Project A: Bone histology, body size and paleoenvironment of temnospondyls

Introduction

Body size and phenotypic plasticity form important traits of life histories.
In fossil tetrapods, they can be studied by merging data on bone histology and fossillagerstätten.
Our study group (temnospondyls) shows broad variation and extremes in body size as well as plasticity in divergent paleo-environments.

Objectives

Project A aims to understanding the extent of variation of bone histology in temnospondyls. The project integrates hiszological data (Part A) on the diversity of bone tissue in selected temnospondyl taxa with:
1) Data on variation in adult body size (Part B)
2) Paleoenvironmental evidence of local life conditions derived from study of fossillagerstätten (Part B).

Scientific Outputs

Diversity of histological traits: case studies on Sclerocephalus, Eryops, Mastodonsaurus and Apateon.
Scaling of histological traits: Eryops, Edops, Metoposaurus and Mastoposaurus.
Scaling of histological traits: Scaling-down exemplified by amphibamiforms (Doleserpeton, Apateon, Micropholis) and control taxa among dissorophoids.
Body size evolution. General aspects on the variation of histological traits with body size.
Variation of histological traits along environmental clines (Sclerocephalus, Micromelerpeton and Apateon (same paleoenvironments).
Variation of histological traits along environmental clines: Mastodonsaurus, Kupferzellia, Trematolestes, Callistomordax, gerrothorax, Plagiosuchus.
Histological traits, environmental clines and plasticity. General aspects and case studies (depending on findings in 5-6).

Contributors

Rainer R. Schoch (Coordinator and PI for Project A)
Dorota Konietzko-Meier
Nicole Klein (Project B)
Eli Amson & Eudald Mujal (Project D)

External collaborators

Dr. Elzbieta M. Teschner- Opole University, Poland

Project A

Bone histology, body size and paleoenvironments

Rainer R. Schoch

Introduction

Objectives

Methods

Scientific Outputs

Contributors

External collaborators