Skip to main content
Log in

Quantitative Comparison of Ontogenetic and Phylogenetic Character Changes in the Synapsid Mandible and Auditory Region

  • Published:
Journal of Mammalian Evolution Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The dual transformations of the post-dentary bones into sound conducting elements of the basicranium in synapsid evolutionary and developmental histories are quantitatively compared using a modified version of a previously published methodology. Sensitivity analyses were performed to test the effects of using different phylogenies and statistics. The relative sequences of discrete osteological character transformations of the mandible and auditory region compared between the ontogeny of Monodelphis domestica. the gray short-tailed opossum, and two phylogenetic hypotheses for synapsids are statistically correlated using two different tests (Spearman's R correlation and Kendall's Tau). Presumably, the characters examined in this study form a functionally integrated morphological unit that is distinct throughout evolutionary and developmental history. Assuming a von Baerian developmental pattern, the methodology discussed here could potentially be used as a test of similarity between phylogenetic hypotheses; however, further work needs to be done to test this potential.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

LITERATURE CITED

  • Allin, E. F. (1975). Evolution of the mammalian middle ear. J. Morph. 147: 403–438.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allin, E. F. (1986). The auditory apparatus of advanced mammal-like reptiles and early mammals. In: The Ecology and Biology of Mammal-like Reptiles, N. Hotton III, P. D. MacLean, J. J. Roth, and E. C. Roth, eds., pp. 283–294. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allin, E. F., and Hopson, J. A. (1992). Evolution of the auditory system in Synapsida (”mammal-like reptiles” and primitive mammals) as seen in the fossil record. In: The Evolutionary Biology of Hearing, D. B. Webster, R. R. Fay, and A. N. Popper, eds., pp. 587–614. Springer-Verlag, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baer, K. E. von. (1828). Entwicklungsgeschichte der Thiere: Beobachtung und Reflexion. Bornträger, Königsberg.

  • Barghusen, H. R., and Hopson, J. A. (1970). Dentary-squamosal joint and the origin of mammals. Science 168: 573–575.

