Climate drivers and palaeobiogeography of lagerpetids and early pterosaurs
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 CO<sub>2</sub>-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
- Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5525-6730)
- Brenen M. Wynd (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9389-4995)
- Richard J. Butler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2136-7541)
- Ben T. Kligman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4400-8963)
- Emma M. Dunne (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4989-5904)
- Alex Farnsworth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5585-5338)
- Paul M. Barrett (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0412-3000)
- Nicholas C. Fraser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4408-4640)
- Davide Foffa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9269-6719)
- William G. Parker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6005-7098)
- Daniel John Lunt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3585-6928)
- Stephen L. Brusatte (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7525-7319)
- Paul J. Valdes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1902-3283)
- Sterling J. Nesbitt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7017-1652)
- Adam D. Marsh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3223-8940)
Institutions
- Smithsonian Institution (US)
- Natural History Museum (GB)
- National Museum of Natural History (US)
- National Museums Scotland (GB)
- Spokane Falls Community College (US)
- Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (DE)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- University of Bristol (GB)
- Institute of Forest Science (RU)
- Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research (CN)
- University College London (GB)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- Virginia Tech (US)
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Ecology & Evolution
- Published
- 2025-06-18
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02767-8
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 12.99
Funders
- Leverhulme Trust
- Royal Society
- Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851
- European Commission
- Chinese Academy of Sciences
- Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
- Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
- Natural Environment Research Council
- H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions