PHYLOGENETIC TAPHONOMY: A STATISTICAL AND PHYLOGENETIC APPROACH FOR EXPLORING TAPHONOMIC PATTERNS IN THE FOSSIL RECORD USING CROCODYLIANS

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie K Drumheller ◽  
Christopher A. Brochu
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Vital Statistics ◽  
Statistical Correlation ◽  
Sample Collection ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Extinct Species ◽  
Bite Marks ◽  
Phylogenetic Methods ◽  
Bite Mark

Actualistic observations form the basis of many taphonomic studies in paleontology. However, surveys limited by environment or taxon may not be applicable far beyond the bounds of the initial observations. Even when multiple studies exploring the potential variety within a taphonomic process exist, quantitative methods for comparing these datasets in order to identify larger scale patterns have been understudied. This research uses modern bite marks collected from 21 of the 23 generally recognized species of extant Crocodylia to explore statistical and phylogenetic methods of synthesizing taphonomic datasets. Bite marks were identified, and specimens were then coded for presence or absence of different mark morphotypes. Attempts to find statistical correlation between trace types, marking animal vital statistics, and sample collection protocol were unsuccessful. Mapping bite mark character states on a eusuchian phylogeny successfully predicted the presence of known diagnostic, bisected marks in extinct taxa. Predictions for clades that may have created multiple subscores, striated marks, and extensive crushing were also generated. Inclusion of fossil bite marks which have been positively associated with extinct species allow this method to be projected beyond the crown group. The results of this study indicate that phylogenies can and should be further explored for use as predictive tools in a taphonomic framework.

scholarly journals A DIAGNOSIS OF ALLIGATOR MISSISSIPPIENSIS BITE MARKS WITH COMPARISONS TO EXISTING CROCODYLIAN DATASETS

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie K Drumheller ◽  
Christopher A. Brochu
Keyword(s):  
Vital Statistics ◽  
Alligator Mississippiensis ◽  
Feeding Strategies ◽  
Previous Survey ◽  
Bite Marks ◽  
Bite Mark ◽  
Crocodylus Porosus ◽  
Forensic Case ◽  
Diagnostic Indicator ◽  
Diagnostic Traits

Crocodylians are known to consume and modify bones, but actualistic observations of their bite marks have been limited to forensic case studies and surveys of two taxa: Crocodylus niloticus and Crocodylus porosus. To further explore patterns of crocodylian bite mark expression, we performed a survey of traces left by Alligator mississippiensis. We compared the results to pre-existing crocodylian datasets with regards to potentially diagnostic traits: bisected marks, hook scores, and a lack of furrows. Mark type did not correlate with vital statistics of the sampled animals or collections protocol. Bisected marks were found in rates similar to those seen in one previous survey of C. niloticus, and rates of hook scoring and bone breakage were higher. These traces were all present in higher rates than those reported in C. porosus. Unlike results seen in Crocodylus, furrows were identified in the A. mississippiensis samples. Hook scores were also identified, but recent surveys of non-crocodylian taxa have shown that these features are not unique to crocodylians and instead are related to inertial feeding strategies. The presence and rate of bisected marks found in this study bolster the interpretation that these traces are a clade-wide phenomenon and a useful diagnostic indicator for Crocodylia.

scholarly journals USE OF BITEMARKS FOR HUMAN IDENTIFICATION BY USING INTER-CANINE DISTANCE AND MESIO-DISTAL WIDTH OF MAXILLARY INCISORS.

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Sargam R. Parate ◽  
Aayushi Chauhan ◽  
Ashish Bodhade ◽  
Alka Dive
Keyword(s):  
Human Identification ◽  
The Body ◽  
Forensic Sciences ◽  
Correct Identification ◽  
The Third ◽  
Bite Marks ◽  
Bite Mark ◽  
Average Proportion ◽  
Food Particles ◽  
Maxillary Incisors

