| Extraordinarily thick-boned fish linked to the aridification of the Qaidam Basin (northern Tibetan Plateau). | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 18757732 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Scattered with numerous salt lakes and approximately 2,700-3,200 m above sea level, the giant Qaidam inland basin on the northern Tibetan Plateau has experienced continuing aridification since the beginning of the Late Cenozoic as a result of the India-Asia plate collision and associated uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. Previous evidence of aridification comes mainly from evaporite deposits and salinity-tolerant invertebrate fossils. Vertebrate fossils were rare until recent discoveries of abundant fish. Here, we report an unusual cyprinid fish, Hsianwenia wui, gen. et sp. nov., from Pliocene lake deposits of the Qaidam Basin, characterized by an extraordinarily thick skeleton that occupied almost the entire body. Such enormous skeletal thickening, apparently leaving little room for muscles, is unknown among extant fish. However, an almost identical condition occurs in the much smaller cyprinodontid Aphanius crassicaudus (Cyprinodonyiformes), collected from evaporites exposed along the northern margins of the Mediterranean Sea during the Messinian desiccation period. H. wui and A. crassicaudus both occur in similar deposits rich in carbonates (CaCO(3)) and sulfates (CaSO(4)), indicating that both were adapted to the extreme conditions resulting from the aridification in the two areas. The overall skeletal thickening was most likely formed through deposition of the oversaturated calcium and was apparently a normal feature of the biology and growth of these fish. |
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Authors:
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Meemann Chang; Xiaoming Wang; Huanzhang Liu; Desui Miao; Quanhong Zhao; Guoxuan Wu; Juan Liu; Qiang Li; Zhencheng Sun; Ning Wang |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. Date: 2008-08-29 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Volume: 105 ISSN: 1091-6490 ISO Abbreviation: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. Publication Date: 2008 Sep |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2008-09-10 Completed Date: 2008-09-30 Revised Date: 2009-03-10 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 7505876 Medline TA: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 13246-51 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P.O. Box 643, Beijing 100044, China. |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Desert Climate* Ecology Fishes / anatomy & histology*, genetics, physiology* Fossils Fresh Water* Phylogeny Tibet |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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