Climate drivers and palaeobiogeography of lagerpetids and early pterosaurs

Foffa D, Dunne E, Chiarenza AA, Wynd BM, Farnsworth A, Lunt DJ, Valdes PJ, Nesbitt SJ, Kligman BT, Marsh AD, Parker WG, Butler RJ, Fraser NC, Brusatte SL, Barrett PM (2025)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2025

Journal

Nature Ecology & Evolution Springer Nature

DOI: 10.1038/s41559-025-02767-8

Abstract

The origin of pterosaurs, the first vertebrates to achieve powered flight, is poorly understood, owing to the temporal and morphological gaps that separate them from their closest non-flying relatives, the lagerpetids. Although both groups coexisted during the Late Triassic, their limited sympatry is currently unexplained, indicating that ecological partitioning, potentially linked to palaeoclimate, influenced their early evolution. Here we analysed pterosauromorph (pterosaur + lagerpetid) palaeobiogeography using phylogeny-based probabilistic methods and integrating fossil occurrences with palaeoclimate data. Our results reveal distinct climatic preferences and dispersal histories: lagerpetids tolerated a broader range of conditions, including arid belts, enabling a widespread distribution from the Middle to early Late Triassic. Conversely, pterosaurs preferred wetter environments, resulting in a patchier geographical distribution that expanded only as humidity increased in the Late Triassic, probably following the Carnian Pluvial Event. This major environmental disturbance, potentially driven by changes in CO2-related thermal constraints and/or palaeogeography, appears to have had a key role in shaping early pterosauromorph evolution by promoting spatial segregation and distinct climatic niche occupation.

Authors with CRIS profile

Emma Dunne Lehrstuhl für Paläoumwelt

Involved external institutions

National Museums Scotland (NMS) / Taigh-tasgaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba GB United Kingdom (GB) University College London (UCL) GB United Kingdom (GB) University of Bristol GB United Kingdom (GB) Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VirginiaTech) US United States (USA) (US) Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History NMNH US United States (USA) (US) U.S. National Park Service (NPS) US United States (USA) (US) University of Birmingham GB United Kingdom (GB) Natural History Museum London GB United Kingdom (GB)

How to cite

APA:

Foffa, D., Dunne, E., Chiarenza, A.A., Wynd, B.M., Farnsworth, A., Lunt, D.J.,... Barrett, P.M. (2025). Climate drivers and palaeobiogeography of lagerpetids and early pterosaurs. Nature Ecology & Evolution. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02767-8

MLA:

Foffa, Davide, et al. "Climate drivers and palaeobiogeography of lagerpetids and early pterosaurs." Nature Ecology & Evolution (2025).

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