Did pterosaurs feed by skimming? Physical modelling and anatomical evaluation of an unusual feeding method.
Did pterosaurs feed by skimming? Physical modelling and anatomical evaluation of an unusual feeding method.
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DOI：
10.1371/journal.pbio.0050204
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发表时间：
2007-08
期刊：
影响因子：
9.8
通讯作者：
Martill DM
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Humphries S;Bonser RH;Witton MP;Martill DM
生物解剖结构之间的相似性经常被用来得出关于灭绝动物的生态和行为的结论。有几个翼龙类群被认为是掠食动物，这主要是基于它们的下巴解剖结构与现代的掠食鸟（Rynchops spp）的相似之处。通过对Rynchops喙和翼龙颚的物理和数学模型，我们表明，对于Rynchops来说，掠食的能量消耗比之前认为的要高得多，体重超过一公斤的翼龙根本无法掠食。此外，对高度特化的林切龙头骨和那些被认为是掠食翼龙头骨的解剖比较表明，即使是更小的翼龙也不太适应掠食。我们的研究结果反驳了一些翼龙通常使用掠食作为觅食方法的假设，并说明了从有限形态收敛推断所涉及的陷阱。仅仅因为灭绝动物的一个组成部分与现存动物的组成部分相似，并不一定意味着两者被用于同样的任务。翼龙是一种早已灭绝的飞行爬行动物，在古代的天空中翱翔于恐龙之上，它们的生活方式长期以来一直是古生物学家争论的话题。现存鸟类（黑色掠食鸟）的头骨与一些翼龙的头骨相似，这些鸟类用它们的下喙掠过水面捕捉小鱼，这被用来证明这些古老的爬行动物也以这种方式进食。我们通过测量模型鸟的喙和翼龙的颚所承受的阻力来解决这个问题，并估计以这种方式进食的能量消耗将如何影响它们的飞行能力。有趣的是，我们发现黑掠食龙在飞行时进食的成本比之前认为的要高得多，而且对大多数翼龙来说，以这种方式进食的成本过高。我们还研究了翼龙的头骨，寻找像现代掠食动物那样的特殊掠食适应能力，但发现翼龙几乎没有适合这种生活方式的适应能力。我们的研究结果反驳了一些翼龙通常使用掠食作为觅食方法的观点，并说明了仅根据其形态从生存到灭绝的形式进行推断所涉及的陷阱。对翼龙化石和一种掠食鸟类的物理和数学模型反驳了翼龙能够以这种方式觅食的假设。
Similarities between the anatomies of living organisms are often used to draw conclusions regarding the ecology and behaviour of extinct animals. Several pterosaur taxa are postulated to have been skim-feeders based largely on supposed convergences of their jaw anatomy with that of the modern skimming bird, Rynchops spp. Using physical and mathematical models of Rynchops bills and pterosaur jaws, we show that skimming is considerably more energetically costly than previously thought for Rynchops and that pterosaurs weighing more than one kilogram would not have been able to skim at all. Furthermore, anatomical comparisons between the highly specialised skull of Rynchops and those of postulated skimming pterosaurs suggest that even smaller forms were poorly adapted for skim-feeding. Our results refute the hypothesis that some pterosaurs commonly used skimming as a foraging method and illustrate the pitfalls involved in extrapolating from limited morphological convergence. Just because a component of an extinct animal resembles that of a living one does not necessarily imply that both were used for the same task. The lifestyles of pterosaurs, long-extinct flying reptiles that soared ancient skies above the dinosaurs, have long been the subject of debate among palaeontologists. Similarities between the skulls of living birds (black skimmers) that feed by skimming the water surface with their lower bill to catch small fish, and those of some pterosaurs have been used to argue that these ancient reptiles also fed in this way. We have addressed this question by measuring the drag experienced by model bird bills and pterosaur jaws and estimating how the energetic cost of feeding in this way would affect their ability to fly. Interestingly, we found that the costs of flight while feeding are considerably higher for black skimmers than previously thought, and that feeding in this way would be excessively costly for the majority of pterosaurs. We also examined pterosaur skulls for specialised skimming adaptations like those seen in modern skimmers, but found that pterosaurs have few suitable adaptations for this lifestyle. Our results counter the idea that some pterosaurs commonly used skimming as a foraging method and illustrate the pitfalls involved in extrapolating from living to extinct forms using only their morphology. Physical and mathematical models of fossil pterosaurs and a living bird that feeds by skimming refute the hypothesis that pterosaurs would have been able to forage this way.
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影响因子：
2.7
作者：
HAZLEHURST, GA;RAYNER, JMV
通讯作者：
RAYNER, JMV
影响因子：
1.4
作者：
Kellner, AWA;Langston, W
通讯作者：
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影响因子：
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作者：
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LAWSON, DA
DOI：
10.1111/j.1096-3642.1986.tb02249.x
发表时间：
1986-12-01
影响因子：
2.8
作者：
HOWSE, SCB
通讯作者：
HOWSE, SCB
影响因子：
4.8
作者：
ERWIN, RM
通讯作者：
ERWIN, RM