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- Title
Comparisons between experimental and morphometric water vapor conductance in the eggs of extant birds and crocodiles: implications for predicting nest type in dinosaurs.
- Authors
Tanaka, K.; Zelenitsky, D.K.
- Abstract
Estimates of water vapor conductance for the eggs (i.e., diffusive capacity of eggshell; G h2 o, mg H2O·day−1·Torr−1) of extinct archosaur species have been used to infer their nest type (i.e., covered vs. open) because experimental G h2 o values for living archosaur species appear to reflect nest type. The methods used to derive G h2 o for fossil eggs (eggshell morphometrics) differs from that for extant eggs (experimental measurements), and it remains unknown if these two methods are comparable or if morphometric G h2 o values correspond to nest type. Although previous studies assumed that G h2 o values derived from the two methods were comparable, this assumption has not been statistically evaluated in a large sample size that includes both crocodiles and birds. Here, G h2 o values for over 100 species of living archosaurs for both morphometric and experimental methods were compiled and compared using statistical analyses. Results showed that although experimental and morphometric G h2 o values are significantly correlated, there is disagreement between the methods particularly apparent in small eggs, likely due to systematic errors. These results suggest that morphometric and experimental G h2 o of living species are not necessarily comparable, although the reason for the discrepancy remains uncertain. Thus, direct comparisons between morphometric G h2 o of dinosaurs and experimental G h2 o of living species should be avoided when inferring the nest type for dinosaurs.
- Subjects
BIRD eggs; REPTILE eggs; DINOSAUR eggs; BIRD size; REPTILE size
- Publication
Canadian Journal of Zoology, 2014, Vol 92, Issue 12, p1049
- ISSN
0008-4301
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1139/cjz-2014-0078