Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword
- 1 Rodentia: a model order?
- 2 A synopsis of rodent molecular phylogenetics, systematics and biogeography
- 3 Emerging perspectives on some Paleogene sciurognath rodents in Laurasia: the fossil record and its interpretation
- 4 Phylogeny and evolutionary history of hystricognathous rodents from the Old World during the Tertiary: new insights into the emergence of modern “phiomorph” families
- 5 The history of South American octodontoid rodents and its contribution to evolutionary generalisations
- 6 History, taxonomy and palaeobiology of giant fossil rodents (Hystricognathi, Dinomyidae)
- 7 Advances in integrative taxonomy and evolution of African murid rodents: how morphological trees hide the molecular forest
- 8 Themes and variation in sciurid evolution
- 9 Marmot evolution and global change in the past 10 million years
- 10 Grades and clades among rodents: the promise of geometric morphometrics
- 11 Biogeographic variations in wood mice: testing for the role of morphological variation as a line of least resistance to evolution
- 12 The oral apparatus of rodents: variations on the theme of a gnawing machine
- 13 The muscles of mastication in rodents and the function of the medial pterygoid
- 14 Functional morphology of rodent middle ears
- 15 Variations and anomalies in rodent teeth and their importance for testing computational models of development
- 16 The great variety of dental structures and dynamics in rodents: new insights into their ecological diversity
- 17 Convergent evolution of molar topography in Muroidea (Rodentia, Mammalia): connections between chewing movements and crown morphology
- 18 Developmental mechanisms in the evolution of phenotypic traits in rodent teeth
- 19 Diversity and evolution of femoral variation in Ctenohystrica
- 20 Morphological disparity of the postcranial skeleton in rodents and its implications for palaeobiological inferences: the case of the extinct Theridomyidae (Rodentia, Mammalia)
- Index
- References
3 - Emerging perspectives on some Paleogene sciurognath rodents in Laurasia: the fossil record and its interpretation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2015
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword
- 1 Rodentia: a model order?
- 2 A synopsis of rodent molecular phylogenetics, systematics and biogeography
- 3 Emerging perspectives on some Paleogene sciurognath rodents in Laurasia: the fossil record and its interpretation
- 4 Phylogeny and evolutionary history of hystricognathous rodents from the Old World during the Tertiary: new insights into the emergence of modern “phiomorph” families
- 5 The history of South American octodontoid rodents and its contribution to evolutionary generalisations
- 6 History, taxonomy and palaeobiology of giant fossil rodents (Hystricognathi, Dinomyidae)
- 7 Advances in integrative taxonomy and evolution of African murid rodents: how morphological trees hide the molecular forest
- 8 Themes and variation in sciurid evolution
- 9 Marmot evolution and global change in the past 10 million years
- 10 Grades and clades among rodents: the promise of geometric morphometrics
- 11 Biogeographic variations in wood mice: testing for the role of morphological variation as a line of least resistance to evolution
- 12 The oral apparatus of rodents: variations on the theme of a gnawing machine
- 13 The muscles of mastication in rodents and the function of the medial pterygoid
- 14 Functional morphology of rodent middle ears
- 15 Variations and anomalies in rodent teeth and their importance for testing computational models of development
- 16 The great variety of dental structures and dynamics in rodents: new insights into their ecological diversity
- 17 Convergent evolution of molar topography in Muroidea (Rodentia, Mammalia): connections between chewing movements and crown morphology
- 18 Developmental mechanisms in the evolution of phenotypic traits in rodent teeth
- 19 Diversity and evolution of femoral variation in Ctenohystrica
- 20 Morphological disparity of the postcranial skeleton in rodents and its implications for palaeobiological inferences: the case of the extinct Theridomyidae (Rodentia, Mammalia)
- Index
- References
Summary
One of the striking evolutionary successes among vertebrates centers on the mammalian order Rodentia, which exhibits both a respectably long geologic history, extending back to the late Paleocene (c. 56 Ma), and significant modern diversity, with their 2277 extant species (Wilson and Reeder, 2005; presumably increased by today) occurring naturally on and around almost all terrestrial habitats except the Antarctic continent. Rodents, which form a little over 40% of all extant mammal species, are divided among about 474 genera that exhibit adaptations for terrestrial, fossorial and aquatic habitats, and as well as for aerial, at least gliding, locomotion; most are small and herbivorous to omnivorous. Rodents are characterized by the combination of enlargement of one pair of upper and of lower incisors, dI2/dI2 (Luckett, 1985), for gnawing and reduction or loss of other anterior teeth, with development of a marked diastema between the incisors and cheek teeth and associated modifications of masticatory muscles and their attachments on the skull and mandible (Korth, 1994). Scientific study of these mammals has included paleontologic (Marivaux et al., 2004), neontologic (Vaughan et al., 2013), and molecular approaches (Huchon et al., 2002, 2007; Fabre et al., 2012), the last frequently centered on laboratory animals (rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs). Currently, rodent monophyly as well as broad phylogenetic outlines have been established even if consensus related to patterns of rodent diversification has been elusive. Frequently occurring homoplasy within the order tends to interfere with interpretation of relationships (Marivaux et al., 2004).
The rodent fossil record has expanded at a significant pace. For example, Simpson's classification of mammals (1945) listed 349 extant and 275 extinct rodent genera, compared with the more recently compiled 474 genera of extant rodents and 743 extinct genera (McKenna and Bell, 1997). In the interval since the latter listing in 1997 the fossil record has continued to expand, an increase that can be related to screen washing techniques for small vertebrates that are now relatively standard for paleontological field collecting (Hibbard, 1949) as well as to augmented preparation of fossils from hard matrix, such as that from the Bridgerian NALMA Elderberry Canyon, Nevada, locality (e.g. Emry and Korth, 1989).
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Evolution of the RodentsAdvances in Phylogeny, Functional Morphology and Development, pp. 70 - 86Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2015
References
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