Reptile-like physiology in Early Jurassic stem-mammals

Elis Newham; Pamela G Gill; Philippa Brewer; Michael J Benton; Vincent Fernandez; Neil J Gostling; David Haberthür; Jukka Jernvall; Tuomas Kankaanpää; Aki Kallonen; Charles Navarro; Alexandra Pacureanu; Kelly Richards; Kate Robson Brown; Philipp Schneider; Heikki Suhonen; Paul Tafforeau; Katherine A Williams; Berit Zeller-Plumhoff; Ian J Corfe

doi:10.1038/s41467-020-18898-4

Reptile-like physiology in Early Jurassic stem-mammals

Elis Newham, Pamela G Gill, Philippa Brewer, Michael J Benton, Vincent Fernandez, Neil J Gostling, David Haberthür, Jukka Jernvall, Tuomas Kankaanpää, Aki Kallonen, Charles Navarro, Alexandra Pacureanu, Kelly Richards, Kate Robson Brown, Philipp Schneider, Heikki Suhonen, Paul Tafforeau, Katherine A Williams, Berit Zeller-Plumhoff, Ian J Corfe

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Abstract

Despite considerable advances in knowledge of the anatomy, ecology and evolution of early mammals, far less is known about their physiology. Evidence is contradictory concerning the timing and fossil groups in which mammalian endothermy arose. To determine the state of metabolic evolution in two of the earliest stem-mammals, the Early Jurassic Morganucodon and Kuehneotherium, we use separate proxies for basal and maximum metabolic rate. Here we report, using synchrotron X-ray tomographic imaging of incremental tooth cementum, that they had maximum lifespans considerably longer than comparably sized living mammals, but similar to those of reptiles, and so they likely had reptilian-level basal metabolic rates. Measurements of femoral nutrient foramina show Morganucodon had blood flow rates intermediate between living mammals and reptiles, suggesting maximum metabolic rates increased evolutionarily before basal metabolic rates. Stem mammals lacked the elevated endothermic metabolism of living mammals, highlighting the mosaic nature of mammalian physiological evolution.

Original language	English
Article number	5121 (2020)
Number of pages	13
Journal	Nature Communications
Volume	11
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18898-4
Publication status	Published - 12 Oct 2020

Keywords

animal physiology
palaeontology

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Newham, E., Gill, P. G., Brewer, P., Benton, M. J., Fernandez, V., Gostling, N. J., Haberthür, D., Jernvall, J., Kankaanpää, T., Kallonen, A., Navarro, C., Pacureanu, A., Richards, K., Brown, K. R., Schneider, P., Suhonen, H., Tafforeau, P., Williams, K. A., Zeller-Plumhoff, B., & Corfe, I. J. (2020). Reptile-like physiology in Early Jurassic stem-mammals. Nature Communications, 11, Article 5121 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18898-4

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abstract = "Despite considerable advances in knowledge of the anatomy, ecology and evolution of early mammals, far less is known about their physiology. Evidence is contradictory concerning the timing and fossil groups in which mammalian endothermy arose. To determine the state of metabolic evolution in two of the earliest stem-mammals, the Early Jurassic Morganucodon and Kuehneotherium, we use separate proxies for basal and maximum metabolic rate. Here we report, using synchrotron X-ray tomographic imaging of incremental tooth cementum, that they had maximum lifespans considerably longer than comparably sized living mammals, but similar to those of reptiles, and so they likely had reptilian-level basal metabolic rates. Measurements of femoral nutrient foramina show Morganucodon had blood flow rates intermediate between living mammals and reptiles, suggesting maximum metabolic rates increased evolutionarily before basal metabolic rates. Stem mammals lacked the elevated endothermic metabolism of living mammals, highlighting the mosaic nature of mammalian physiological evolution.",

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Newham, E, Gill, PG, Brewer, P, Benton, MJ, Fernandez, V, Gostling, NJ, Haberthür, D, Jernvall, J, Kankaanpää, T, Kallonen, A, Navarro, C, Pacureanu, A, Richards, K, Brown, KR, Schneider, P, Suhonen, H, Tafforeau, P, Williams, KA, Zeller-Plumhoff, B & Corfe, IJ 2020, 'Reptile-like physiology in Early Jurassic stem-mammals', Nature Communications, vol. 11, 5121 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-18898-4

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T1 - Reptile-like physiology in Early Jurassic stem-mammals

AU - Newham, Elis

AU - Gill, Pamela G

AU - Brewer, Philippa

AU - Benton, Michael J

AU - Fernandez, Vincent

AU - Gostling, Neil J

AU - Haberthür, David

AU - Jernvall, Jukka

AU - Kankaanpää, Tuomas

AU - Kallonen, Aki

AU - Navarro, Charles

AU - Pacureanu, Alexandra

AU - Richards, Kelly

AU - Brown, Kate Robson

AU - Schneider, Philipp

AU - Suhonen, Heikki

AU - Tafforeau, Paul

AU - Williams, Katherine A

AU - Zeller-Plumhoff, Berit

AU - Corfe, Ian J

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N2 - Despite considerable advances in knowledge of the anatomy, ecology and evolution of early mammals, far less is known about their physiology. Evidence is contradictory concerning the timing and fossil groups in which mammalian endothermy arose. To determine the state of metabolic evolution in two of the earliest stem-mammals, the Early Jurassic Morganucodon and Kuehneotherium, we use separate proxies for basal and maximum metabolic rate. Here we report, using synchrotron X-ray tomographic imaging of incremental tooth cementum, that they had maximum lifespans considerably longer than comparably sized living mammals, but similar to those of reptiles, and so they likely had reptilian-level basal metabolic rates. Measurements of femoral nutrient foramina show Morganucodon had blood flow rates intermediate between living mammals and reptiles, suggesting maximum metabolic rates increased evolutionarily before basal metabolic rates. Stem mammals lacked the elevated endothermic metabolism of living mammals, highlighting the mosaic nature of mammalian physiological evolution.

AB - Despite considerable advances in knowledge of the anatomy, ecology and evolution of early mammals, far less is known about their physiology. Evidence is contradictory concerning the timing and fossil groups in which mammalian endothermy arose. To determine the state of metabolic evolution in two of the earliest stem-mammals, the Early Jurassic Morganucodon and Kuehneotherium, we use separate proxies for basal and maximum metabolic rate. Here we report, using synchrotron X-ray tomographic imaging of incremental tooth cementum, that they had maximum lifespans considerably longer than comparably sized living mammals, but similar to those of reptiles, and so they likely had reptilian-level basal metabolic rates. Measurements of femoral nutrient foramina show Morganucodon had blood flow rates intermediate between living mammals and reptiles, suggesting maximum metabolic rates increased evolutionarily before basal metabolic rates. Stem mammals lacked the elevated endothermic metabolism of living mammals, highlighting the mosaic nature of mammalian physiological evolution.

KW - animal physiology

KW - palaeontology

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DO - 10.1038/s41467-020-18898-4

M3 - Article (Academic Journal)

C2 - 33046697

SN - 2041-1723

VL - 11

JO - Nature Communications

JF - Nature Communications

M1 - 5121 (2020)

ER -

Reptile-like physiology in Early Jurassic stem-mammals

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