Aim: to determine the use of bite marks for human identification by using inter- canine distance and mesio-distal width of maxillary incisors. Introduction: Odontogenic evidence is considered to be the third most precise method of identification of human in forensic sciences. Bite-marks on the body are intentionally made, those found on food particles are usually impractically left by the offender at the scene of crime, these marks are of great importance in identification of the offender. The present study was aimed to determine the use of bitemarks for human identification by using inter-canine distance and mesio-distal width of the maxillary incisors. Materials and Methods: 40 consenting volunteers were included in the study. With the help of autoclaved Vernier calliper, the inter-canine distance and mesio-distal width of maxillary incisors were measured and bite on chocolate (CADBURY 5Star) was taken. Using Vernier calliper, Inter-canine distance and Mesio-distal width (2 maxillary central and 2 lateral incisors), were measured from the bite mark. Both measurements obtained were coded and matching was done by two doubly blinded examiners. Results: The probability of correct identification on the basis of IC distance and MD width obtained from bite-marks is 68.35%. The average proportion of correct matching is 0.78 for IC distance measurement and 0.46 for MD width. Conclusion: Metric method can be used for human identification by using bite-mark. IC distance is more reliable and efficient in human identification than MD width.

scholarly journals Early fossil record of Euarthropoda and the Cambrian Explosion

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (21) ◽  
pp. 5323-5331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison C. Daley ◽  
Jonathan B. Antcliffe ◽  
Harriet B. Drage ◽  
Stephen Pates
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Trace Fossils ◽  
Cambrian Explosion ◽  
Burgess Shale ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Total Group ◽  
Stem Lineage ◽  
Coherent Picture ◽  
Insight Into ◽  
Phosphate Deposits

Euarthropoda is one of the best-preserved fossil animal groups and has been the most diverse animal phylum for over 500 million years. Fossil Konservat-Lagerstätten, such as Burgess Shale-type deposits (BSTs), show the evolution of the euarthropod stem lineage during the Cambrian from 518 million years ago (Ma). The stem lineage includes nonbiomineralized groups, such as Radiodonta (e.g., Anomalocaris) that provide insight into the step-by-step construction of euarthropod morphology, including the exoskeleton, biramous limbs, segmentation, and cephalic structures. Trilobites are crown group euarthropods that appear in the fossil record at 521 Ma, before the stem lineage fossils, implying a ghost lineage that needs to be constrained. These constraints come from the trace fossil record, which show the first evidence for total group Euarthropoda (e.g., Cruziana, Rusophycus) at around 537 Ma. A deep Precambrian root to the euarthropod evolutionary lineage is disproven by a comparison of Ediacaran and Cambrian lagerstätten. BSTs from the latest Ediacaran Period (e.g., Miaohe biota, 550 Ma) are abundantly fossiliferous with algae but completely lack animals, which are also missing from other Ediacaran windows, such as phosphate deposits (e.g., Doushantuo, 560 Ma). This constrains the appearance of the euarthropod stem lineage to no older than 550 Ma. While each of the major types of fossil evidence (BSTs, trace fossils, and biomineralized preservation) have their limitations and are incomplete in different ways, when taken together they allow a coherent picture to emerge of the origin and subsequent radiation of total group Euarthropoda during the Cambrian.

scholarly journals Completeness metrics and the quality of the sauropodomorph fossil record through geological and historical time

Paleobiology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 36 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip D. Mannion ◽  
Paul Upchurch
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Type Specimen ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Historical Time ◽  
Rock Outcrop ◽  
Type Specimens ◽  
Fossil Remains

Despite increasing concerns about the effect of sampling biases on our reading of the fossil record, few studies have considered the completeness of the fossil remains themselves, and those that have tend to apply non-quantitative measures of preservation quality. Here we outline two new types of metric for quantifying the completeness of the fossil remains of taxa through time, using sauropodomorph dinosaurs as a case study. The “Skeletal Completeness Metric” divides the skeleton up into percentages based on the amount of bone for each region, whereas the “Character Completeness Metric” is based on the number of characters that can be scored for each skeletal element in phylogenetic analyses. For both metrics we calculated the completeness of the most complete individual and of the type specimen. We also calculated how well the taxon as a whole is known from its remains. We then plotted these results against both geological and historical time, and compared curves of the former with fluctuations in sauropodomorph diversity, sea level, and sedimentary rock outcrop area. Completeness through the Mesozoic shows a number of peaks and troughs; the Early Jurassic (Hettangian–Sinemurian) is the interval with highest completeness, whereas the mid-to-Late Cretaceous has completeness levels that are consistently lower than the rest of the Mesozoic. Completeness shows no relationship to rock outcrop area, but it is negatively correlated with sea level during the Jurassic–Early Cretaceous and correlated with diversity in the Cretaceous. Completeness of sauropodomorph type specimens has improved from 1830 to the present, supporting the conclusions of other recent studies. However, when this time interval is partitioned, we find no trend for an increase in completeness from the 1990s onward. Moreover, the 2000s represent one of the poorest decades in terms of average type specimen completeness. These results highlight the need for quantitative methods when assessing fossil record quality through geological time or when drawing conclusions about historical trends in the completeness of taxa. The new metrics may also prove useful as sampling proxies in diversity studies.

