Last Week's Discussion

I am doing poorly at remembering to update this blog.

Last week we discussed the Smith et al, (2010) paper in Science on the evolution of maximum mammalian body size. The paper discussed the increase in maximum mammalian body size following the end Cretaceous extinction of the dinosaurs. The hypothesis is that the removal of the dinosaurs and thus openning of niches allowed the mammals to proliferate as well as to increase in body size. This is a traditional view of mammalian evolution (and by traditional I don't mean defunct, it is pretty clear that at least some (probably a lot) mammalian speciation occurred after the extinction of the dinosaurs. But if you want a different view consult Bininda-Edmonds et al, (2007)
 http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v446/n7135/abs/nature05634.html).
 We found the Smith et al (2010) paper interesting and informative. The pattern of increasing maximum body size was apparent on all continents and was correlated with continental area (bigger animals need bigger home ranges) and temperature (18O; warmer means more primary productivity among other things). They implement the Gompertz model in their testing of the above parameters based on a less the 1.0 difference in AIC scores. In our opinion, this is not a big enough difference (< 2.0) to reject the use of the power law and would have liked to see delta AIC for each continent. We also found it interesting that the largest animals were generally hindgut fermenters and would like to see a discussion of the influences of other such factors on the observed patterns (of course we recognize the length limit on Science papers). 

Discussion article for December 7

Lopez-Martinez, N., 2008. The lagomorph fossil record and the origin of the European rabbit. Lagomorph Biology: 27-46.

Abstract: Lagomorphs are very prolific mammals with a rich fossil record, which particularly increased over the last years by washing and screening techniques for microfossil recovery. Fossil remains of lagomorphs have been extensively documented in the Old World and North America from Early Paleogene onwards (around 45 Ma). Lagomorph diversity is much larger in the fossil record than in the biosphere. Only 12 genera and about 75 lagomorph species are still living in recent times, most of them almost devoid of paleontological record. In contrast, around 75 genera and more than 230 species, most of them already extinct, are represented in the fossil record of Lagomorpha. The local faunas today rarely contain more than three sympatric lagomorphs, frequently just one or two taxa. Instead, up to eight lagomorph species coexisted in local paleofaunas. This pattern constitutes a rare case in the recorded history of organisms, since the fossil record even in well-represented groups contains a lower number of species than the biosphere. Only declining groups, such as brachiopods or perissodactyl mammals, show higher diversity in the past than in the present, which denotes that lagomorph lineages are also declining in recent times.

I thought this would be a fun article to discuss since it deals with a clade that someone in the group works on, and also because it brings up some more generalized evo-palaeo topics like trying to make conclusions connecting the fossil record to extant diversity/distributions. I don't think there is a free .PDF of this, but you can access it through the Carleton Library site. Since it is more of a review chapter than an experimental report, it shouldn't take too long to read/skim the interesting parts (the density of text on each page is also lower than in a typical Science or Nature report as well).

This Week's Paper

This week's discussion will focus on the following paper.


Smith et al. 2010. The Evolution of Maximum Body Size of Terrestrial Mammals. Science 330: 1216-1219.
The discussion will be led by me. Can't help myself from plugging a paper on which my master's supervisor is an author!

Pterosaur Flight

The paper linked below describes the flight mechanics of pterosaurs based on bone strength, showing that large pterosaurs like Quetzalcoatlus could fly (despite some criticisms to the contrary).

http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0013982

Eocene Warmth and CO2

I haven't been keeping up with the hundreds of paper alerts and news articles I receive every week. However, I found one particular alert interesting primarily because I have read a lot about the interaction of atmospheric CO2 and Cenozoic climate change. The paper linked below identifies the importance of CO2 in during the Eocene climatic optimum.

http://www.sciencemag.org/content/330/6005/819.abstract?sa_campaign=Email/toc/5-November-2010/10.1126/science.1193654

Next Week's Paper

Next week we will be reading:


Bebej, R. M. 2009. Swimming Mode Inferred from Skeletal Proportions in the Fossil Pinnipeds Enaliarctos and Allodesmus (Mammalia, Carnivora). Journal of Mammalian Evolution 16: 77-97.

