As cores brilhantes examinadas no estudo normalmente vão de carotenoides - uma classe de pigmentos coloridos vermelhos, laranja e amarelos que os pa¡ssaros extraem de seus alimentos.
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Os dinossauros extintos podem ter tido cores brilhantes em sua pele, escamas e bicos de maneira semelhante aos pa¡ssaros modernos. Crédito: Sarah Davis
A maioria dos pa¡ssaros não étão colorida quanto papagaios ou pavaµes. Mas se vocêolhar além das penas, as cores brilhantes dos pa¡ssaros não são difaceis de encontrar: pense em panãs de pombo rosa, cristas de galo vermelhos e bolsas de pelicano amarelas.
Ha¡ uma boa chance de que extintos dinossauros balançou pops de cor em partes do corpo semelhantes e podem ter brilhou suas cores para atrair companheiros, assim como os pa¡ssaros fazem hoje, de acordo com um estudo conduzido por pesquisadores da Universidade do Texas em Austin.
"Os pa¡ssaros vivos usam uma variedade de pigmentos e podem ser muito coloridos em seus bicos , pernas e ao redor dos olhos", disse Sarah Davis, candidata a doutorado na Escola de Geociências da Universidade de Jackson, que liderou o estudo. "Poderaamos esperar que os dinossauros extintos expressassem as mesmas cores."
A pesquisa foi publicada na revista Evolution em 6 de dezembro.
A conclusão sobre os esquemas de cores de dinossauros em potencial vem de descobertas mais amplas sobre a cor da pele e do tecido no ancestral comum de pa¡ssaros vivos e dinossauros extintos, um antigo arquossauro que viveu perto do inicio do período Tria¡ssico. Ao analisar se a cor brilhante do corpo estava presente em parentes vivos de dinossauros - incluindo tartarugas, crocodilos e mais de 4.000 espanãcies de pa¡ssaros - os pesquisadores determinaram que o ancestral comum tinha 50% de chance de ter cores brilhantes nos tecidos moles de seu corpo.
As cores brilhantes examinadas no estudo normalmente vão de carotenoides - uma classe de pigmentos coloridos vermelhos, laranja e amarelos que os pa¡ssaros extraem de seus alimentos. Os carotenoides não fossilizam tão bem quanto os pigmentos marrons e pretos, o que significa que os cientistas devem estudar a cor em animais vivos para procurar pistas sobre a expressão da cor em seus ancestrais extintos.
Uma a¡rvore evolutiva simplificada mostrando onde cores brilhantes aparecem em pa¡ssaros
e outras espanãcies vivas deste estudo e onde essas cores podem ter aparecido em seus
parentes extintos, incluindo dinossauros. Pele (mostrada em laranja), escamas e queratina
de bico (amarelo) poderiam ter sido brilhantemente pigmentadas em grupos extintos,
enquanto penas e garras provavelmente não seriam. As áreas sem cor brilhante são
mostradas em cinza. Crédito: Sarah Davis / Universidade do Texas em Austin
Os pesquisadores usaram os dados coletados de pa¡ssaros e outros animais para fazer reconstruções filogaªnicas, um manãtodo cientafico usado para investigar as histórias evolutivas das espanãcies. A estimativa de 50% para cores brilhantes se aplica igualmente a pele, bicos e escamas do antigo arquossauro. Em contraste, a pesquisa descobriu que havia 0% de chance de que as garras e penas tivessem cores vivas, o que éconsistente com outras pesquisas, disse Davis.
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O estudo também examinou a conexão entre a cor e uma dieta rica em carotenoides, com Davis descobrindo que as aves com dietas mais carotenoides (ricas em vegetais e invertebrados) eram mais propensas a serem coloridas do que as carnavoras. Além do mais, ela descobriu que pa¡ssaros comedores de plantas expressavam cores brilhantes em mais lugares de seus corpos do que comedores de carne ou onavoros.
"Os primeiros dinossauros eram do tamanho de um pa´nei e comiam presas vertebradas grandes", disse a coautora do estudo, Julia Clarke, professora da Jackson School. "Diferentes grupos mudaram para dietas dominadas por plantas ou misturadas. Essa mudança provavelmente levou amudanças na coloração da pele e dos tecidos que não são de penas."
Além de colorir o passado, a pesquisa coloca as aves vivas em uma nova perspectiva. Davis disse que os grupos de pa¡ssaros examinados no estudo tem a reputação de serem mona³tonos - especialmente em comparação com pa¡ssaros canoros, que foram excluados do estudo porque são os mais distantemente aparentados com seus ancestrais dinossauros não-pa¡ssaros.
Mas, além das penas, os pa¡ssaros eram bastante coloridos. O estudo descobriu que cerca de 54% das 4.022 espanãcies de pa¡ssaros estudadas tinham cores brilhantes. Desse grupo, 86% das espanãcies expressaram cor brilhante apenas em tecidos não franjados.
Mary Caswell Stoddard, professora associada da Universidade de Princeton, disse que o estudo fornece informações importantes sobre a cor das aves que muitas vezes passam despercebidas.
"A cor dos pa¡ssaros émuito mais do que sua plumagem - basta pensar no bico amarelo-alaranjado vibrante de um toco toco - mas as penas tendem a receber mais atenção", disse ela. "Este estudo desvenda a história evolutiva da coloração a base de carotenoides não apenas na plumagem, mas também nos bicos e na pele das aves e seus parentes."