    Google Scholar 

  • de. Beer, G. (1958). Embryos and Ancestors. Oxford University Press, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brink, A. S. (1963). On Bauria cynops Broom. Palaeont. Afr. 8: 39–56.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brinkman, D. (1988). Size-independent criteria for estimating relative age in Ophiacodon and Dimetrodon (Reptilia, Pelycosauria) from the Admiral and Lower Belle Plains Formations of west-central Texas. J. Vert. Paleontol. 8: 172–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brinkman, D., and Eberth, D. A. (1983). The interrelationships of pelycosaurs. Breviora 473: 1–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Camp, C. L., and Welles, S. P. (1956). Triassic dicynodont reptiles. Mem. Univ. Calif. 13: 255–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, C. T., and Smith, K. K. (1993). Cranial osteogenesis in Monodelphis domestica (Didelphidae) and Macropus eugenii (Macropodidae). J. Morph. 215: 119–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colbert, E. H. (1948). The mammal-like reptile Lycaenops. Bull. Amer. Mus. Nat. Hist. 89: 357–404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crompton, A. W. (1963). On the lower jaw of Diarthrognathus and the origin of the mammalian lower jaw. Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond. 140: 697–753.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crompton, A. W. (1972). The evolution of the jaw articulation of cynodonts. In: Studies in Vertebrate Evolution, K. A. Joysey, and T. S. Kemp, eds., pp. 231–251. Winchester Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crompton, A. W. and Parker, P. (1978). Evolution of the mammalian masticatory apparatus. Amer. Sci. 66: 192–201.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crompton, A. W. and Sun, A.-L. (1985). Cranial structure and relationships of the Liassic mammal Sinoconodon. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 85: 99–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Filan, S. L. (1991). Development of the middle ear region in Monodelphis domestica (Marsupialia, Didelphidae): Marsupial solutions to an early birth. J. Zool. London) 225: 577–588.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaupp, E. (1913). Die Reichertsche Theorie. Arch. Anat. EntwGesch. 1912: 1–416.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gauthier, J. A. (1986). Saurischian monophyly and the origin of birds. In: The Origin of Birds and the Evolution of Flight, Memoir 8, K. Padian, ed., pp. 1–55. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gauthier, J., Kluge, A. G., and Rowe, T. (1988). Amniote phylogeny and the importance of fossils. Cladistics 4: 105–209.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, B. M. (1990). Mammalian Osteology. Missouri Archaeological Society, Columbia, MO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodrich, E. S. (1930). Studies on the Structure and Development of Vertebrates. Vol. 1. Macmillan, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gould, S. J. (1977). Ontogeny and Phylogeny. Belknap Press, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanken, J., and Wassersug, R. J. (1981). The visible skeleton. Funct. Photogr. 16: 22–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopson, J. A., and Barghusen, H. R. (1986). An analysis of therapsid relationships. In: The Ecology and Biology of Mammal-like Reptiles, N. Hotton III, P. D. MacLean, J. J. Roth, and E. C. Roth, eds., pp. 83–106. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hopson, J. A., and Kitching, J. W. (2001). A probainognathian cynodont from South Africa and the phylogeny of nonmammalian cynodonts. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 156: 5–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jeffery, J. E., Richardson, M. K., Coates, M. I., and Bininda-Emonds, O. R. P. (2002). Analyzing developmental sequences within a phylogenetic framework. Syst. Biol. 51: 478–491.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemp, T. S. (1979). The primitive cynodont Procynosuchus: Functional anatomy of the skull and relationships. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B. 285: 73–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemp, T. S. (1982). Mammal-like Reptiles and the Origin of Mammals. Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kemp, T. S. (1988). Interrelationships of the Synapsida. In: The Phylogeny and Classification of the Tetrapods. Mammals. Vol. 2, Systematics Association Special Volume No. 35B, M. J. Benton, ed., pp. 1–22. Clarendon Press, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kermack, D. M., and Kermack, K. A. (1984). The Evolution of Mammalian Characters. Kapitan Szabo Publishers, Washington, D. C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kermack, K. A., Mussett, F., and Rigney, H. W. (1973). The lower jaw of Morganucodon. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 53: 87–175.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kermack, K. A., Mussett, F., and Rigney, H. W. (1981). The skull of Morganucodon. Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 71: 1–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • King, G. (1990). The Dicynodonts: A Study in Palaeobiology. Chapman and Hall, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kühne, W. G. (1956). The Liassic Therapsid Oligokyphus. British Museum (Natural History), London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsson, H. C. E. (1998). A new method for comparing ontogenetic and phylogenetic data and its application to the evolution of the crocodilian secondary palate. Neues Jb. Geol. P-A 210: 345–368.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurin, M. (1993). Anatomy and relationships of Haptodus garnettensis: A Pennsylvanian synapsid from Kansas. J. Vert. Paleontol. 13: 200–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovejoy, N. R. (2000). Reinterpreting recapitulation: Systematics of needlefishes and their allies (Teleostei: Beloniformes). Evolution 54: 1349–1362.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luo, Z. (1994). Sister-group relationships of mammals and transformations of diagnostic mammalian characters. In: In the Shadow of the Dinosaurs: Early Mesozoic Tetrapods, N. C. Fraser, and H. D. Sues, eds., pp. 98–128. Cambridge University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luo, Z., and Crompton, A. W. (1994). Transformation of the quadrate (incus) through the transition from nonmammalian cynodonts to mammals. J. Vert. Paleontol. 14: 341–374.

    Google Scholar 

  • Luo, Z., Crompton, A. W., and Lucas, S. G. (1995). Evolutionary origins of the mammalian promontorium and cochlea. J. Vert. Paleontol. 15: 113–121.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mabee, P. M., Olmstead, K. L., and Cubbage, C. C. (2000). An experimental study of intraspecific variation, developmental timing, and heterochrony in fishes. Evolution 54: 2091–2106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macrini, T. E. (2000). High Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) of the Skull of an Extant Opossum (Monodelphis domestica) and a Comparison of its Ontogeny to Synapsid Phylogeny. Unpublished M. S. thesis. The University of Texas at Austin.

