Definitive fossil evidence for the extant avian radiation in the Cretaceous
- PMID: 15662422
- DOI: 10.1038/nature03150
Definitive fossil evidence for the extant avian radiation in the Cretaceous
Abstract
Long-standing controversy surrounds the question of whether living bird lineages emerged after non-avian dinosaur extinction at the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary or whether these lineages coexisted with other dinosaurs and passed through this mass extinction event. Inferences from biogeography and molecular sequence data (but see ref. 10) project major avian lineages deep into the Cretaceous period, implying their 'mass survival' at the K/T boundary. By contrast, it has been argued that the fossil record refutes this hypothesis, placing a 'big bang' of avian radiation only after the end of the Cretaceous. However, other fossil data--fragmentary bones referred to extant bird lineages--have been considered inconclusive. These data have never been subjected to phylogenetic analysis. Here we identify a rare, partial skeleton from the Maastrichtian of Antarctica as the first Cretaceous fossil definitively placed within the extant bird radiation. Several phylogenetic analyses supported by independent histological data indicate that a new species, Vegavis iaai, is a part of Anseriformes (waterfowl) and is most closely related to Anatidae, which includes true ducks. A minimum of five divergences within Aves before the K/T boundary are inferred from the placement of Vegavis; at least duck, chicken and ratite bird relatives were coextant with non-avian dinosaurs.
Similar articles
-
The delayed rise of present-day mammals.Nature. 2007 Mar 29;446(7135):507-12. doi: 10.1038/nature05634. Nature. 2007. PMID: 17392779
-
Bird evolution in the Eocene: climate change in Europe and a Danish fossil fauna.Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2006 Nov;81(4):483-99. doi: 10.1017/S146479310600707X. Epub 2006 Aug 8. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2006. PMID: 16893476 Review.
-
A gigantic bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of China.Nature. 2007 Jun 14;447(7146):844-7. doi: 10.1038/nature05849. Nature. 2007. PMID: 17565365
-
Vegaviidae, a new clade of southern diving birds that survived the K/T boundary.Naturwissenschaften. 2017 Oct 7;104(11-12):87. doi: 10.1007/s00114-017-1508-y. Naturwissenschaften. 2017. PMID: 28988276
-
The Paleogene fossil record of birds in Europe.Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2005 Nov;80(4):515-42. doi: 10.1017/S1464793105006779. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2005. PMID: 16221327 Review.
Cited by
-
A new Paleogene fossil and a new dataset for waterfowl (Aves: Anseriformes) clarify phylogeny, ecological evolution, and avian evolution at the K-Pg Boundary.PLoS One. 2024 Jul 30;19(7):e0278737. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278737. eCollection 2024. PLoS One. 2024. PMID: 39078833 Free PMC article.
-
A Bird's-Eye View of Chromosomic Evolution in the Class Aves.Cells. 2024 Feb 7;13(4):310. doi: 10.3390/cells13040310. Cells. 2024. PMID: 38391923 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Tip dating and Bayes factors provide insight into the divergences of crown bird clades across the end-Cretaceous mass extinction.Proc Biol Sci. 2024 Feb 14;291(2016):20232618. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2618. Epub 2024 Feb 14. Proc Biol Sci. 2024. PMID: 38351798 Free PMC article.
-
A juvenile bird with possible crown-group affinities from a dinosaur-rich Cretaceous ecosystem in North America.BMC Ecol Evol. 2024 Feb 9;24(1):20. doi: 10.1186/s12862-024-02210-9. BMC Ecol Evol. 2024. PMID: 38336630 Free PMC article.
-
Tinamiphilopsis temmincki sp. n., a New Quill Mite Species from Tataupa Tinamou, and the Early History of Syringophilid Mites.Animals (Basel). 2023 Aug 28;13(17):2728. doi: 10.3390/ani13172728. Animals (Basel). 2023. PMID: 37684992 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources