Where are Amniotes on the

Topic 5: The Origin of Amniotes vertebrate phylogeny?

Where do amniotes fall out on the (3) – _________

vertebrate phylogeny? (4) – _________

What are some stem Amniotes?

What is an Amniote?
What is the sister
group of Amniota?

What changes were involved with
the transition to dry habitats?

What are the three main groups of
What taxa comprise
the Amniota?
Amniotes?

How are Amniote taxa related?

Pough et al 2004, Fig 2-1

What are some stem Amniotes? What are some stem Amniotes?

Palaeontological tree:

“_________________”
 Anthracinosauria, Seymouriamorpha, and
 Anthracinosauria
Diadectomorpha as extinct outgroups to Amniotes
 Seymouriamorpha
 Split between Amniota and Amphibia ~360 Mya
 Diadectomorpha

Diverse and terrestrial

Mainly predators

Benton 1997 Fig 4.21 Benton 1997 Fig 4.18

What is an Amniote? The Amniotic Egg

Synapomorphies
Contains
 ______________ & extraembryonic
associated membranes membranes (4):
 Amnion
 __________ fertilization  Chorion
 Allantois
 ____________ maxillary  Yolk sac
teeth

 Various other skull and

limb characters

Pough et al 2004, Fig 2-1

1
 The Amniotic Egg The Amniotic Egg

__________
Amnion
 Surrounds embryo
 Forms space filled
___________
with amniotic fluid  Outer-most membrane
 ______ exchange  Forms placenta in
 _________ embryo placental mammals

Dessication

Concussion
Allantois

Chorion
Yolk sac

Allantois

Yolk sac

The Amniotic Egg The Amniotic Egg

Amnion
Amnion

Chorion
Chorion

____________
 Sac formed from

Allantois
posterior part of GI tract
_____________
 Collects ___________  Filled with yolk, which
during development, is the nutrient source
growing as it fills
for the embryo
 Involved in formation of
 Shrinks as yolk is used
_______________ in
placental mammals up

Yolk sac

What changes were involved with the

The Amniotic Egg transition to dry habitats?

What about the shell?
Amphibians began
 The other membranes moving away from the

Form outside embryo water

Connected to embryo
Many are terrestrial
 The shell is deposited by
However:
the _____________
 Skin is still highly
 Can be calcified and hard _______________ to
or leathery and soft gases and water
 Involved in:  Reproduction is mainly

_____________ limited to __________

_____________ of the
embryo

Photo © KP Bergmann Photos © KP Bergmann, PJB

2
 What changes were involved with the What changes were involved with the
transition to dry habitats? transition to dry habitats?

Amniote lifecycle
Adaptations of the Egg

______________ of  Amnion, Chorion, Shell
water  Protect embryo from
_____________

Many live in very dry
Forces are more
jarring on land
habitats
 Protect embryo from
_____________

Facilitated mainly by
Less permeable to
adaptation of the: water
 ________ (amniotic)
 ________

Photos © PJB Photo © KP Bergmann

What changes were involved with the

transition to dry habitats? What are the three main groups of Amniotes?

Adaptations of the skin:
Three different amniote conditions

 ________________  Different patterns of temporal fenestration
 Temporal region of the skull is posterior to the orbit
 Deposition of
__________ in
 A fenestra is an opening without a structure
epidermis running through it (L. – “window”)

Evolved independently
in several groups  An~ none

 ________, feathers, hair

 Syn~ one

All act to limit water loss

 Di~ two

Photo © PJB

What are the three main groups of Amniotes? What are the three main groups of Amniotes?

Synapsida – _____________ and stem mammals

_____________
Anapsida – ______________ and stem turtles
 No temporal fenestrae

Diapsida – Archosauria (birds & crocodilians), Lepidosauria
(squamates and rhynchocephalians) and various stem

_____________ groups
 One temporal fenestra
 Surrounded by postorbital,
jugal and squamosal bones

_____________
 Two temporal fenestrae
 Lower one Synapsida

Homologous to synapsid Anapsida
 Upper one Diapsida

Surrounded by postorbital,
squamosal and parietal
bones

Benton 1997 Fig 5.18

3
 What are the three main groups of Amniotes?

Biodidac

How are Amniote taxa related?

