A new Middle Jurassic diplodocoid suggests an earlier dispersal and diversification of sauropod dinosaurs
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The fragmentation of the supercontinent Pangaea has been suggested to have had a profound
impact on Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrate distributions. One current paradigm is
that geographic
isolation produced an endemic biota in East As
ia during the Jurassic, while simultaneously
preventing diplodocoid sauropod dinosaurs and seve
ral other tetrapod groups from reaching this
region. Here we report the discovery of the earliest
diplodocoid, and the first from East Asia, to
our knowledge, based on fossil material comprisi
ng multiple individuals and most parts of the
skeleton of an early Middle Jurassic dicraeosaurid. The new discovery challenges conventional
biogeographical ideas, and suggests that dispersal into East Asia occurred much earlier than
expected. Moreover, the age of this new taxon
indicates that many advanced sauropod lineages
originated at least 15 million years earlier
than previously realized, achieving a global
distribution while Pangaea was still a coherent landmass.
impact on Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrate distributions. One current paradigm is
that geographic
isolation produced an endemic biota in East As
ia during the Jurassic, while simultaneously
preventing diplodocoid sauropod dinosaurs and seve
ral other tetrapod groups from reaching this
region. Here we report the discovery of the earliest
diplodocoid, and the first from East Asia, to
our knowledge, based on fossil material comprisi
ng multiple individuals and most parts of the
skeleton of an early Middle Jurassic dicraeosaurid. The new discovery challenges conventional
biogeographical ideas, and suggests that dispersal into East Asia occurred much earlier than
expected. Moreover, the age of this new taxon
indicates that many advanced sauropod lineages
originated at least 15 million years earlier
than previously realized, achieving a global
distribution while Pangaea was still a coherent landmass.
Date Issued
2018-07-24
Date Acceptance
2018-04-12
Citation
Nature Communications, 2018, 9
ISSN
2041-1723
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
Journal / Book Title
Nature Communications
Volume
9
Copyright Statement
© 2018 The Author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give
appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative
Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party
material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless
indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the
article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory
regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from
the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/.
Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give
appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative
Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party
material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless
indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the
article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory
regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from
the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/
licenses/by/4.0/.
Sponsor
The Leverhulme Trust
The Royal Society
Grant Number
ECF-2014-662
UF160216
Subjects
Science & Technology
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Science & Technology - Other Topics
PHYLOGENETIC ANALYSIS
ASIA
BIOGEOGRAPHY
OSTEOLOGY
REDESCRIPTION
REASSESSMENT
SAURISCHIA
MACRONARIA
DIVERSITY
THEROPODA
MD Multidisciplinary
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
2700