Avian Origin of Flight

We had yet another successful discussion section this past week. We discussed a paper describing both the support for and limitations of the "ground up" and "trees down" hypotheses in the evolution of avian flight (paper cited below). The basics of the ground up hypothesis are that theropod dinosaurs utilized proto-wings as a means of lengthening a predatory strike, leaping into the air to catch insects, or to assist them in incline running. The trees down hypothesis suggests that bird ancestors were arboreal and used proto-wings for gliding from tree to tree before the evolution of flapping flight. The authors clearly support the latter hypothesis. They cite several reasons for the physical impossibility of the ground up method including the fact that theropods could not have run fast enough to gain lift from proto-wings and that there is no obvious intermediate form that would have been beneficial to these ancestral forms.

Besides the obvious fact that many discoveries have been made since this paper was published, there are several other questions that were brought up during the discussion. One concerned the usefulness of wings that have been adapted for gliding (and thus likely stiffened) in developing the dynamic flapping flight we see in birds today. In general, gliding structures are characterized by stability more than maneuverability (save flying squirrels whose "wings" are much different in form). We also had a difficult time imagining full flapping flight evolving from a completely terrestrial ancestor. We therefore imagined that a terrestrial ancestor that could use it's wings in incline running (say up the trunk of a tree) could then have used the same flapping mechanism from greater heights. In general, we feel that neither argument is mutually exclusive. However, the paper does clearly indicate that the authors do not recognize the relationship between birds and theropods. Given the mountain of evidence continuing to gather (feathered dinosaurs, morphology, frameshift mutations etc.) we feel that the relationship is well supported.

Next Week's Paper

The paper for next week will be:

Geist, N.R. and A. Feduccia. 2000. Gravity-defying behaviors: identifying models for protoaves. Amer. Zool. 40: 664-675.

Dinosaur Feeding

Yesterday's discussion was a successful one. The paper (cited below) described both the new and old means of determining dinosaur diet. These included morphological assessment (jaw mechanics, among others), finite element analysis, and tooth wear. The main thesis of the paper was that dinosaurs can be used to answer many macroevolutionary questions.

Our discussion focussed largely on the evolution of paleontological methods. The application of quantitative methods in paleontology is openning up new doors and generating new hypotheses. These methods are not limited to dietary analyses of dinosaurs. They have been applied in biomechanical studies of the post-crania, biogeographical studies, and in the illucidation of niche partitioning among co-existing taxa.

Another line of discussion concerned the importance of using the past to understand the present. In essence, the evolution of communities and ecosystems is shaped by their history and often constrained by it. An understanding of the evolution of the community/taxon you are studying can provide you with a deeper understanding and even determine some of the methods used to test hypotheses. It can also help in the prediction of future changes in the same group.

This Week's Paper

This week we will be discussing the following paper:

Barret, P.M. and E. J. Rayfield. 2006. Ecological and evolutionary implications of dinosaur feeding behavior. TREE 21:  217-224.

T. rex cannibalism

I am posting this because it is relevant to some things that came up in the discussion yesterday:

http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/10/scienceshot-t-rex-a-cannibal.html?etoc

Again, I feel that it is likely that T. rex was oppurtunistic, as many extant carnivores are.

Albertosaurus Life History

This week's paper (cited below) describes the construction of a life history table for Albertosaurus sarcophagus. The life table was constructed using an attritional assemblage from Dinosaur Provincial Park in Alberta. From this assemblage the authors were able to estimate mortality rates among the different age classes as well as the life expectancy. Most notably, the survivorship curve was found to be sigmoidal with a midlife decline in survivorship. The A. sarcophagus juveniles appear to have experienced high mortality rates followed by a decline in mortality with age (and increase in size). Mortality rates remained constant until the onset of breeding, suggesting that large clutches of young were adaptive for a short reproductive life span. The study confirmed the results of a previous study and increased the statistical power.

I find it interesting that these types of tables can be drawn for extinct organisms but I don't think it is surprising to find that a large animal such as Albertosaurus share similar life history traits to other large vertebrates. It is interesting, however, that the same patterns are not seen in any extant reptilian. This begs the question of whether the apparent differences in metabolism between extant lizards (for example) and large terrestrial dinosaurs (which are at least inertial homeotherms) are the reason for life history differences. It is difficult to rule out other factors such as habitat, body size, and clutch size, however. But I do wish there was a citation in the paper on extant reptilian life history tables and survivorship curves. How do reptiles differ from similarly sized mammals etc? does it change with body size? The paper may have been strengthened by further background on life tables and survivorship curves as well as direct comparison to some living representatives.

