Revisiting the evolutionary trend toward the mammalian lower jaw in non-mammalian synapsids in a phylogenetic context.

ABSTRACT: The mammalian lower jaw comprises a single bone, the dentary, which is a unique feature among vertebrates. The lower jaws of extinct non-mammalian synapsids were composed of the dentary and several postdentary bones. Synapsid fossils exhibit variation in the dentary size relative to the overall lower jaw. An evolutionary trend toward dentary enlargement and postdentary reduction in non-mammalian synapsids has long been documented but has not been established using modern phylogenetic comparative methods. In this study, we examine the evolutionary pattern of dentary size relative to the lower jaw through phylogenetic analyses of measurements in a broad range of non-mammalian synapsid taxa. Our analyses revealed an evolutionary trend toward dentary area enlargement relative to the overall lo

SUBMITTER: Harano T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10289081 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature