The University of Southampton
University of Southampton Institutional Repository

The Mesozoic radiation of birds

The Mesozoic radiation of birds
The Mesozoic radiation of birds
Until recently, most knowledge of the early history of birds and the evolution of their unique specializations was based on just a handful of diverse Mesozoic taxa widely separated in time and restricted to marine environments. Although Archaeopteryx is still the oldest and only Jurassic bird, a wealth of recent discoveries combined with new phylogenetic analyses have documented the divergence of a number of lineages by the beginning of the Cretaceous. These and younger Cretaceous fossils have filled much of the morphological chasm that existed between Archaeopteryx and its living counterparts, providing insights into the evolutionary development of feathers and other important features of the avian flight system. Dramatic new perceptions of the life history, growth and development of early birds have also been made possible by the latest data. Although no primitive birds are known to have survived beyond the end of the Cretaceous, the present fossil record provides no evidence for a sudden disappearance. Likewise, a Mesozoic origin for extant birds remains controversial.
91-124
Chiappe, L.M.
121e15d4-2a50-4b9e-b7e2-36efb3258dc1
Dyke, Gareth J.
600ca61e-b40b-4c86-b8ae-13be4e331e94
Chiappe, L.M.
121e15d4-2a50-4b9e-b7e2-36efb3258dc1
Dyke, Gareth J.
600ca61e-b40b-4c86-b8ae-13be4e331e94

Chiappe, L.M. and Dyke, Gareth J. (2002) The Mesozoic radiation of birds. Annual Reviews of Ecology and Systematics, 33, 91-124. (doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.33.010802.150517).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Until recently, most knowledge of the early history of birds and the evolution of their unique specializations was based on just a handful of diverse Mesozoic taxa widely separated in time and restricted to marine environments. Although Archaeopteryx is still the oldest and only Jurassic bird, a wealth of recent discoveries combined with new phylogenetic analyses have documented the divergence of a number of lineages by the beginning of the Cretaceous. These and younger Cretaceous fossils have filled much of the morphological chasm that existed between Archaeopteryx and its living counterparts, providing insights into the evolutionary development of feathers and other important features of the avian flight system. Dramatic new perceptions of the life history, growth and development of early birds have also been made possible by the latest data. Although no primitive birds are known to have survived beyond the end of the Cretaceous, the present fossil record provides no evidence for a sudden disappearance. Likewise, a Mesozoic origin for extant birds remains controversial.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 6 August 2002
Organisations: Ocean Biochemistry & Ecosystems

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 205293
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/205293
PURE UUID: 0fc24679-1590-4074-82a0-a3555f5cbe16

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 08 Dec 2011 13:47
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 04:34

Export record

Altmetrics

Contributors

Author: L.M. Chiappe
Author: Gareth J. Dyke

Download statistics

Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.

View more statistics

Atom RSS 1.0 RSS 2.0

Contact ePrints Soton: eprints@soton.ac.uk

ePrints Soton supports OAI 2.0 with a base URL of http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/cgi/oai2

This repository has been built using EPrints software, developed at the University of Southampton, but available to everyone to use.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we will assume that you are happy to receive cookies on the University of Southampton website.

×