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September 25, 2014
Swarthmore College
The study shows that the familiar anatomical features of birds such as
feathers, wings and wishbones all first evolved piecemeal in their
dinosaur ancestors over tens of millions of years. However, once a fully
functioning bird body shape was complete, an evolutionary explosion
began, causing a rapid increase in the rate at which birds evolved. This
led eventually to the thousands of avian species that we know today.
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Credit: Steve Brusatte [Click to enlarge image]
T
Researchers examined the evolutionary links between ancient birds and their
closest dinosaur relatives, by analyzing the anatomical make-up of more than 850
body features in 150 extinct species, and used statistical techniques to analyze
their findings and assemble a detailed family tree.
he most comprehensive family tree of meat-eating dinosaurs ever
created is enabling scientists to discover key details of how birds
evolved from them.
The study, published in the journal Current Biology, shows that the familiar anatomical
features of birds -- such as feathers, wings and wishbones -- all first evolved piecemeal
in their dinosaur ancestors over tens of millions of years.
However, once a fully functioning bird body shape was complete, an evolutionary
explosion began, causing a rapid increase in the rate at which birds evolved. This led
eventually to the thousands of avian species that we know today.
A team of researchers, led by the University of Edinburgh (UK) and including
Swarthmore College Associate Professor of Statistics Steve C. Wang, examined the
evolutionary links between ancient birds and their closest dinosaur relatives. They did
this by analyzing the anatomical make-up of more than 850 body features in 150
extinct species and used statistical techniques to analyze their findings and assemble
a detailed family tree.
Based on their findings from fossil records, researchers say the emergence of birds
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Based on their findings from fossil records, researchers say the emergence of birds
some 150 million years ago was a gradual process, as some dinosaurs became more
bird-like over time. This makes it very difficult to draw a dividing line on the family tree
between dinosaurs and birds.
Findings from the study support a controversial theory proposed in the 1940s that the
emergence of new body shapes in groups of species could result in a surge in their
evolution.
"The evolution of birds from their dinosaur ancestors was a landmark in the history of
life," says Wang. "This process was so gradual that if you traveled back in time to the
Jurassic, you'd find that the earliest birds looked indistinguishable from many other
dinosaurs."
Wang invented a novel statistical method that was able to take advantage of new kinds
of data from the fossil record, which reached the conclusion that early birds had a high
rate of evolution. He adds that "birds as we know them evolved over millions of years,
accumulating small shifts in shape and function of the skeleton. But once all these
pieces were in place to form the archetypal bird skeleton, birds then evolved rapidly,
eventually leading to the great diversity of species we know today."
"There was no moment in time when a dinosaur became a bird, and there is no single
missing link between them, " says Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh's
School of GeoSciences, who led the study. "What we think of as the classic bird
skeleton was pieced together gradually over tens of millions of years. Once it came
together fully, it unlocked great evolutionary potential that allowed birds to evolve at a
super-charged rate."
The work was supported by the European Commission, National Science Foundation,
the University of Edinburgh, Swarthmore College's Research Fund, Swarthmore
College's James Michener Faculty Fellowship, Columbia University, and the American
Museum of Natural History.
Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Swarthmore College. Note:
Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
1. Stephen L. Brusatte, Graeme T. Lloyd, Steve C. Wang, Mark A. Norell. Gradual
Assembly of Avian Body Plan Culminated in Rapid Rates of Evolution across
the Dinosaur-Bird Transition. Current Biology, 2014; DOI:
10.1016/j.cub.2014.08.034
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Featured Research
from universities, journals, and other organizations
Swarthmore College. "Dinosaur family tree gives fresh insight into rapid rise of
birds." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 September 2014.
<www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140925130506.htm>.
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