An Egg-Adult Association, Gender, and Reproduction in Pterosaurs
An Egg-Adult Association, Gender, and Reproduction in Pterosaurs
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翼龙的卵-成体关联、性别和繁殖
DOI：
10.1126/science.1197323
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发表时间：
2011-01-21
期刊：
影响因子：
56.9
通讯作者：
Ji, Qiang
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lue, Junchang;Unwin, David M.;Ji, Qiang
一个翼龙化石，包括一个小的，软壳的蛋，表明一个生殖策略一样，鳄鱼。一个性成熟的达尔文翼龙个体和一个来自中国侏罗纪的蛋一起保存下来，为翼龙的性别提供了直接证据，并为这些灭绝的飞行动物的生殖生物学提供了见解。这个新发现和其他几个达尔文翼龙的例子表明，这种翼龙的雄性有一个相对较小的骨盆和一个较大的颅嵴，而雌性有一个相对较大的骨盆，没有颅嵴。与现存爬行动物一样，卵质量与成体质量的比率相对较低，与有鳞动物的值相当。羊皮纸状的蛋壳表明产卵后被埋葬并大量吸水。这一低亲代投资的证据与翼龙的繁殖类似于鸟类的普遍假设相矛盾，并表明翼龙的繁殖本质上类似于爬行动物。
A pterosaur fossil that includes a small, soft-shelled egg indicates a reproductive strategy like that of crocodilians. A sexually mature individual of Darwinopterus preserved together with an egg from the Jurassic of China provides direct evidence of gender in pterosaurs and insights into the reproductive biology of these extinct fliers. This new find and several other examples of Darwinopterus demonstrate that males of this pterosaur had a relatively small pelvis and a large cranial crest, whereas females had a relatively large pelvis and no crest. The ratio of egg mass to adult mass is relatively low, as in extant reptiles, and is comparable to values for squamates. A parchment-like eggshell points to burial and significant uptake of water after oviposition. This evidence for low parental investment contradicts the widespread assumption that reproduction in pterosaurs was like that of birds and shows that it was essentially like that of reptiles.