Erickson Gregory M, Currie Philip J, Inouye Brian D, Winn Alice A
Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306, USA.
Science. 2006 Jul 14;313(5784):213-7. doi: 10.1126/science.1125721.
The size and age structures for four assemblages of North American tyrannosaurs-Albertosaurus, Tyrannosaurus, Gorgosaurus, and Daspletosaurus-reveal a pronounced, bootstrap-supported pattern of age-specific mortality characterized by relatively high juvenile survivorship and increased mortality at midlife and near the maximum life span. Such patterns are common today in wild populations of long-lived birds and mammals. Factors such as predation and entrance into the breeding population may have influenced tyrannosaur survivorship. This survivorship pattern can explain the rarity of juvenile specimens in museum collections.
北美四种暴龙组合——阿尔伯塔龙、霸王龙、惧龙和达斯布雷龙——的体型和年龄结构显示出一种明显的、经自举检验支持的特定年龄死亡率模式，其特征是幼年存活率相对较高，中年及接近最大寿命时死亡率增加。这种模式如今在长寿鸟类和哺乳动物的野生种群中很常见。诸如捕食和进入繁殖群体等因素可能影响了暴龙的存活率。这种存活模式可以解释博物馆收藏中幼年标本的稀少。
