Nature Communications (May 2021)

Niche partitioning shaped herbivore macroevolution through the early Mesozoic

  • Suresh A. Singh,
  • Armin Elsler,
  • Thomas L. Stubbs,
  • Russell Bond,
  • Emily J. Rayfield,
  • Michael J. Benton

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23169-x
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 13

Abstract

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Terrestrial ecosystems underwent major restructuring through the early Mesozoic, culminating in dinosaur-dominated faunas. Here Singh et al. use jaw morphology to classify tetrapod herbivores into distinct feeding groups and show that their success was shaped by environmental changes and competitive constraints.