Kenneth D. Angielczyk
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View article: Adaptive landscapes unveil the complex evolutionary path from sprawling to upright forelimb function and posture in mammals
Adaptive landscapes unveil the complex evolutionary path from sprawling to upright forelimb function and posture in mammals Open
The ‘sprawling-parasagittal’ postural transition is a key part of mammalian evolution, associated with sweeping reorganization of the postcranial skeleton in mammals compared to their forebears, the non-mammalian synapsids. However, disput…
View article: For a while, crocodile: crocodylomorph resilience to mass extinctions
For a while, crocodile: crocodylomorph resilience to mass extinctions Open
Crocodylomorphs are the sole survivors of the pseudosuchian clade and have endured two mass extinctions. Despite being stereotyped as ‘living fossils’, the characteristics that facilitated their survival remain largely unknown, but trends …
View article: Introduction to vertebrate evolution in the Permian rift basins of Tanzania and Zambia
Introduction to vertebrate evolution in the Permian rift basins of Tanzania and Zambia Open
View article: Early–middle Permian Mediterranean gorgonopsian suggests an equatorial origin of therapsids
Early–middle Permian Mediterranean gorgonopsian suggests an equatorial origin of therapsids Open
View article: Origins of mammalian vertebral function revealed through digital bending experiments
Origins of mammalian vertebral function revealed through digital bending experiments Open
Unravelling the functional steps that underlie major transitions in the fossil record is a significant challenge for biologists owing to the difficulties of interpreting functional capabilities of extinct organisms. New computational model…
View article: Adaptive landscapes unveil the complex evolutionary path to mammalian forelimb function and posture
Adaptive landscapes unveil the complex evolutionary path to mammalian forelimb function and posture Open
The ‘sprawling-parasagittal’ postural transition is a key part of mammalian evolution, associated with sweeping reorganization of the postcranial skeleton in mammals compared to their forebears, the non-mammalian synapsids. However, disput…
View article: Morphological Species Delimitation in The Western Pond Turtle (<i>Actinemys</i>): Can Machine Learning Methods Aid in Cryptic Species Identification?
Morphological Species Delimitation in The Western Pond Turtle (<i>Actinemys</i>): Can Machine Learning Methods Aid in Cryptic Species Identification? Open
Synopsis As the discovery of cryptic species has increased in frequency, there has been an interest in whether geometric morphometric data can detect fine-scale patterns of variation that can be used to morphologically diagnose such specie…
View article: Raccoons Reveal Hidden Diversity in Trabecular Bone Development
Raccoons Reveal Hidden Diversity in Trabecular Bone Development Open
Synopsis Trabecular bone, and its ability to rapidly modify its structure in response to strain exerted on skeletal elements, has garnered increased attention from researchers with the advancement of CT technology that allows for the analy…
View article: Ontogenetic mechanisms of size change: implications for the Lilliput effect and beyond
Ontogenetic mechanisms of size change: implications for the Lilliput effect and beyond Open
Body size has a long history of study in paleobiology and underlies many important phenomena in macroevolution. Body-size patterns in the fossil record are often examined by utilizing size data alone, which hinders our ability to describe …
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Issue Information Open
COVER IMAGE: Overview of the current
View article: Diversification of the ruminant skull along an evolutionary line of least resistance
Diversification of the ruminant skull along an evolutionary line of least resistance Open
Clarifying how microevolutionary processes scale to macroevolutionary patterns is a fundamental goal in evolutionary biology, but these analyses, requiring comparative datasets of population-level variation, are limited. By analyzing a pre…
View article: Author Correction: Inner ear biomechanics reveals a Late Triassic origin for mammalian endothermy
Author Correction: Inner ear biomechanics reveals a Late Triassic origin for mammalian endothermy Open
View article: From Fairies to Giants: Untangling the Effect of Body Size, Phylogeny, and Ecology on Vertebral Bone Microstructure of Xenarthran Mammals
From Fairies to Giants: Untangling the Effect of Body Size, Phylogeny, and Ecology on Vertebral Bone Microstructure of Xenarthran Mammals Open
Synopsis Trabecular bone is a spongy bone tissue that serves as a scaffolding-like support inside many skeletal elements. Previous research found allometric variation in some aspects of trabecular bone architecture (TBA) and bone microstru…
View article: Fossil bone histology reveals ancient origins for rapid juvenile growth in tetrapods
Fossil bone histology reveals ancient origins for rapid juvenile growth in tetrapods Open
View article: Diversification of the Ruminant Skull Along an Evolutionary Line of Least Resistance
Diversification of the Ruminant Skull Along an Evolutionary Line of Least Resistance Open
Morphological integration is relevant to evolutionary biology and paleontology because the structure of variation within populations determines the ways in which a population can respond to selective pressures. However, understanding the m…
View article: The stratigraphic and geographic occurrences of Permo-Triassic tetrapods in the Bogda Mountains, NW China — Implications of a new cyclostratigraphic framework and Bayesian age model
The stratigraphic and geographic occurrences of Permo-Triassic tetrapods in the Bogda Mountains, NW China — Implications of a new cyclostratigraphic framework and Bayesian age model Open
