Neuroanatomy of flying reptiles and implications for flight, posture and behaviour.
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| Title: | Neuroanatomy of flying reptiles and implications for flight, posture and behaviour. |
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| Authors: | Witmer, Lawrence M., Chatterjee, Sankar, Franzosa, Jonathan, Rowe, Timothy |
| Source: | Nature. 10/30/2003, Vol. 425 Issue 6961, p950. 4p. 18 Black and White Photographs, 1 Diagram, 1 Graph. |
| Subjects: | Pterosauria, Neuroanatomy, Tomography |
| Abstract: | Comparison of birds and pterosaurs, the two archosaurian flyers, sheds light on adaptation to an aerial lifestyle. The neurological basis of control holds particular interest in that flight demands on sensory integration, equilibrium, and muscular coordination are acute. Here we compare the brain and vestibular apparatus in two pterosaurs based on high-resolution computed tomographic (CT) scans from which we constructed digital endocasts. Although general neural organization resembles birds, pterosaurs had smaller brains relative to body mass than do birds. This difference probably has more to do with phylogeny than flight, in that birds evolved from nonavian theropods that had already established trends for greater encephalization. Orientation of the osseous labyrinth relative to the long axis of the skull was different in these two pterosaur species, suggesting very different head postures and reflecting differing behaviours. Their enlarged semicircular canals reflect a highly refined organ of equilibrium, which is concordant with pterosaurs being visually based, aerial predators. Their enormous cerebellar floccular lobes may suggest neural integration of extensive sensory information from the wing, further enhancing eye- and neck-based reflex mechanisms for stabilizing gaze. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Nature is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
| FullText | Links: – Type: pdflink Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: pbh DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection An: 11234828 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Neuroanatomy of flying reptiles and implications for flight, posture and behaviour. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Witmer%2C+Lawrence+M%2E%22">Witmer, Lawrence M.</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chatterjee%2C+Sankar%22">Chatterjee, Sankar</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Franzosa%2C+Jonathan%22">Franzosa, Jonathan</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rowe%2C+Timothy%22">Rowe, Timothy</searchLink> – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Nature%22">Nature</searchLink>. 10/30/2003, Vol. 425 Issue 6961, p950. 4p. 18 Black and White Photographs, 1 Diagram, 1 Graph. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pterosauria%22">Pterosauria</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Neuroanatomy%22">Neuroanatomy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tomography%22">Tomography</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: Comparison of birds and pterosaurs, the two archosaurian flyers, sheds light on adaptation to an aerial lifestyle. The neurological basis of control holds particular interest in that flight demands on sensory integration, equilibrium, and muscular coordination are acute. Here we compare the brain and vestibular apparatus in two pterosaurs based on high-resolution computed tomographic (CT) scans from which we constructed digital endocasts. Although general neural organization resembles birds, pterosaurs had smaller brains relative to body mass than do birds. This difference probably has more to do with phylogeny than flight, in that birds evolved from nonavian theropods that had already established trends for greater encephalization. Orientation of the osseous labyrinth relative to the long axis of the skull was different in these two pterosaur species, suggesting very different head postures and reflecting differing behaviours. Their enlarged semicircular canals reflect a highly refined organ of equilibrium, which is concordant with pterosaurs being visually based, aerial predators. Their enormous cerebellar floccular lobes may suggest neural integration of extensive sensory information from the wing, further enhancing eye- and neck-based reflex mechanisms for stabilizing gaze. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Nature is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
| PLink | https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=11234828 |
| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1038/nature02048 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 4 StartPage: 950 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Pterosauria Type: general – SubjectFull: Neuroanatomy Type: general – SubjectFull: Tomography Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Neuroanatomy of flying reptiles and implications for flight, posture and behaviour. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Witmer, Lawrence M. – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Chatterjee, Sankar – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Franzosa, Jonathan – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Rowe, Timothy IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 30 M: 10 Text: 10/30/2003 Type: published Y: 2003 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00280836 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 425 – Type: issue Value: 6961 Titles: – TitleFull: Nature Type: main |
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