Evolution and dispersal of snakes across the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction
Abstract
Mass extinctions have repeatedly shaped global biodiversity. The Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction caused the demise of
numerous vertebrate groups, and its aftermath saw the rapid
diversification of surviving mammals, birds, frogs, and teleost
fishes. However, the effects of the K-Pg extinction on the evolution
of snakes—a major clade of predators comprising over 3,700 living species—remains poorly understood. Here, we combine an extensive
molecular dataset with phylogenetically and stratigraphically
constrained fossil calibrations to infer an evolutionary timescale for Serpentes. We reveal a potential diversification among crown snakes associated with the K-Pg mass extinction, led by the successful
colonisation of Asia by the major extant clade Afrophidia.
Vertebral morphometrics suggest increasing morphological specialisation among
marine snakes through the Paleogene. The dispersal patterns of snakes following the K-Pg underscore the importance of this mass extinction
event in shaping Earth’s extant vertebrate faunas.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25136-y
Evolution and dispersal of snakes across the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass >extinction
Abstract
Mass extinctions have repeatedly shaped global biodiversity. The >Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction caused the demise of
numerous vertebrate groups, and its aftermath saw the rapid
diversification of surviving mammals, birds, frogs, and teleost
fishes. However, the effects of the K-Pg extinction on the evolution
of snakes—a major clade of predators comprising over 3,700 living >species—remains poorly understood. Here, we combine an extensive
molecular dataset with phylogenetically and stratigraphically
constrained fossil calibrations to infer an evolutionary timescale for >Serpentes. We reveal a potential diversification among crown snakes >associated with the K-Pg mass extinction, led by the successful
colonisation of Asia by the major extant clade Afrophidia. Vertebral >morphometrics suggest increasing morphological specialisation among
marine snakes through the Paleogene. The dispersal patterns of snakes >following the K-Pg underscore the importance of this mass extinction
event in shaping Earth’s extant vertebrate faunas.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25136-y
On Wed, 15 Sep 2021 20:19:19 +0200, Pandora <pandora@knoware.nl>
wrote:
Evolution and dispersal of snakes across the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass >>extinction
Abstract
Mass extinctions have repeatedly shaped global biodiversity. The >>Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) mass extinction caused the demise of
numerous vertebrate groups, and its aftermath saw the rapid
diversification of surviving mammals, birds, frogs, and teleost
fishes. However, the effects of the K-Pg extinction on the evolution
of snakes—a major clade of predators comprising over 3,700 living >>species—remains poorly understood. Here, we combine an extensive >>molecular dataset with phylogenetically and stratigraphically
constrained fossil calibrations to infer an evolutionary timescale for >>Serpentes. We reveal a potential diversification among crown snakes >>associated with the K-Pg mass extinction, led by the successful >>colonisation of Asia by the major extant clade Afrophidia. Vertebral >>morphometrics suggest increasing morphological specialisation among
marine snakes through the Paleogene. The dispersal patterns of snakes >>following the K-Pg underscore the importance of this mass extinction
event in shaping Earth’s extant vertebrate faunas.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25136-y
Related:
Rapid increase in snake dietary diversity and complexity following the >end-Cretaceous mass extinction.
Abstract
The Cenozoic marked a period of dramatic ecological opportunity in
Earth history due to the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs as well as
to long-term physiographic changes that created new biogeographic
theaters and new habitats. Snakes underwent massive ecological >diversification during this period, repeatedly evolving novel dietary >adaptations and prey preferences. The evolutionary tempo and mode of
these trophic ecological changes remain virtually unknown, especially >compared with co-radiating lineages of birds and mammals that are >simultaneously predators and prey of snakes. Here, we assemble a
dataset on snake diets (34,060 observations on the diets of 882
species) to investigate the history and dynamics of the
multidimensional trophic niche during the global radiation of snakes.
Our results show that per-lineage dietary niche breadths remained
remarkably constant even as snakes diversified to occupy disparate
outposts of dietary ecospace. Rapid increases in dietary diversity and >complexity occurred in the early Cenozoic, and the overall rate of
ecospace expansion has slowed through time, suggesting a potential
response to ecological opportunity in the wake of the end-Cretaceous
mass extinction. Explosive bursts of trophic innovation followed
colonization of the Nearctic and Neotropical realms by a group of
snakes that today comprises a majority of living snake diversity. Our
results indicate that repeated transformational shifts in dietary
ecology are important drivers of adaptive radiation in snakes and
provide a framework for analyzing and visualizing the evolution of
complex ecological phenotypes on phylogenetic trees.
Open access: >https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001414
Rapid increase in snake dietary diversity and complexity following the >>end-Cretaceous mass extinction.
Abstract
The Cenozoic marked a period of dramatic ecological opportunity in
Earth history due to the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs as well as
to long-term physiographic changes that created new biogeographic
theaters and new habitats. Snakes underwent massive ecological >>diversification during this period, repeatedly evolving novel dietary >>adaptations and prey preferences. The evolutionary tempo and mode of
these trophic ecological changes remain virtually unknown, especially >>compared with co-radiating lineages of birds and mammals that are >>simultaneously predators and prey of snakes. Here, we assemble a
dataset on snake diets (34,060 observations on the diets of 882
species) to investigate the history and dynamics of the
multidimensional trophic niche during the global radiation of snakes.
Our results show that per-lineage dietary niche breadths remained >>remarkably constant even as snakes diversified to occupy disparate
outposts of dietary ecospace. Rapid increases in dietary diversity and >>complexity occurred in the early Cenozoic, and the overall rate of
ecospace expansion has slowed through time, suggesting a potential
response to ecological opportunity in the wake of the end-Cretaceous
mass extinction. Explosive bursts of trophic innovation followed >>colonization of the Nearctic and Neotropical realms by a group of
snakes that today comprises a majority of living snake diversity. Our >>results indicate that repeated transformational shifts in dietary
ecology are important drivers of adaptive radiation in snakes and
provide a framework for analyzing and visualizing the evolution of
complex ecological phenotypes on phylogenetic trees.
Open access: >>https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3001414
From the above:
****************************
With nearly as many species of snakes as there are mammals, however,
the Cenozoic might just as well be called the “Age of Snakes” >*****************************
Except there are no herbivorous snakes, demonstrating a certain lack
of imagination. Even lizards evolved a few plant munchers.
Sysop: | Keyop |
---|---|
Location: | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK |
Users: | 296 |
Nodes: | 16 (2 / 14) |
Uptime: | 62:40:24 |
Calls: | 6,654 |
Files: | 12,200 |
Messages: | 5,331,627 |