Li Quanguo, Clarke Julia A, Gao Ke-Qin, Peteya Jennifer A, Shawkey Matthew D
State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China.
Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
PeerJ. 2018 Nov 2;6:e5831. doi: 10.7717/peerj.5831. eCollection 2018.
Integumentary patterns and colors can differentiate species, sexes, and life changes and can inform on habitat and ecology. However, they are rarely preserved in the fossil record. Here, we report on an extremely well-preserved specimen of the Cretaceous bird with unprecedented complexity, including small spots on the wings, crest, and throat. Morphological and chemical evidence suggest that these patterns are produced by melanin, but unusual preservation prevents assignment of specific colors. Based on comparisons with extant birds, these patterns were likely used for camouflage, although other functions including sexual signaling cannot be ruled out. Our data show that even more elaborate plumage patterns than the spangles in and stripes in were present at a relatively early stage of avian evolution, showing the significance of coloration and patterning to feather evolution.
皮肤图案和颜色可以区分物种、性别以及生命阶段的变化，并能反映栖息地和生态信息。然而，它们在化石记录中很少被保存下来。在这里，我们报告了一个保存极其完好的白垩纪鸟类标本，其具有前所未有的复杂性，包括翅膀、冠部和喉部的小斑点。形态学和化学证据表明，这些图案是由黑色素产生的，但特殊的保存状况使得无法确定具体颜色。通过与现存鸟类的比较，这些图案可能用于伪装，不过包括性信号在内的其他功能也不能排除。我们的数据表明，在鸟类进化的相对早期阶段就已经存在比[此处可能缺失具体例子]中的亮斑和[此处可能缺失具体例子]中的条纹更为复杂的羽毛图案，这显示了颜色和图案对羽毛进化的重要性。
