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Sexual Size Dimorphism (Ssd) Is The Most Consistent Explanation For The Body Size Spectrum Of Confuciusornis Sanctus, Winfried S. Peters, Dieter Stefan Peters
Sexual Size Dimorphism (Ssd) Is The Most Consistent Explanation For The Body Size Spectrum Of Confuciusornis Sanctus, Winfried S. Peters, Dieter Stefan Peters
Winfried S. Peters
This paper has no abstract; this is the first paragraph. Recently, we suggested that the size spectrum of Confuciusornis sanctus is best explained by sexual size dimorphism (SSD) and is compatible with a bird-like life history (Peters & Peters 2009). We find the criticism of Chiappe et al. (2010) interesting, but irrelevant to our main argument.
Life History, Sexual Dimorphism And 'Ornamental' Feathers In The Mesozoic Bird Confuciusornis Sanctus., Winfried S. Peters, Dieter Stefan Peters
Life History, Sexual Dimorphism And 'Ornamental' Feathers In The Mesozoic Bird Confuciusornis Sanctus., Winfried S. Peters, Dieter Stefan Peters
Winfried S. Peters
The life history of Confuciusornis sanctus is controversial. Recently, the species’ body size spectrum was claimed to contradict osteohistological evidence for a rapid, bird-like development. Moreover, sexual size dimorphism was rejected as an explanation for the observed bimodal size distribution since the presence of elongated rectrices, an assumed ‘male’ trait, was uncorrelated with size. However, this interpretation (i) fails to explain the size spectrum of C. sanctus which is trimodal rather than bimodal, (ii) requires implausible neonate masses and (iii) is not supported by analogy with sexual dimorphisms in modern birds, in which elongated central rectrices are mostly sex-independent. Available …