Implications for the study of fossil Asteroidea (Echinodermata) of new genera and species from the Eocene of Florida

2009 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 562-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel B. Blake ◽  
Roger W. Portell
Keyword(s):  
Family History ◽  
New Taxa ◽  
Middle Jurassic ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
New Genera ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Marine Communities ◽  
The Family ◽  
Ocala Limestone

Oyenaster oblidus, Ocalaster timucum, and Ocalaster seloyi are new genera and species of the family Goniasteridae (Asteroidea) described from the Eocene Ocala Limestone of Florida. Although the fossil record of asteroids is sketchy, goniasterids appear to have been important contributors to marine communities since at least the Middle Jurassic. Similarities between living goniasterids and their fossil precursors indicate that plesiomorphy and convergence have been important in family history, and as a result, taxonomic interpretation is challenging. Even partial fossil goniasterids are rare, forcing systematists to rely heavily on isolated marginal ossicles, although some authors have expressed the need for caution. Building around three new taxa, we suggest that broader approaches can aid systematic interpretation of all crown-group asteroids. We also suggest that the inevitably idiosyncratic interpretations of marginal-based systematics can be partially tested using blind evaluations.

scholarly journals Canine Bite-Mark Evidence in Veterinary Necropsy: Case Studies Featuring the Bite-Mark Examination

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Adrian Florin GAL ◽  
Roxana CORA ◽  
Flaviu TᾸBᾸRAN ◽  
Andras NAGY ◽  
Cornel CǍTOI
Keyword(s):  
Veterinary Medicine ◽  
Subcutaneous Tissue ◽  
Veterinary Science ◽  
Internal Organs ◽  
Cutaneous Wounds ◽  
Bite Marks ◽  
Bite Mark ◽  
Veterinary Pathology ◽  
Tissue Rupture ◽  
Bite Wounds

Forensic veterinary medicine tends to gain increasing importance in veterinary pathology, the number of such cases being still limited. The paper describes cases with multiple cutaneous wounds, with emphasis on bite-mark analysis. The material was represented by corpses (deer and dogs) brought by local authorities to Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca (Romania), along with preliminary reports issued by the competent organs. A complete medicolegal survey was done. The cases analyzed by us displayed numerous usually symmetrical (opposed) wounds, with angular margins and elongated aspect (somehow specific to bite wounds). All cases assessed presented laceration of the skin from the subcutaneous tissue, rupture of muscle and (in some cases) perforation of internal organs. The features of the bite-marks described were typical for carnivores. Depending on the species involved, the topography of lesions varied. In deer, the ventrolateral area of the neck and the lumbar/dorsal region were more commonly affected. The distribution suggests the hunting instinct of carnivores by trying to induce suffocation of the prey. In the analyzed dog corpses, the most affected areas were the auricular, limbs, sternal region, abdominal region. Investigation of bite-marks is an evolving field of forensic veterinary science and remains a provocation for veterinary pathologists.

scholarly journals The fossil record of early eukaryotic diversification

2004 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 35-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susannah M. Porter
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Main Phase ◽  
Cambrian Explosion ◽  
Evolution Of Sex ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Long Period ◽  
Stem Group ◽  
Group Evolution ◽  
Domains Of Life ◽  
Ecology And Environment

