Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/26509
Title: Medullary bone in an Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird and discussion regarding its identification in fossils
Contributor(s): O'Connor, Jingmai (author); Erickson, Gregory M (author); Norell, Mark (author); Bailleul, Alida M (author); Hu, Han  (author)orcid ; Zhou, Zhonghe (author)
Publication Date: 2018-12-05
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07621-zOpen Access Link
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/26509
Abstract: Medullary bone is an ephemeral type of bone tissue, today found only in sexually mature female birds, that provides a calcium reservoir for eggshell formation. The presence of medullary bone-like tissues in extant birds, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs distantly related to birds shows that caution must be exercised before concluding that fossils bear medullary bone. Here we describe a new specimen of pengornithid enantiornithine from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation. Consisting of an isolated left hindlimb, the three-dimensional preservation contrasts with the crushed preservation characteristic of most Jehol specimens. Histological examinations suggest this resulted from the presence of a thick layer of highly vascular bone spanning the medullary cavities of the femur and tibiotarsus, consistent with expectations for medullary bone in extant birds. Micro-computed tomographic scans reveal small amounts of the same tissue extending into the pedal phalanges. We consider the tissue to be homologous to the medullary bone of Neornithines.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Nature Communications, 9(1), p. 1-8
Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
Place of Publication: United Kingdom
ISSN: 2041-1723
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 040308 Palaeontology (incl. Palynology)
060206 Palaeoecology
060807 Animal Structure and Function
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 370506 Palaeontology (incl. palynology)
310306 Palaeoecology
310911 Animal structure and function
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 970104 Expanding Knowledge in the Earth Sciences
970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 280107 Expanding knowledge in the earth sciences
280102 Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article
School of Environmental and Rural Science

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