Eggshell geochemistry reveals ancestral metabolic thermal regulation in Dinosauria
Authors
Dawson, Robin R
Hull, Pincelli M
Zelenitsky, Darla K
Therrien, François
Affek, Hagit P
Journal Title
Science Advances
ISSN
2375-2548
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Volume
6
Issue
7
Number
eaax9361
Type
Article
This Version
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Dawson, R. R., Field, D. J., Hull, P. M., Zelenitsky, D. K., Therrien, F., & Affek, H. P. (2020). Eggshell geochemistry reveals ancestral metabolic thermal regulation in Dinosauria. Science Advances, 6 (7. eaax9361)https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax9361
Abstract
Studying the origin of avian thermoregulation is complicated by a lack of reliable methods to measure body temperatures in extinct dinosaurs. Evidence from bone histology and stable isotope analysis often relies on uncertain assumptions about the relationship between growth rate and body temperature, or the isotopic composition (δ18O) of body water. By contrast, clumped isotope (Δ47) paleothermometry, which relies on the binding of 13C to 18O, provides a robust tool for determining the body temperatures of dinosaurs, but has yet to be applied across a broad phylogenetic range while accounting for the influence of paleoenvironmental conditions. Applying this method to well-preserved fossil eggshells, we find that the three major clades of dinosaurs, Ornithischia, Sauropodomorpha, and Theropoda, were characterized by warm body temperatures. Dwarf titanosaurs may have exhibited similar body temperatures to larger sauropods, although these conclusions are provisional in light of uncertainties in the taxonomic assignment of dwarf titanosaur eggshell. Regardless, our results reveal that metabolically controlled thermoregulation was the ancestral condition for Dinosauria.
Sponsorship
MRC (MR/S032177)
Isaac Newton Trust (13.21(c)/18.47(a))
Embargo Lift Date
2100-01-01
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax9361
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/300040
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
Licence URL: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/