Tomorrow's discussion paper

This one was chosen by Tom, and is our first weekly paper to be about DINOSAURS!

Erickson, G.M., P.J. Currie, B.D. Inouye & A.A. Winn, 2010. A revised life table and survivorship curve for Albertosaurus sarcophagus based on the Dry Island mass death assemblage. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 47: 1269-1275. [PDF]

Penguin Feathers

This was published September 30 in Science.

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/science.1193604v1?sa_campaign=Email/pap/30-September-2010/10.1126/science.1193604

The paper describes a new Eocene fossil penguin with preserved feathers and shows that the morphology and color of the feathers were not similar to what we see in modern penguins. This is one of a few papers that have determined fossil feather color using melanosomes.

Hairlessness or Nakedness in Humans

I did not attend last night's meeting (I had reserved a table so I hope that was set up when you got there!) but I wanted to offer my opinion on the paper suggested by Brad. I agree with the author in that many of the previously proposed hypotheses for human hairlessness are not supportable. Hairiness is often painted as a means of keeping warm and rarely viewed as a means of keeping cool. Of course when we think about hair functions, this makes perfect sense. Hair takes advantage of the insulating properties of air by trapping it next to the body so it follows that the body should also be cooler than ambient temperature in savannah ecosystems. I think the least realistic hypothesis is the aquatic ape hypothesis. As the author mentions, many aquatic or semiaquatic mammals retain hair (again because of the insulating properties of air). These include things like beavers and otters. One thing the author doesn't mention is that hairless aquatic mammals also tend to have a high amount of insulating blubber to protect them from the cooling effects of water. But I would also expect an aquatic ape to have features more appropriate for swimming. As humans, we are terrible swimmers (perhaps not as terrible as ungulates with their spindley legs). I also agree that it is hard to separate the effects of sexual selection from the effects of natural selection but, as the author mentions, there had to be an initial impetus for hair loss or reduction.

It is clear from the paper that the author favors the parasite hypothesis. In essence, apes began to lose their hair because of increased parasite loads resulting from living in dens as a group. I didn't go to the original paper that is cited but this sounds initially convincing. I do wonder, however, about other den living animals (that also live in groups) that have retained their hairiness. I can think of a few of these animals including meerkats and burrowing rabbits. Are the insulating properties of the fur more important than the selective pressures placed upon them by increased parasite loads? In general, I don't find the parasite hypothesis satisfying and feel that the question of human nakedness is far from answered.

I am interested in seeing what came out of the discussion yesterday as well.

SVP Part II

Now that I have recovered (mostly) from sleep deprivation, I thought I would compose a longer post on SVP 2010.

The ice breaker at the Carnegie museum featured the best free food I have ever received from SVP (mainly because it wasn't just cheese and crackers). The museum featured all of our favorite vertebrates (namely this one also known as the Irish Elk).

And several of these less important things.

The auction was not Avatar themed as many guessed. The Star Trek theme was an okay replacement but I really wanted to see some blue makeup. I did enjoy last year's Monty Python a little more.



We can only hope for an exciting auction theme next year (in Vegas!). I hope to see you all there again and hope for another series of successful talks and posters.

My final note.

See you all at today's discussion of Nakedness in humans.

SVP 2010 Post-mortem

At least some of us have survived SVP 2010. We had successful posters and talks while some of us lost our pride on the dance floor (or all of the above). Team Canada came complete with some words from the new SVP president. The meeting was an overall success!

Hagfish Sex Hormones

Here is an interesting story on the publication of the discovery of the first hagfish sex hormone. Is this hormone ancestral to vertebrates or derived within the hagfish? I guess you'll have to read the referred paper.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/10/101005171038.htm

DON'T FORGET TO DOWNLOAD THE PAPER BELOW FOR THE OCTOBER 19 DISCUSSION.

What's so great about naked people?

I have chosen the reading for our October 19th discussion. Enjoy!

Rantala, M.J., 2007. Evolution of nakedness in Homo sapiens. Journal of Zoology 273: 1-7. [Free PDF]

New Paper in Nature

A new paper in Nature about the metabolic impacts of climate change on ectothermic vertebrates:

Michael E. Dillon, GeorgeWang, and Raymond B. Huey. 2010. Global metabolic impacts of recent climate warming. Nature 467: 704-707.