Which condition is
ancestral?

Derived?

What implications do the

alternative placements of
Testudines (A or B) have
on the evolution of the
anapsid condition?

What kinds of data might

be brought to bear on this
problem?

Synapsida Anapsida Diapsida Pough et al 2004, Fig 2-1

4
 How are Amniote taxa related?

Which condition is
ancestral?
 ___________
 ________________
________________

Derived?
 A: ______________
 B: ______________

Synapsida Anapsida Diapsida Pough et al 2004, Fig 2-1

How are Amniote taxa related?

What implications do the
placements of Testudines
(A or B) have on the
evolution of the anapsid
condition?

 A:

 B:

Synapsida Anapsida Diapsida Pough et al 2004, Fig 2-1

5
 How are Amniote taxa related?

What kinds of data
might be brought to
bear on this problem?
 _________________
 _________________
 _________________

 Each has been used

and says something
slightly different…

Synapsida Anapsida Diapsida Pough et al 2004, Fig 2-1

How are Amniote taxa related?

Traditional
hypothesis: A
 Mainly based on
extant taxa and
____________ data
 Includes only some
fossil taxa
 Assumes that all
____________ are
related

Synapsida Anapsida Diapsida Pough et al 2004, Fig 2-1

6
 How are Amniote taxa related? How are Amniote taxa related?

Traditional
Hypothesis B:
hypothesis: A  Based on extensive
 Basal anapsids fossil sampling and no
a priori assumptions of
 “Parareptiles” relationship

Pareisaurs

Procolophids  Testudines have a
___________________
anapsid condition

 ______________ with
“Parareptiles”

 Sister to Sauropterygia
Benton Fig 5.15 Pough et al. Fig 2-9

How are Amniote taxa related?

How are Amniote taxa related?

Hypothesis B:
Hypothesis C? B
 What do __________ C
Testudines
data have to say?
 Who are the
sauropterygians?
 Limitation: no ______

Plesiosaurs
_____ can be included

Ichthyosaurs
 Testudines are placed
 Aquatic within ____________
(support for B)

 Only ___________  BUT: Testudines

temporal fenestrae cluster with the
___________, not the
Lepidosauria
A
Testudines
Benton Fig. 6.7 Modified from Pough et al. Fig 2-9

How are Amniote taxa related? How are Amniote taxa related?
So, where do B


Who are the Amniota?
C
Testunides fit in? Testudines  _____________

 _____________
 ________________  _____________

Crocodilians
 Within the _______
Birds
 _____________
 Molecular and
Rhynchocephalia
morphological data
Squamata
suggest  Snakes
convergence with  Lizards
“Parareptiles”  Amphisbaenia
A
Testudines
Modified from Pough et al. Fig 2-9 Pough et al 2004, Fig 2-1

7
 How are Amniote taxa related? How are Amniote taxa related?

Mammalia
Mammalia
synapomorphies:  Not dealt with further
 Synapsid in this course
 Atlas vertebra

 3+ sacral vertebrae

 ___ cervical vertebrae

 _________

 Mammary Glands

 Etc.

Pough et al 2004, Fig 2-1 Photos PJ Bergmann

How are Amniote taxa related? How are Amniote taxa related?

Reptilia (5)
Archosauria
 Includes the remaining synapomorphies:
amniotes to be
monophyletic
Muscular Diaphragm

 Without birds is
2 ventricles in heart

______________

______________
 Many obscure
synapomorphies
No urinary bladder

 They have _________
No vomeronasal organ

(even birds – on feet)
Pough et al 2004, Fig 2-1 Pough et al 2004, Fig 2-1

How are Amniote taxa related? How are Amniote taxa related?

Reptilia Testudines 300

Aves (Birds)
 Lots of diversity Rhynchocephalia 2

Birds are dinosaurs, & dinosaurs are Archosaurs Squamata 7,750
 ~8000 spp. without Crocodylia 23
birds Aves 8,700
• Aves have many  Online Reptile TOTAL ~ 17,000
synapomorphies: database:
• No teeth
• Wings
http://www.reptile-
• Feathers database.org/
(shared with
some dinos)

• Not covered
further in this
course
Photos © PJB &
KP Bergmann
Nature 421, 335 - 340 (2003)