  • Maier, W. (1987). Der Processus angularis bei Monodelphis domestica (Didelphidae; Marsupialia) und seine Beziehungen zum Mittelohr: Eine ontogenetishe und evolutionsmorphologische Untersuchung. Gegenbaurs Jb. 133: 123–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maier, W. (1990). Phylogeny and ontogeny of mammalian middle ear structures. Neth. J. Zool. 40: 55–74.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maier, W. (1993). Cranial morphology of the therian common ancestor, as suggested by the adaptations of neonate marsupials. In: Mammal Phylogeny: Mesozoic Differentiation, Multituberculates, Monotremes, Early Therians, and Marsupials, F. S. Szalay, M. J. Novacek, and M. C. McKenna, eds., pp. 165–181. Springer-Verlag, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nunn, C. L., and Smith, K. K. (1998). Statistical analyses of developmental sequences: the craniofacial region in marsupials and placental mammals. Amer. Nat. 152: 82–101.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, E. C. (1962). Late Permian terrestrial vertebrates, USA and USSR. Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc. 52: 1–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reisz, R. R. (1980). The Pelycosauria: A review of phylogenetic relationships. In: The Terrestrial Environment and the Origin of Land Vertebrates. Systematics Association Special Volume No. 15., A. L. Panchen, ed., pp. 553–592. Academic Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rieppel, O. (1985). Ontogeny and the hierarchy of types. Cladistics 1: 234–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romer, A. S. (1956). Osteology of the Reptiles. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL (reprinted in 1997 by Krieger Publishing Company, Malabar, FL).

    Google Scholar 

  • Romer, A. S. (1969). The Chañares (Argentina) Triassic reptile fauna V. A new chiniquodontid cynodont, Probelesodon lewisi-cynodont ancestry. Breviora 333: 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romer, A. S. (1970). The Chañares (Argentina) Triassic reptile fauna VI. A chiniquodontid cynodont with an incipient squamosal-dentary jaw articulation. Breviora 344: 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Romer, A. S., and Price, L. I. (1940). Review of the Pelycosauria. Geological Society of America Special Papers No. 28 (reprinted in 1980 by Arno, New York).

  • Rougier, G. W., Wible, J. R., and Novacek, M. J. (1996). Middle-ear ossicles of the multituberculate Kryptobaatar from the Mongolian late Cretaceous: Implications for mammalimorph relationships and the evolution of the auditory apparatus. Amer. Mus. Novit. 3187: 1–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, T. B. (1988). Definition, diagnosis, and origin of Mammalia. J. Vert. Paleontol. 8: 241–264.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, T. B. (1993). Phylogenetic systematics and the early history of mammals. In: Mammal Phylogeny: Mesozoic Differentiation, Multituberculates, Monotremes, Early Therians, and Marsupials, F. S. Szalay, M. J. Novacek, and M. C. McKenna, eds., pp. 129–145. Springer-Verlag, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowe, T. B. (1996). Brain heterochrony and the evolution of the mammalian middle ear. In: New Perspectives on the History of Life. Memoir 20, M. Ghiselin, and G. Pinna, eds., pp. 71–95. California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sánchez-Villagra, M. R., Gemballa, S., Nummela, S., Smith, K. K., and Maier, W. (2002). Ontogenetic and phylogenetic transformations of the ear ossicles in marsupial mammals. J. Morph. 251: 219–238.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sidor, C. A., and Hopson, J. A. (1998). Ghost lineages and ”mammalness”: Assessing the temporal pattern of character acquisition in the Synapsida. Paleobiology 24: 254–273.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K. K. (2001). Heterochrony revisited: The evolution of developmental sequences. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 73: 169–186.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, K. K. (2002). Sequence heterochrony and the evolution of development. J. Morph. 252: 82–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sokal, R. R., and Rohlf, F. J. (1998). Biometry. Third edition. W. F. Freeman and Company, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sues, H.-D. (1986). The skull and dentition of two tritylodontid synapsids from the Lower Jurassic of western North America. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. 151: 217–268.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swofford, D. L. (1998). PAUP*: Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (* and Other Methods). Version 4. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tatarinov, L. P. (1968). Morphology and systematics of the northern Dvina cynodonts (Reptilia, Therapsida; Upper Permian). Postilla 126: 1–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Templeton, A. R. (1983). Phylogenetic inference from restriction endonuclease cleavage site maps with particular reference to the evolution of humans and apes. Evolution 37: 221–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D. M. S. (1953). The evolution of the mammalian ear. Evolution 7: 159–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wible, J. R. (1991). Origin of Mammalia: The craniodental evidence reexamined. J. Vert. Paleontol. 11: 1–28.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas E. Macrini.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Macrini, T.E. Quantitative Comparison of Ontogenetic and Phylogenetic Character Changes in the Synapsid Mandible and Auditory Region. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 9, 185–208 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022667116022

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022667116022

Navigation