisted primarily of progressive expansion of its caudal and caudolateral margins, with morphospace occupation following taxonomic groups. Although taphonomic distortion represents a complicating factor, our data support modularity both across and within species. Peramorphosis played an important role in frill evolution, with acceleration operating early in neoceratopsian evolution followed by progenesis in later diverging cornosaurian ceratopsians. Peramorphic evolution of the ceratopsian frill may have been facilitated by the decoupling of this structure from the jaw musculature, an inference that predicts an expansion of morphospace occupation and higher evolutionary rates among ceratopsids as indeed borne out by our data. However, denser sampling of the meager record of early‐diverging taxa is required to test this further. |
topic |
dinosaur evolution heterochrony modularity morphometrics |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.6361 |
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