For a fuller description of the paper itself, go to the end of this web page.
Each simulation published in this paper corresponds to a unique 5 or 6 character code on the web pages.
The following table lists the name of the simulation as used in the paper, and the corresponding code name
The webpage gives you the ability to examine the published simulations, but you can also download the raw (netcdf) files to perform your own analysis. Detailed instructions on how to use the webpages and access the data can be found here: Using_BRIDGE_webpages.pdf
Using paleobiology database data combined with paleoclimate model simulations the dispersal history and evolution of lagerpetids (early pterosauromorphs) and pterosaurs resulting from climate change is explored through the Triassic (250-200 million years ago).
You can have make you own analysis and plots by going here
| Simulation Name as in Paper | Simulation name on web pages |
|---|---|
| Pre-industrial | tdzec1 |
| 239.5 Ma | tfkEw |
| 233.6 Ma | tfkEv |
| 232 Ma | tfkEu |
| 227 Ma | tfkEt |
| 224.4 Ma | tfkEs |
| 217.8 Ma | tfkEr |
| 204.9 Ma | tfkEp |
Climate change played a crucial role in pterosauromorph evolution
| Name | Foffa etal 2025 |
|---|---|
| Brief Description | Climate change played a crucial role in pterosauromorph evolution |
| Full Author List | D. Foffa, E. Dunne, AA. Chiarenza, B Wynd, A. Farnsworth, DJ. Lunt, PJ Valdes, SJ. Nesbitt, BT. Klingman, AD. Marsh, WG. Parker, RJ. Butler, NC. Fraser, SL. Brusatte, PM Barrett |
| Title | Climate drivers and palaeobiogeography of lagerpetids and early pterosaurs |
| Year | 2025 |
| Journal | Nature Ecology & Evolution |
| Volume | X |
| Issue | |
| Pages | |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41559-025-02767-8 |
| Contact's Name | Daniel J Lunt |
| Contact's email | d.j.lunt@bristol.ac.uk |
| Abstract | The origin of pterosaurs, the first vertebrates to achieve powered flight, is poorly understood, owing to the temporal and morphological gaps that separate them from their closest non-flying relatives, the lagerpetids. Although both groups coexisted during the Late Triassic, their limited sympatry is currently unexplained, implying that ecological partitioning, potentially linked to palaeoclimate, influenced their early evolution. Here we analysed pterosauromorph (pterosaur + lagerpetid) palaeobiogeography using phylogeny-based probabilistic methods and integrating fossil occurrences with palaeoclimate data. Our results reveal distinct climatic preferences and dispersal histories: lagerpetids tolerated a broader range of conditions, including arid belts, enabling a widespread distribution from the Middle to early Late Triassic. Conversely, pterosaurs preferred wetter environments, resulting in a patchier geographical distribution that expanded only as humidity increased in the Late Triassic, probably following the Climate Pluvial Event. This major environmental disturbance, potentially driven by changes in CO2-related thermal constraints and/or palaeog eography, appears to have played a key role in shaping early pterosa uromorph evolution by promoting spatial segregation and distinct climatic niche occupation. |