Rates and modes of body size evolution in early carnivores and herbivores: a case study from Captorhinidae

PeerJ
Neil Brocklehurst

Abstract

Body size is an extremely important characteristic, impacting on a variety of ecological and life-history traits. It is therefore important to understand the factors which may affect its evolution, and diet has attracted much interest in this context. A recent study which examined the evolution of the earliest terrestrial herbivores in the Late Carboniferous and Early Permian concluded that in the four herbivorous clades examined there was a trend towards increased body size, and that this increase was more substantial than that observed in closely related carnivorous clades. However, this hypothesis was not based on quantitative examination, and phylogenetic comparative methods provide a more robust means of testing such hypotheses. Here, the evolution of body size within different dietary regimes is examined in Captorhinidae, the most diverse and longest lived of these earliest high fibre herbivores. Evolutionary models were fit to their phylogeny to test for variation in rate and mode of evolution between the carnivorous and herbivorous members of this clade, and an analysis of rate variation throughout the tree was carried out. Estimates of ancestral body sizes were calculated in order to compare the rates and direction of ...Continue Reading

References

May 3, 2002·Nature·James F GilloolyJames H Brown
Sep 19, 2003·Nature·A R E SinclairJustin S Brashares
Jul 5, 2006·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Brian C O'MearaPeter C Wainwright
Jul 25, 2006·Systematic Biology·Diego Pol, Mark A Norell
Jan 6, 2007·Science·Isabel P MontañezMichael C Rygel
Nov 17, 2007·Bioinformatics·Luke J HarmonWendell Challenger
Jan 17, 2008·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Sarda Sahney, Michael J Benton
May 21, 2009·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Gavin H ThomasAlbert B Phillimore
May 12, 2010·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Luke J HarmonArne Ø Mooers
Oct 21, 2011·Nature·Chris VendittiMark Pagel
Jul 28, 2012·Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution·Jeremy M BeaulieuBrian C O'Meara
Nov 30, 2012·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Lindsay E Zanno, Peter J Makovicky
Aug 1, 1999·The American Naturalist·Arne Ø MooersDolph Schluter

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

BayesTraits
paleotree
R package Geiger
R package OUwie
surface
R package ape
OUwie
motmot
R

Related Concepts

Trending Feeds

COVID-19

Coronaviruses encompass a large family of viruses that cause the common cold as well as more serious diseases, such as the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19; formally known as 2019-nCoV). Coronaviruses can spread from animals to humans; symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties; in more severe cases, infection can lead to death. This feed covers recent research on COVID-19.

Blastomycosis

Blastomycosis fungal infections spread through inhaling Blastomyces dermatitidis spores. Discover the latest research on blastomycosis fungal infections here.

Nuclear Pore Complex in ALS/FTD

Alterations in nucleocytoplasmic transport, controlled by the nuclear pore complex, may be involved in the pathomechanism underlying multiple neurodegenerative diseases including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia. Here is the latest research on the nuclear pore complex in ALS and FTD.

Applications of Molecular Barcoding

The concept of molecular barcoding is that each original DNA or RNA molecule is attached to a unique sequence barcode. Sequence reads having different barcodes represent different original molecules, while sequence reads having the same barcode are results of PCR duplication from one original molecule. Discover the latest research on molecular barcoding here.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disease characterized by unexplained disabling fatigue; the pathology of which is incompletely understood. Discover the latest research on chronic fatigue syndrome here.

Evolution of Pluripotency

Pluripotency refers to the ability of a cell to develop into three primary germ cell layers of the embryo. This feed focuses on the mechanisms that underlie the evolution of pluripotency. Here is the latest research.

Position Effect Variegation

Position Effect Variagation occurs when a gene is inactivated due to its positioning near heterochromatic regions within a chromosome. Discover the latest research on Position Effect Variagation here.

STING Receptor Agonists

Stimulator of IFN genes (STING) are a group of transmembrane proteins that are involved in the induction of type I interferon that is important in the innate immune response. The stimulation of STING has been an active area of research in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. Here is the latest research on STING receptor agonists.

Microbicide

Microbicides are products that can be applied to vaginal or rectal mucosal surfaces with the goal of preventing, or at least significantly reducing, the transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Here is the latest research on microbicides.

Related Papers

Frontiers in Evolutionary Neuroscience
Raúl SobreroCristián E Hernández
Trends in Ecology & Evolution
H D Sues, R R Reisz
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Graham J Slater
Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
Mark N PuttickMichael J Benton
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved