Lunge feeding in early marine reptiles and fast evolution of marine tetrapod feeding guilds

Scientific Reports
Ryosuke MotaniOlivier Rieppel

Abstract

Traditional wisdom holds that biotic recovery from the end-Permian extinction was slow and gradual, and was not complete until the Middle Triassic. Here, we report that the evolution of marine predator feeding guilds, and their trophic structure, proceeded faster. Marine reptile lineages with unique feeding adaptations emerged during the Early Triassic (about 248 million years ago), including the enigmatic Hupehsuchus that possessed an unusually slender mandible. A new specimen of this genus reveals a well-preserved palate and mandible, which suggest that it was a rare lunge feeder as also occurs in rorqual whales and pelicans. The diversity of feeding strategies among Triassic marine tetrapods reached their peak in the Early Triassic, soon after their first appearance in the fossil record. The diet of these early marine tetrapods most likely included soft-bodied animals that are not preserved as fossils. Early marine tetrapods most likely introduced a new trophic mechanism to redistribute nutrients to the top 10 m of the sea, where the primary productivity is highest. Therefore, a simple recovery to a Permian-like trophic structure does not explain the biotic changes seen after the Early Triassic.

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Citations

Jun 9, 2016·Current Biology : CB·Ryosuke Motani
Jul 8, 2016·Science Advances·Li ChunNicholas C Fraser
Aug 3, 2018·Biology Letters·Carlos de Miguel ChavesAdán Pérez-García
Mar 2, 2017·Science Advances·Arnaud BrayardGilles Escarguel
Apr 4, 2018·PeerJ·Jessica A FujiiKyle S Van Houtan
Apr 28, 2021·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Ryosuke Motani, Geerat J Vermeij
Jul 22, 2021·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Giacinto De VivoJakob Vinther

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