Vertebrate diversity of the Yanliao Biota and comparison with other biotas

A total of 54 genera and 58 species of vertebrates, including fishes, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, have been reported from the Yanliao Biota, but the diversity and formation mechanism of vertebrates have not been well-studied in detail based on biological analysis. Here, a statistical analysis of the vertebrates in the Yanliao Biota and a detailed comparison with other biotas of similar age are present, which provides significant evidence for the diversity of vertebrates and the formation of the Yanliao Biota. Although the early Daohugou Biota and the late Linglongta Biota are continuous in time, they show different characteristics of biological combination of vertebrates, respectively. Yanliao Biota including a large number of invertebrates and vertebrates and plant fossils is significantly different from other biotas of similar age, such as the Wucaiwan Fauna from Xinjiang and Dashanpu Dinosaur Fauna from Sichuan Basin. Dinosaurs from the Yanliao Biota only contain small theropods and some early ornithischians. But Yanliao Biota is very rich in pterosaurs and mammals. Vertebrates from the Yanliao Biota have high ecological diversity and a unique combination of taxa groups. Some evidence indicates that there may exist geographic isolation between East Asia and other regions during this period. Combined with the characteristics of terrestrial vertebrate assemblage, it can be inferred that there may have been some obstacles in the communication between vertebrates of the Yanliao Biota and the outside world.

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