摘要
Pterosaurs are amongst the most fascinating and enigmatic of all extinct creatures. They originated in the Late Triassic （about 220 million years ago） and became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous （about 65 million years ago）. They are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight.Thanks to some spectacular fossil finds in recent years, our understanding of the paleobiology and evolutionary history of these ＇flying reptiles＇ has seen several dramatic advances. Some of the most important discoveries, including the first eggs with embryos and the evolutionarily transitional form Darwinopterus, have been made in China, where the Middle and Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks are currently producing new species of pterosaurs at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world. In recognition of this, the Third International Symposium on Pterosaurs Flugsaurier 2010 was held in China in August 2010 following earlier symposia held in France in 2001 and Germany in 2007. As in previous symposia, this meeting covered all aspects of pterosaur paleobiology and the world in which they lived, including the origin and evolution of pterosaurs, their taxonomy, systematics, phylogeny and paleobiology including anatomy, functional morphology and ontogeny. Sessions also covered more geological aspects such as taphonomy, sedimentology and preservational environments and related subjects including ecosystems and contemporaneous fauna and flora.
Pterosaurs are amongst the most fascinating and enigmatic of all extinct creatures. They originated in the Late Triassic （about 220 million years ago） and became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous （about 65 million years ago）. They are the earliest vertebrates known to have evolved powered flight.Thanks to some spectacular fossil finds in recent years, our understanding of the paleobiology and evolutionary history of these ＇flying reptiles＇ has seen several dramatic advances. Some of the most important discoveries, including the first eggs with embryos and the evolutionarily transitional form Darwinopterus, have been made in China, where the Middle and Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous rocks are currently producing new species of pterosaurs at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world. In recognition of this, the Third International Symposium on Pterosaurs Flugsaurier 2010 was held in China in August 2010 following earlier symposia held in France in 2001 and Germany in 2007. As in previous symposia, this meeting covered all aspects of pterosaur paleobiology and the world in which they lived, including the origin and evolution of pterosaurs, their taxonomy, systematics, phylogeny and paleobiology including anatomy, functional morphology and ontogeny. Sessions also covered more geological aspects such as taphonomy, sedimentology and preservational environments and related subjects including ecosystems and contemporaneous fauna and flora.
基金
supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(41010304027)
