The evolution of feathers and colour patterns in birds and other
dinosaurs
Supervisors
Main supervisor: Dr Jakob Vinther (University of Bristol)
Co-supervisor: Dr Nicholas Longrich (Bath University)
Project enquiries - Email: [email protected] Contact number: +44 (0) 7746 383368
Supervisory team:
Prof Innes Cuthill (University of Bristol)
Dr Davide Pisani (University of Bristol)
Host Institution: University of Bristol
Project description
Birds evolved a unique integumentary structure - the feather, which has been co-opted for a series of complex
functions including flight, display and insulation. Feathers evolved within dinosaurs and several stages in the
evolution of the feather are now well recorded by key fossils from China and Germany. Studies of fossil feathers
have provided the ability to trace the evolution of flight and insulation,and the sequence of appearance of feather
characters on the stem dinosaur lineage. More recently, the discovery of fossil melanosomes have provided
means to infer coloration and colour patterns in fossil feathers and thus provide the ability to trace the evolution
of display and crypsis (e.g. disruptive and countershading camouflage) in feathers also.
This project allows the student to investigate feathers from a neontological and palaeontological perspective. The
student will study fossil and recent feathers, and their function and colour, using advanced imaging techniques,
such as spectroscopy and electron microscopy, and thereby evaluate hypotheses in a phylogenetic comparative
framework. Experimental work on the function of colour patterns and the functional morphology of feathers
(e.g. biomechanics and aerodynamics of feathers) can also be explored.
We are looking to recruit a student interested in any of the following: Biophysics, evolutionary biology,
ornithology, vision ecology, palaeontology, macroevolution, and biomechanics. Research experience is required;
undergraduate experience in some of the topics is expected.
References:
Longrich, N. R., Vinther, J. Meng, Q.-J., Li, Q.-G. and Russel, A. P. 2012, Primitive Wing Feather Arrangement
in Archaeopteryx lithographica and Anchiornis huxleyi, Current Biology (2012),
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.09.052.
Li, Q-G., Gao, K-Q., Meng Q-J., Clarke, J. A., Shawkey M. D., DAlba, L., Pei, R., Ellison M., Norell M. A.,
Vinther J. 2012. A new specimen of Microraptor and the evolution of iridescent plumage color. Science 335,
1215-1219.
Li, Q-G., Gao, K-Q., Vinther, J., Shawkey, M.D., Clarke J.A., D`Alba L., Meng, Q., Briggs D.E.G., Prum, R.O.
2010. Plumage color patterns of an extinct non-avian dinosaur. Science 327, 1369-1372.
Vinther, J., Briggs, D. E. G., Prum, R. O. and Saranathan, V. 2008 The colour of fossil feathers. Biology Letters
4, 522-525.
The first ever colorised dinosaur, the troodontid theropod, Anchiornis huxleyi
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