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UNDER CONSTRUCTION - Raw notes follow

Lecture 22 - Hot Blooded Dinosaurs II - Tracking Dinosaurs

II. GETTING AT METABOLISM FROM DINOSAURIAN
STRUCTURAL PARALLELS

A. NOW WE CAN SEE THAT DINOSAURS COULD PROBABLY
RUN VERY FAST BUT SO CAN SOME REPTILE FOR
SHORT DISTANCES

B. STRUCTURALLY, HOWEVER, THEY ARE MAMMAL OR BIRD LIKE

1. STRUTHIOMIMUS - OSTRICH

2. DEINONYCHUS - ARCHAEOPTERYX

3. HADROSAUR - ELK

C. LARGE ANIMALS HAVE SIMILAR STRCTURAL REQUIREMENTS

1. SAUROPOD AND ELEPHANT

III. INTERNAL CONSTANCY VS VARIABILITY OF TEMP

A. WHAT ABOUT HEAT PRODUCTION

1. RESTING METABOLIC RATE GREATER IN MAMMALS
AND BIRDS THAN IN REPTILES

SLIDE OF RESTING METABOLIC RATE FROM MC A

2. SIZE CONFERS SOME THERMAL INERTIA

1. SURFACE AREA IS WHERE HEAT IS LOST

2. SURFACE AREA INCREASES AS THE SQUARE OF linear DIM

3. BUT VOLUME INCREASES AS THE CUBE

4. THEREFORE FOR THINGS OF SIMILAR SHAPE,
LARGE THINGS LOSE HEAT SLOWER

5. BIG ANIMALS HAVE GREAT THERMAL INERTIA

SO BIG DINOS WERE COULD HAVE BEEN INERTIAL
HOMEOTHERMS

SLIDE DATA ON LITTLE VS BIG TEMPS

3. ALSO THIS MEANS THAT LARGE THINGS WITH
HIGH METABOLIC RATES NEED TO DUMP HEAT

4. BUT SMALL THINGS LIKE SHREWS NEED TO
CONSERVE IT ALWAYS

5. SOMETIMES BIRDS WITH GOOD INSULATION NEED
TO COOL - AIR SAC SYSTEM

6. AIR SAC SYSTEM PRESENT IN GIANT SAUROPODS
- PROBABLY FOR COOLING

B. OF COURSE, IF YOU HAVE HIGH METABOLIC RATES
YOU NEED TO EAT MORE FOOD

SLIDE OF BAKKERS DOG VS LIZARD PG 376

1. THUS WE WOULD EXPECT THE SAME NUMBER OF PREY
ANIMALS TO BE ABLE TO FEED A LARGE NUMBER OF
LOW METABOLIC RATE ANIMALS THAN HIGH ONES

2. IN FACT IF WE LOOK AT THE DISTRIBUTION OF
PREDATOR-PREY RATIOS WE CAN SEE THAT DINOSAURS
HAVE A LOWER PREDATORY/PREY RATIO THAN EOCENE MAMMALS

SLIDE OF PREDATOR/PREY RATIOS DRAWING FROM BAK PG 351

3. THUS IT EVIDENTLY TOOK MANY, MANY HERBIVOROUS
DINOSAURS TO FEED ONE CARNIVOROUS ONES

IV. ACTIVITY LEVEL VS. BONE STRENGTH

1. IT HAS LONG BEEN OBSERVED THAT THE STRUCTURE
OF THE BONES IN MAMMALS AND BIRDS IS DIFFERENT
THAN THAT SEEN IN OTHER LIVING REPTILES

ADAPTED SLIDE FROM BAKKER PG 352

HAVERSIAN SYSTEM PRESENT IN BIRDS AND MAMMALS

EXPLAIN

SLIDE OF HAVERSIAN SYSTEM AND NOT

EXPLAIN CROMPTON'S ARGUMENT

V. PHYLOGENETICS

SHARED DERIVED CHARACTERS OF DINOSAURS AND BIRDS

FOUR CHAMBERED VS THREE CHAMBERED HEART

VII. SUMMARY

A. DINOSAURS COULD RUN VERY FAST

B. DINOSAURS WERE BUILT FOR LONG PERIODS OF ACTIVITY

C. LARGE DINOSAURS COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN INERTIAL
HOMEOTHERMS BUT SMALL ONES HAD TO PRODUCE EXTRA
HEAT OR WOULD HAVE TO ADAPT THEIR BEHAVIOR TO
RECEIVE IT FROM ENVIRONMENT

D. LARGE DINOSAURS NEEDED TO LOSE HEAT

E. PREDATOR/PREY RATIOS SUGGEST THAT CARNIVOROUS
DINOSAURS NEEDED AS MUCH FOOD AS CARNIVOROUS MAMMALS

F. DINOSAUR BONES REMODELED AS OFTEN AS MAMMAL AND
BIRD BONE SUGGESTING HIGH ACTIVITY LEVELS

G. BIRD ARE DINOSAURS AND MAY HAVE INHERITED THEIR
METABOLIC SYSTEMS

CONCLUSION:

AT LEAST SOME DINOSAURS WERE AS ACTIVE AND
"WARM BLOODED" AS ANY MAMMAL OR BIRD

AND SO ALTHOUGH WE CANT GO BACK IN TIME AND
MEASURE THEM WE CAN INFER, MAKE PREDICTION AND
TEST THEM IN THE FOSSIL RECORD

NOTE THAT COMBINED WITH THEIR LOCOMOTOR ADAPTATIONS
IT BECOMES EASY TO SEE WHY DINOSAURS REMAINED
DOMINANT FOR SO LONG OVER MAMMALS

Dinosaur Sociality from Tracks


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