Erickson Gregory M
Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1100, USA.
Trends Ecol Evol. 2005 Dec;20(12):677-84. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2005.08.012. Epub 2005 Sep 8.
Some of the longest standing questions in dinosaur paleontology pertain to their development. Did dinosaurs grow at slow rates similar to extant reptiles or rapidly similar to living birds and mammals? How did some forms attain gigantic proportions? Conversely, how did birds (avian dinosaurs) become miniaturized? New data on dinosaur longevity garnered from bone microstructure (i.e. osteohistology) are making it possible to assess basic life-history parameters of the dinosaurs such as growth rates and timing of developmental events. Analyses of these data in an evolutionary context are enabling the identification of developmental patterns that lead to size changes within the Dinosauria. Furthermore, this rich new database is providing inroads for studying individual and population biology. All in all, paleohistological research is proving to be the most promising avenue towards gaining a comprehensive understanding of dinosaur biology.
恐龙古生物学中一些由来已久的问题与它们的发育有关。恐龙的生长速度是像现存爬行动物那样缓慢，还是像现存鸟类和哺乳动物那样快速？一些恐龙是如何长到巨大体型的？相反，鸟类（鸟翼类恐龙）又是如何变得体型小巧的？从骨骼微观结构（即骨组织学）中获取的有关恐龙寿命的新数据，使得评估恐龙的基本生命史参数成为可能，比如生长速度和发育事件的时间。在进化背景下对这些数据进行分析，能够识别出导致恐龙类体型变化的发育模式。此外，这个丰富的新数据库为研究个体生物学和种群生物学提供了途径。总而言之，古组织学研究被证明是全面了解恐龙生物学最有前景的途径。
