Ontogenetic growth in the crania of Exaeretodon argentinus (Synapsida: Cynodontia) captures a dietary shift.

ABSTRACT:

Background

An ontogenetic niche shift in vertebrates is a common occurrence where ecology shifts with morphological changes throughout growth. How ecology shifts over a vertebrate's lifetime is often reconstructed in extant species-by combining observational and skeletal data from growth series of the same species-because interactions between organisms and their environment can be observed directly. However, reconstructing shifts using extinct vertebrates is difficult and requires well-sampled growth series, specimens with relatively complete preservation, and easily observable skeletal traits associated with ecologies suspected to change throughout growth, such as diet.

Methods

To reconstruct ecological changes throughout the growth of a stem-mammal, we describe changes ass

SUBMITTER: Wynd B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9590418 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature