Study on the pelvic system of birds and on the origin of flight
Year: 2013
Type: article
Abstract: Among the main hypotheses proposed to explain the acquisition of flight, two theories have been the subject of an animated debate for several decades, the terrestrial theory and the arboreal theory. According to the first hypothesis, small cursorial feathered theropods would have used their hindlimbs and their proto-wings to jump higher, leading to the apparition of flapping flight. This idea is supported by the discovery of Sinosauropteryx, a small cursorial dinosaur with feathers. The second hypothesis – the arboreal theory – supposes that theropod dinosaurs started flying after an arboreal stage. The development of feathers and wings would have helped to glide until the apparition of flapping flight. The discovery of another fossil, Microraptor gui with a large air foil (impressions of feathers are visible on all four limbs and tail) supports this process. The recent discovery of fossils of theropod dinosaurs, marking the transition from strictly terrestrial animals to animals potentially able to fly, has revived the debate about the origin of bird flight. However, despite the remarkable preservation of recently discovered fossils, it seems that paleontological studies alone will not answer all the questions about the origin of flight. Thus, other tools are important to consider, as the study of structure/function relationships among modern birds, which will provide new functional hypotheses on the fossil record. It is interesting to note that the two main hypotheses regarding the origin of flight are based on different interpretations of the pelvic system functions (i.e. the pelvis and hindlimbs): In the terrestrial hypothesis, propulsion during take-off is fundamental whereas in the arboreal theory, absorbing impact when landing is the main constraint. Despite the fundamental role of the pelvic system in the locomotion of modern birds, very few studies have focused on this locomotor module and even less in the context of the origin of flight. In this review work, we attempt to demonstrate how the study of the pelvic system of modern birds is essential to provide new evidence on the origin of flight.
Source: HAL
Author: Provini, Pauline
Language: French
Subfield: Paleontology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2187624703