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Article: Preservational bias controls the fossil record of pterosaurs

Palaeontology Cover Image - Volume 59 Part 2
Publication: Palaeontology
Volume: 59
Part: 2
Publication Date: March 2016
Page(s): 225 247
Author(s): Christopher D. Dean, Philip D. Mannion, and Richard J. Butler
Addition Information

How to Cite

DEAN, C.D., MANNION, P.D., BUTLER, R.J. 2016. Preservational bias controls the fossil record of pterosaurs. Palaeontology, 59, 2, 225-247. DOI: 10.1111/pala.12225

Author Information

  • Christopher D. Dean - Imperial College London Department of Earth Science and Engineering London UK (Email: christopher.dean09@imperial.ac.uk)
  • Philip D. Mannion - Imperial College London Department of Earth Science and Engineering London UK (Email: philipdmannion@gmail.com)
  • Richard J. Butler - University of Birmingham School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences Edgbaston Birmingham UK (Email: r.butler.1@bham.ac.uk)

Publication History

  • Issue published online: 13 February 2016
  • Article first published online: 01 January 1970
  • Manuscript Accepted: 25 November 2015
  • Manuscript Received: 27 August 2015

Funded By

Imperial College London Junior Research Fellowship
European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme 2014–2018. Grant Number: 637483

Online Version Hosted By

Wiley Online Library
Get Article: Wiley Online Library [Pay-to-View Access] |

Abstract

Pterosaurs, a Mesozoic group of flying archosaurs, have become a focal point for debates pertaining to the impact of sampling biases on our reading of the fossil record, as well as the utility of sampling proxies in palaeo‐diversity reconstructions. The completeness of the pterosaur fossil specimens themselves potentially provides additional information that is not captured in existing sampling proxies, and might shed new light on the group's evolutionary history. Here we assess the quality of the pterosaur fossil record via a character completeness metric based on the number of phylogenetic characters that can be scored for all known skeletons of 172 valid species, with averaged completeness values calculated for each geological stage. The fossil record of pterosaurs is observed to be strongly influenced by the occurrence and distribution of Lagerstätten. Peaks in completeness correlate with Lagerstätten deposits, and a recovered correlation between completeness and observed diversity is rendered non‐significant when Lagerstätten species are excluded. Intervals previously regarded as potential extinction events are shown to lack Lagerstätten and exhibit low completeness values: as such, the apparent low diversity in these intervals might be at least partly the result of poor fossil record quality. A positive correlation between temporal patterns in completeness of Cretaceous pterosaurs and birds further demonstrates the prominent role that Lagerstätten deposits have on the preservation of smaller bodied organisms, contrasting with a lack of correlation with the completeness of large‐bodied sauropodomorphs. However, we unexpectedly find a strong correlation between sauropodomorph and pterosaur completeness within the Triassic–Jurassic, but not the Cretaceous, potentially relating to a shared shift in environmental preference and thus preservation style through time. This study highlights the importance of understanding the relationship between various taphonomic controls when correcting for sampling bias, and provides additional evidence for the prominent role of sampling on observed patterns in pterosaur macroevolution.

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