new article od sauropod necks

[Dawid Mazurek <dawidmazurek@wp.pl>]

An interesting article in the latest APP:

Schwarz, D., Frey, E., and Meyer, C.A. 2007. Pneumaticity and soft?tissue 
reconstructions in the neck of diplodocid and dicraeosaurid sauropods. Acta 
Palaeontologica Polonica 52 (1): 167-188.

The axial soft-tissue system in the neck of Dicraeosauridae and 
Diplodocidae, including pneumatic diverticula, ligaments, and muscles, is 
reconstructed on the basis of phylogenetic and functional morphological 
comparisons with extant crocodylians and birds and compared with other 
soft-tissue reconstructions for sauropods. Bifurcation of the neural spines 
separated the paired supraspinal ligament into two sheets. A paired 
interspinal septum was attached to the cranial and caudal margins of the 
neural spines. The dorsal and the lateral portions of the cervical 
musculature must have been strongly segmented, whereas the laterocostal 
portion was divided with one myoseptum per vertebral segment. The hypaxial 
cervical muscle was most probably small and only poorly segmented. In 
Diplodocidae and Dicraeosauridae, the distribution of external pneumatic 
structures is similar, whereas only Diplodocidae possess intraosseous 
pneumatic structures. Supravertebral pneumatic diverticula are reconstructed 
for both groups, which, together with dorsal ligaments filled the gap 
between the metapophyses of bifurcate neural spines. Comparisons between the 
vertebrae of juvenile and adult diplodocids strongly indicate that 
pneumatisation proceeded from the supramedullary diverticula into the neural 
arch and the neural spine. The regular branching pattern of the pneumatic 
cavities as well as the vertical I-beam construction of the vertebral 
corpora is interpreted as a consequence of the biomechanical constraints of 
the vertebral corpora in diplodocids. These reconstructions form the ground 
for functional morphological considerations in Diplodocidae and 
Dicraeosauridae while addressing the possible mechanical consequences of 
pneumatic structures for the integrity of the support system of the neck.

http://www.app.pan.pl/acta52/app52-167.pdf

In the same issue http://www.app.pan.pl/app52-1.htm is also an article on 
gastroliths (in general) and a one on dinosaur teeth assembladges from 
Madagascar (including dromeosaurian teeth).

Cheers, David