The Cambrian explosion can be thought of as the culmination of a diversification of eukaryotes that had begun several hundred million years before. Eukaryotes - one of the three domains of life — originated by late Archean time, and probably underwent a long period of stem group evolution during the Paleoproterozoic Era. A suite of taxonomically resolved body fossils and biomarkers, together with estimates of acritarch and compression fossil diversity, suggest that while divergences among major eukaryotic clades or 'super-groups' may have occurred as early as latest Paleoproterozoic through Mesoproterozoic time, the main phase of eukaryotic diversification took place several hundred million years later, during the middle Neoproterozoic Era. Hypotheses for Neoproterozoic diversification must therefore explain why eukaryotic diversification is delayed several hundred million years after the origin of the eukaryotic crown group, and why diversification appears to have occurred independently within several eukaryotic super-groups at the same time. Evolutionary explanations for eukaryotic diversification (the evolution of sex; the acquisition of plastids) fail to account for these patterns, but ecological explanations (the advent of microbial predators) and environmental explanations (changes in ocean chemistry) are both consistent with them. Both ecology and environment may have played a role in triggering or at least fueling Neoproterozoic eukaryotic diversification.

Not All Bite Marks Are Associated with Abuse, Sexual Activities, or Homicides: A Case Study of a Self-Inflicted Bite Mark

1987 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 12386J ◽  
Author(s):  
Allan J. Warnick ◽  
Lynda Biedrzycki ◽  
Georg Russanow
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Activities ◽  
Bite Marks ◽  
Bite Mark

Molecular paleobiology of early-branching animals: integrating DNA and fossils elucidates the evolutionary history of hexactinellid sponges

Paleobiology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Dohrmann ◽  
Sergio Vargas ◽  
Dorte Janussen ◽  
Allen G. Collins ◽  
Gert Wörheide
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Classification Systems ◽  
Great Promise ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Fossil Calibration ◽  
Molecular Phylogenetic ◽  
Temporal Succession ◽  
History Of ◽  
Glass Sponges

Reconciliation of paleontological and molecular phylogenetic evidence holds great promise for a better understanding of the temporal succession of cladogenesis and character evolution, especially for taxa with a fragmentary fossil record and uncertain classification. In zoology, studies of this kind have largely been restricted to Bilateria. Hexactinellids (glass sponges) readily lend themselves to test such an approach for early-branching (non-bilaterian) animals: they have a long and rich fossil record, but for certain taxa paleontological evidence is still scarce or ambiguous. Furthermore, there is a lack of consensus for taxonomic interpretations, and discrepancies exist between neontological and paleontological classification systems. Using conservative fossil calibration constraints and the largest molecular phylogenetic data set assembled for this group, we infer divergence times of crown-group Hexactinellida in a Bayesian relaxed molecular clock framework. With some notable exceptions, our results are largely congruent with interpretations of the hexactinellid fossil record, but also indicate long periods of undocumented evolution for several groups. This study illustrates the potential of an integrated molecular/paleobiological approach to reconstructing the evolution of challenging groups of organisms.

The morphology of the terminal phalanges in Permo-Carboniferous synapsids: an evolutionary perspective

2007 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hillary C Maddin ◽  
Robert R Reisz
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Shape Change ◽  
Morphological Features ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Clear Trend ◽  
Informative Signal ◽  
Size And Shape ◽  
And Function

Morphological features of the terminal phalanges of extinct tetrapods can be used to infer whether or not keratinous claws were present even though these structures are not preserved in the fossil record. Such features as dense vascularization grooves and foramina, and a general claw-like morphology, are present in some of the earliest fully terrestrial tetrapods, the Permo-Carboniferous synapsids. Early synapsids are represented by a rich fossil record that preserves the detailed anatomy of the terminal phalanges and allows for an examination of the early evolution of these structures in a well-resolved phylogenetic context. The pattern of change in the morphology of the terminal phalanges of five basal synapsids, Cotylorhynchus romeri, Varanops sp., Edaphosaurus boanerges, Haptodus garnettensis, and Dimetrodon limbatus, reveals a clear trend from a broad, flat, and spatulate morphology in the basal taxa to a tall, narrow, and curved structure. This trend in overall shape change does not reflect changes in feeding behaviour. The size and shape of the flexor tubercle appears to be a factor of size and function, rather than possessing a phylogenetically informative signal. The osteological features used to infer the presence of a keratinous sheath in the synapsids are also observed in the non-amniote taxon Diadectes absitus. This indicates that claws were not an amniote innovation and that they instead originated somewhere outside the crown group Amniota.

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