Histological skeletochronology indicates developmental plasticity in the early Permian stem lissamphibian Doleserpeton annectens

Ecology and Evolution
Bryan M GeeRobert R Reisz

Abstract

Doleserpeton annectens is a small-bodied early Permian amphibamiform, a clade of temnospondyl amphibians regarded by many workers to be on the lissamphibian stem. Most studies of this taxon have focused solely on its anatomy, but further exploration of other aspects of its paleobiology, such as developmental patterns, is critical for a better understanding of the early evolutionary history of lissamphibians. Here, we present a histological analysis of growth patterns in D. annectens that utilizes 60 femora, the largest sample size for any Paleozoic tetrapod. We identified pervasive pairs of closely spaced lines of arrested growth (LAGs), a pattern that indicates a marked degree of climatic harshness and that would result in two cessations of growth within a presumed single year. We documented a wide degree of variation compared to previous temnospondyl skeletochronological studies, reflected in the poor correlation between size and inferred age, but this observation aligns closely with patterns observed in extant lissamphibians. Furthermore, sensitivity analyses conducted by subsampling our dataset at more typical sample sizes for paleontological studies produced a wide range of results. This includes biologically improbable re...Continue Reading

References

Dec 17, 2005·Science·P Martin Sander, Nicole Klein
Mar 31, 2011·Systematic Biology·Michel Laurin, Damien Germain
Apr 11, 2013·Nature Reviews. Neuroscience·Katherine S ButtonMarcus R Munafò
Dec 9, 2016·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Christopher T Griffin, Sterling J Nesbitt
Jun 21, 2017·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jason D PardoAdam K Huttenlocker

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Citations

Dec 9, 2020·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Christopher T GriffinSterling J Nesbitt
May 13, 2021·Biology Letters·Kimberley E J ChapelleJonah N Choiniere

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