Early origins of divergent patterns of morphological evolution on the mammal and reptile stem-lineages

The origin of amniotes 320 million years ago signalled independence from water in vertebrates and was closely followed by divergences within the mammal and reptile stem lineages (Synapsida and Reptilia). Early members of both groups had highly similar morphologies, being superficially ‘lizard-like’ forms with many plesiomorphies. However, the extent to which they might have exhibited divergent patterns of evolutionary change, with potential to explain the large biological differences between their living members, is unresolved. We use a new, comprehensive phylogenetic dataset to quantify variation in rates and constraints of morphological evolution among Carboniferous–early Permian amniotes. We find evidence for an early burst of evolutionary rates, resulting in the early origins of morphologically distinctive subgroups that mostly persisted through the Cisuralian. Rates declined substantially through time, especially in reptiles. Early reptile evolution was also more constrained compar..., , , # Early origins of divergent patterns of morphological evolution on the mammal and reptile stem-lineages

This README file was generated on 09/02/2024 by Neil Brocklehurst.

GENERAL INFORMATION

1\. Title of Dataset: Early origins of divergent patterns of morphological evolution on the mammal and reptile stem-lineages.

2\. Corresponding Author Information

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Corresponding author

Name: Neil Brocklehurst
Institution: University of Cambridge
Address: Cambridge, UK
Email: [e-mail]

Co authors

David Ford, Roger Benson
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3\. Recommended citation for this dataset:

Leimberger, K. G., Hadley, A. S., Frey, S. J. K., & Betts, M. G. (2023). Data from: Tropical plant–hummingbird interactions withstand short-term experimental removal of a common flowering plant. Dryad Digital Repository.

DATA & FILE OVERVIEW

1\. File List:

Fig_S2.tif
Fig_S3.tif
Fig_S4.tif
Fig_S5.tif
Fig_S6.tif
Supplementary_Data_1.docx
Supplementary_Data_2.nex
Supplementary_Data_3.nex
S...