This Week and Next

This week's paper was an interesting insight into the world of trace fossils. The paper described the discovery of ant "bite marks" on leaves. The bite marks are the same as those left by ants infected with a deadly fungus that grows out of their heads (Grotesque!). It is the earliest record of this type of host-parasite interaction (Eocene) and has interesting implications for the evolution of host behavioral control in fungal parasites. We all wondered how old this interaction really is and wondered what this means for hypotheses of arms races between hosts and parasites. If these interactions were the same millions of years ago, can we begin to question these hypotheses?

On another note, next week is the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) meeting in Pittsburgh. Several of the groups members are presenting posters and talks (listed below are the ones I can currently recall, if you have been forgotten, post a comment):

Danielle Fraser, Thomas Cullen, Joanna Northover

Tuesday October 5 Meeting

A reservation has been made at Mike's place under the name Dani. It will be one of the picnic tables. See you all there.

I will be working on the functionality and appearance of the blog this evening.

Work In Progress

This blog is a work in progress. You will notice the links are not working. I will have them fixed soonish.

Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology

The new issue of JVP is available today through BioOne (Volume 30, Issue 5).

New papers include:

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Osteology of a New Giant Bony-Toothed Bird from the Miocene of Chile,
with a Revision of the Taxonomy of Neogene Pelagornithidae

Gerald Mayr and David Rubilar-Rogers
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1313-1330.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501465

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Jurassic Fishes from the Latady Group, Antarctic Peninsula, and the
Oldest Teleosts from Antarctica

Gloria Arratia and Dan C. H. Hikuroa
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1331-1342.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501448

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A New Species of Enchodus (Aulopiformes: Enchodontidae) from the
Cretaceous (Albian to Cenomanian) of Zimapan, Hidalgo, Mexico

Christopher Fielitz and Katia A. Gonzalez-Rodriguez
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1343-1351.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501438

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The Cranial Morphology of a New Genus of Lungfish (Osteichthyes: Dipnoi)
from the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation of North America

Jason D. Pardo, Adam K. Huttenlocker, Bryan J. Small, and Mark A. Gorman
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1352-1359.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501430

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The Lower Permian Amphibamid Doleserpeton (Temnospondyli:
Dissorophoidea), The Interrelationships of Amphibamids, and the Origin
Of Modern Amphibians

Trond Sigurdsen and John R. Bolt
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1360-1377.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501445

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The Postcranial Skeleton of the Aquatic Parareptile Mesosaurus tenuidens
from the Gondwanan Permian

Sean Patrick Modesto
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1378-1395.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501443

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A New Pylaecephalid Dicynodont (Therapsida, Anomodontia) from the
Tapinocephalus Assemblage Zone, Karoo Basin, Middle Permian of South
Africa

Kenneth D. Angielczyk and Bruce S. Rubidge
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1396-1409.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501447

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Redescription of the Holotype of Platecarpus tympaniticus Cope, 1869
(Mosasauridae: Plioplatecarpinae), and its Implications for the Alpha
Taxonomy of the Genus

Takuya Konishi, Michael W. Caldwell, and Gorden L. Bell
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1410-1421.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501464

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The Role of the Calcaneal 'Heel' as a Propulsive Lever in Basal
Archosaurs and Extant Monitor Lizards

Corwin Sullivan
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1422-1432.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501450

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A New Basal Archosauriform Diapsid from the Lower Triassic of Argentina

Martin D. Ezcurra, Agustina Lecuona, and Agustin Martinelli
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1433-1450.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501446

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The Evolution of Extreme Hypercarnivory in Metriorhynchidae
(Mesoeucrocodylia: Thalattosuchia) Based on Evidence from Microscopic
Denticle Morphology

Marco Brandalise de Andrade, Mark T. Young, Julia B. Desojo, and Stephen
L. Brusatte
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1451-1465.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501442

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A New Specimen of Eutretauranosuchus (Crocodyliformes; Goniopholididae)
from Dry Mesa, Colorado

David K. Smith, Eric R. Allen, R. Kent Sanders, and Kenneth L. Stadtman
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1466-1477.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501434

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Naming Dinosaur Species: The Performance of Prolific Authors

Michael J. Benton
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1478-1485.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501462

