An analysis of pterosaurian biogeography: implications for the evolutionary history and fossil record quality of the first flying vertebrates - PubMed (original) (raw)

An analysis of pterosaurian biogeography: implications for the evolutionary history and fossil record quality of the first flying vertebrates

Paul Upchurch et al. Hist Biol. 2015.

Abstract

The biogeographical history of pterosaurs has received very little treatment. Here, we present the first quantitative analysis of pterosaurian biogeography based on an event-based parsimony method (Treefitter). This approach was applied to a phylogenetic tree comprising the relationships of 108 in-group pterosaurian taxa, spanning the full range of this clade's stratigraphical and geographical extent. The results indicate that there is no support for the impact of vicariance or coherent dispersal on pterosaurian distributions. However, this group does display greatly elevated levels of sympatry. Although sampling biases and taxonomic problems might have artificially elevated the occurrence of sympatry, we argue that our results probably reflect a genuine biogeographical signal. We propose a novel model to explain pterosaurian distributions: pterosaurs underwent a series of 'sweep-stakes' dispersal events (across oceanic barriers in most cases), resulting in the founding of sympatric clusters of taxa. Examination of the spatiotemporal distributions of pterosaurian occurrences indicates that their fossil record is extremely patchy. Thus, while there is likely to be genuine information on pterosaurian diversity and biogeographical patterns in the current data-set, caution is required in its interpretation.

Keywords: Treefitter; dispersal; diversity; pterosaur; sympatry; vicariance.

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Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1. The pterosaur relationships and stratigraphical/geographical ranges used in the ‘all taxa’ Treefitter data-set. This tree is based on the cladogram presented by Andres et al. (2014) and shows the more basal portion in detail (Eupterodactyloidea has been condensed to a single branch – see Figure 2). The thick branches represent known stratigraphical ranges (based on data in The Paleobiology Database); thin branches represent estimated ghost ranges and connectors used to demarcate phylogenetic relationships. Time-sliced data-sets were derived from this tree by appropriate inclusion/exclusion of taxa. Most stratigraphical stage and taxon abbreviations are listed in the legend of Table 1. Additional abbreviations: CA, Central Asia; CO, Coniacian; EA, East Asia; Eop, Eopterosauria; EU, Europe; Euc, Euctenochasmatia; KI, Kimmeridgian; NA, North America; OX, Oxfordian; RH, Rhaetian; SA (after taxon name), South America; SA (time scale), Santonian; TU, Turonian.

Figure 2

Figure 2. The pterosaurian relationships and stratigraphical/geographical ranges used in the ‘all taxa’ Treefitter data-set. This tree is based on the cladogram presented by Andres et al. (2014) and shows the relationships among Eupterodactyloidea (see Figure 1 for the more basal part of the cladogram). The thick branches represent known stratigraphical ranges (based on data in The Paleobiology Database); thin branches represent estimated ghost ranges and connectors used to demarcate phylogenetic relationships. Time-sliced data-sets were derived from this tree by appropriate inclusion/exclusion of taxa. All abbreviations are listed in the legend of Table 1 and/or Figure 1.

Figure 3

Figure 3. Palaeogeographical map for the Late Triassic (210 Ma) showing the locations of 29 collections of pterosaurian specimens. The map was generated using software available at Fossilworks (Alroy 2013), with collections data downloaded from The Paleobiology Database.

Figure 4

Figure 4. Palaeogeographical map for the Early and Middle Jurassic (170 Ma) showing the locations of 88 collections of pterosaurian specimens. The map was generated using software available at Fossilworks (Alroy 2013), with collections data downloaded from The Paleobiology Database.

Figure 5

Figure 5. Palaeogeographical map for the Late Jurassic (150 Ma) showing the locations of 77 collections of pterosaurian specimens. The map was generated using software available at Fossilworks (Alroy 2013), with collections data downloaded from The Paleobiology Database.

Figure 6

Figure 6. Palaeogeographical map for the Early Cretaceous (130 Ma) showing the locations of 176 collections of pterosaurian specimens. The map was generated using software available at Fossilworks (Alroy 2013), with collections data downloaded from The Paleobiology Database.

Figure 7

Figure 7. Palaeogeographical map for the Late Cretaceous (80 Ma) showing the locations of 182 collections of pterosaurian specimens. The map was generated using software available at Fossilworks (Alroy 2013), with collections data downloaded from The Paleobiology Database.

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Grants and funding

RJB was supported during the completion of this research by the German Research Foundation Emmy Noether Programme [grant number BU 2587/3-1].

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