The Junggar and Turpan basins of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest China, host a well-preserved terrestrial Permo-Triassic boundary sequence exposed along the northern and southern flanks of the Bogda Mountains. During the Permo-…
View article: Inner ear biomechanics reveals a Late Triassic origin for mammalian endothermy
Inner ear biomechanics reveals a Late Triassic origin for mammalian endothermy Open
View article: Deep-scaled fish (Osteichthyes: Actinopterygii) from the lower Permian (Cisuralian) lacustrine deposits of the Parnaíba Basin, NE Brazil
Deep-scaled fish (Osteichthyes: Actinopterygii) from the lower Permian (Cisuralian) lacustrine deposits of the Parnaíba Basin, NE Brazil Open
The richly fossiliferous deposits of the Brazilian Pedra de Fogo Formation originated in an extensive aquatic system in tropical Pangaea, and grade from marginal lacustrine into marine deposits at the depocenter in the western part of the …
View article: Derived faunivores are the forerunners of major synapsid radiations
Derived faunivores are the forerunners of major synapsid radiations Open
Evolutionary radiations generate most of Earth’s biodiversity, but are there common ecomorphological traits among the progenitors of radiations? In Synapsida (mammalian total group), ‘small-bodied faunivore’ has been hypothesized as the an…
View article: A Shrewd Inspection of Vertebral Regionalization in Large Shrews (Soricidae: Crocidurinae)
A Shrewd Inspection of Vertebral Regionalization in Large Shrews (Soricidae: Crocidurinae) Open
Synopsis The regionalization of the mammalian spinal column is an important evolutionary, developmental, and functional hallmark of the clade. Vertebral column regions are usually defined using transitions in external bone morphology, such…
View article: Living fast in the Triassic: New data on life history in Lystrosaurus (Therapsida: Dicynodontia) from northeastern Pangea
Living fast in the Triassic: New data on life history in Lystrosaurus (Therapsida: Dicynodontia) from northeastern Pangea Open
Lystrosaurus was one of the few tetrapods to survive the Permo-Triassic mass extinction, the most profound biotic crisis in Earth’s history. The wide paleolatitudinal range and high abundance of Lystrosaurus during the Early Triassic provi…
View article: The evolution of the synapsid tusk: insights from dicynodont therapsid tusk histology
The evolution of the synapsid tusk: insights from dicynodont therapsid tusk histology Open
The mammalian tusk is a unique and extreme morphotype among modern vertebrate dentitions. Tusks—defined here as ever-growing incisors or canines composed of dentine—evolved independently multiple times within mammals yet have not evolved i…
View article: The limits of convergence: the roles of phylogeny and dietary ecology in shaping non-avian amniote crania
The limits of convergence: the roles of phylogeny and dietary ecology in shaping non-avian amniote crania Open
Cranial morphology is remarkably varied in living amniotes and the diversity of shapes is thought to correspond with feeding ecology, a relationship repeatedly demonstrated at smaller phylogenetic scales, but one that remains untested acro…
View article: Histology and μCT reveal the unique evolution and development of multiple tooth rows in the synapsid Endothiodon
Histology and μCT reveal the unique evolution and development of multiple tooth rows in the synapsid Endothiodon Open
View article: New data on the Triassic temnospondyls from the Karoo rift basins of Tanzania and Zambia
New data on the Triassic temnospondyls from the Karoo rift basins of Tanzania and Zambia Open
Steyer, Jean-Sébastien, Peecook, Brandon R., Arbez, Thomas, Nesbitt, Sterling J., Tolan, Steve, Stocker, Michelle R., Smith, Roger M. H., Angielczyk, Kenneth D., Sidor, Christian A. (2021): New data on the Triassic temnospondyls from the K…
View article: New data on the Triassic temnospondyls from the Karoo rift basins of Tanzania and Zambia
New data on the Triassic temnospondyls from the Karoo rift basins of Tanzania and Zambia Open
Temnospondyl specimens collected recently in the Middle-?Late Triassic of the Ruhuhu (Tanzania) and Luangwa (Zambia) rift basins are described and figured. They are attributed to cf. Cherninia megarhina (Chernin & Cosgriff, 1975), Mastodon…
View article: Inner ear biomechanics reveals Late Triassic origin of mammalian endothermy
Inner ear biomechanics reveals Late Triassic origin of mammalian endothermy Open
Endothermy (“warm-bloodedness”) underpins the ecological dominance of mammals and birds in diverse environmental settings^1-3. However, it is unclear when this crucial feature emerged during mammalian evolutionary history, as most fossil e…
View article: Local Superimpositions Facilitate Morphometric Analysis of Complex Articulating Structures
Local Superimpositions Facilitate Morphometric Analysis of Complex Articulating Structures Open
Synopsis Articulating structures, such as the vertebrate skeleton or the segmented arthropod exoskeleton, comprise a majority of the morphological diversity across the eukaryotic tree of life. Quantifying the form of articulating structure…
View article: Phylogeny, function and ecology in the deep evolutionary history of the mammalian forelimb
Phylogeny, function and ecology in the deep evolutionary history of the mammalian forelimb Open
Mammals are the only living members of the larger clade Synapsida, which has a fossil record spanning 320 Ma. Despite the fact that much of the ecological diversity of mammals has been considered in the light of limb morphology, the ecolog…
View article: Evidence from South Africa for a protracted end-Permian extinction on land
Evidence from South Africa for a protracted end-Permian extinction on land Open
Significance Mass extinctions permanently altered life’s evolutionary trajectory five times in Earth’s history, and the end-Permian extinction was the greatest of these biotic crises. South Africa’s unparalleled fossil record provides a wi…