RESUMO
The Siluro-Devonian adaptive radiation of jawed vertebrates, which underpins almost all living vertebrate biodiversity, is characterized by the evolutionary innovation of the lower jaw. Multiple lines of evidence have suggested that the jaw evolved from a rostral gill arch, but when the jaw took on a feeding function remains unclear. We quantified the variety of form in the earliest jaws in the fossil record from which we generated a theoretical morphospace that we then tested for functional optimality. By drawing comparisons with the real jaw data and reconstructed jaw morphologies from phylogenetically inferred ancestors, our results show that the earliest jaw shapes were optimized for fast closure and stress resistance, inferring a predatory feeding function. Jaw shapes became less optimal for these functions during the later radiation of jawed vertebrates. Thus, the evolution of jaw morphology has continually explored previously unoccupied morphospace and accumulated disparity through time, laying the foundation for diverse feeding strategies and the success of jawed vertebrates.
RESUMO
Living kangaroos, wallabies and rat-kangaroos (Macropodoidea) constitute the most ecologically diverse radiation of Australasian marsupials. Indeed, even their hallmark bipedal hopping gait has been variously modified for bounding, walking and climbing. However, the origins of this locomotory adaptability are uncertain because skeletons of the most ancient macropodoids are exceptionally rare. Some of the stratigraphically oldest fossils have been attributed to Balbaridae-a clade of potentially quadrupedal stem macropodoids that became extinct during the late Miocene. Here we undertake the first assessment of balbarid locomotion using two-dimensional geometric morphometrics and a correlative multivariate analysis of linear measurements. We selected the astragalus and pedal digit IV ungual as proxies for primary gait because these elements are preserved in the only articulated balbarid skeleton, as well as some unusual early Miocene balbarid-like remains that resemble the bones of modern tree-kangaroos. Our results show that these fossils manifest character states indicative of contrasting locomotory capabilities. Furthermore, predictive modelling reveals similarities with extant macropodoids that employ either bipedal saltation and/or climbing. We interpret this as evidence for archetypal gait versatility, which probably integrated higher-speed hopping with slower-speed quadrupedal progression and varying degrees of scansoriality as independent specializations for life in forest and woodland settings.
RESUMO
Exceptionally well-preserved skulls and postcranial elements of a new species of the plesiomorphic stem macropodiform Balbaroo have been recovered from middle Miocene freshwater limestone deposits in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area of northwestern Queensland, Australia. This constitutes the richest intraspecific sample for any currently known basal "kangaroo", and, along with additional material referred to Balbaroo fangaroo, provides new insights into structural variability within the most prolific archaic macropodiform clade--Balbaridae. Qualitative and metric evaluations of taxonomic boundaries demonstrate that the previously distinct species Nambaroo bullockensis is a junior synonym of B. camfieldensis. Furthermore, coupled Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses reveal that our new Balbaroo remains represent the most derived member of the Balbaroo lineage, and are closely related to the middle Miocene B. camfieldensis, which like most named balbarid species is identifiable only from isolated jaws. The postcranial elements of Balbaroo concur with earlier finds of the stratigraphically oldest balbarid skeleton, Nambaroo gillespieae, and suggest that quadrupedal progression was a primary gait mode as opposed to bipedal saltation. All Balbaroo spp. have low-crowned bilophodont molars, which are typical for browsing herbivores inhabiting the densely forested environments envisaged for middle Miocene northeastern Australia.
