Did dinosaurs have any relation with dung-beetles?: (The origin of coprophagy)

被引:14
作者
Arillo, Antonio [1 ]
Ortuno, Vicente M. [2 ]
机构
[1] Univ Complutense Madrid, Fac Biol, Dept Zool & Antropol Fis, Madrid, Spain
[2] Univ Alcala de Henares, Fac Biol, Dept Zool & Antropol Fis, Madrid, Spain
关键词
paleobiology; mesozoic ecosystems; coprophagy; dinosaurs; dung-beetles;
D O I
10.1080/00222930802105130
中图分类号
X176 [生物多样性保护];
学科分类号
090705 ;
摘要
It is widely accepted that Mesozoic ecosystems were basically similar to Cenozoic ecosystems and it has been proposed that the role of dung-beetles in those ecosystems was identical to that of today, but the dung of dinosaurs were used as a source of food instead of the dung of mammals. While dinosaurs have been known since Triassic, Scarabeids are present in the fossil records probably since Lower Jurassic. But a very important metabolic feature of dinosaurs has not been taken into account, the connection between digestive and uro-genital systems. So here we propose the hypothesis that coprophagy in dung-beetles has been associated, since it began, with mammals.
引用
收藏
页码:1405 / 1408
页数:4
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