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Evolution, Homology, and Function of the Supracranial Sinuses in
Ceratopsian Dinosaurs

Andrew A. Farke
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1486-1500.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501436

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New Multituberculate Mammals from the Lower Cretaceous (Shahai and Fuxin
Formations), Northeastern China

Nao Kusuhashi, yaoming hu, yuanqing wang, Takeshi Setoguchi, and
Hiroshige Matsuoka
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1501-1514.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501435

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Postcranial Skeleton of the Miocene Marsupial Palaeothentes
(Paucituberculata, Palaeothentidae): Paleobiology and Phylogeny

Maria Alejandra Abello and Adriana Magdalena Candela
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1515-1527.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501437

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An Exceptionally Well-Preserved Short-Snouted Bandicoot (Marsupialia;
Peramelemorphia) from Riversleigh's Oligo-Miocene Deposits, Northwestern
Queensland, Australia

K. J. Travouillon, Y. Gurovich, R. M. D. Beck, and J. Muirhead
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1528-1546.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501463

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Mylodon darwini Owen (Xenarthra, Mylodontinae) from the Late Pleistocene
of Mesopotamia, Argentina, with Remarks on Individual Variability,
Paleobiology, Paleobiogeography, and Paleoenvironment

Diego Brandoni, Brenda S. Ferrero, and Ernesto Brunetto
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1547-1558.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501449

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First Skull of Orthaspidotherium edwardsi (Mammalia, "Condylarthra")
from the Late Paleocene of Berru (France) and Phylogenetic Affinities of
the Enigmatic European Family Pleuraspidotheriidae

Sandrine Ladeveze, Pieter Missiaen, and Thierry Smith
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1559-1578.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501440

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A Large-Bodied Anomaluroid Rodent from the Earliest Late Eocene of
Egypt: Phylogenetic and Biogeographic Implications

Hesham M. Sallam, Erik R. Seiffert, Elwyn L. Simons, and Chloe Brindley
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1579-1593.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501439

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Microdyromys remmerti, sp. nov., A New Gliridae (Rodentia, Mammalia)
from the Aragonian Type Area (Miocene, Calatayud-Montalban Basin, Spain)

Israel Garcia-Paredes, Pablo Pelaez-Campomanes, and M. Angeles
Alvarez-Sierra
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1594-1609.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501453

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New Myomorph Rodents from the Eocene of Southern California

Stephen L. Walsh
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1610-1621.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501433

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New Data on the Lower Devonian Chondrichthyan Fauna from Celtiberia
(Spain)

Carlos Martinez-Perez, Vincent Dupret, Esther Manzanares, and Hector
Botella
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1622-1627.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501451

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Apsisaurus witteri from the Lower Permian of Texas: Yet Another Small
Varanopid Synapsid, Not a Diapsid

Robert R. Reisz, Michel Laurin, and David Marjanovic
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1628-1631.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501441

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New Material of Prognathodon (Squamata: Mosasauridae), and the Mosasaur
Assemblage of the Maastrichtian of California, U.S.A.

Johan Lindgren and Anne S. Schulp
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1632-1636.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501444

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The Dentary of Suuwassea emilieae (Sauropoda: Diplodocoidea)

John A. Whitlock and Jerald D. Harris
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1637-1641.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501452

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The Earliest Record of a Galliform Bird in Asia, from the Late
Paleocene-Early Eocene of the Gobi Desert, Mongolia

Sunny H. Hwang, Gerald Mayr, and Minjin Bolortsetseg
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1642-1644.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501454

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A Miocene Ziphiid (Cetacea: Odontoceti) from Calvert Cliffs, Maryland,
U.S.A.

Olivier Lambert, Stephen J. Godfrey, and Anna J. Fuller
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology Sep 2010 Vol. 30, No. 5: 1645-1651.
http://www.bioone.org/doi/abs/10.1080/02724634.2010.501642

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First Meeting of the Year

Our meeting time is officially Tuesday at 5:30pm at Mike's Place pub.


Our discussion of  Theobald, D. L. 2010. A formal test of the theory of universal common ancestry. Nature 65:219-223 was a success.


We will be discussing  David P. Hughes, Torsten Wappler and Conrad C. Labandeira. 2010.  Ancient death-grip leaf scars reveal ant-fungal parasitism. Biol. Lett. Online publication.