Morphofunctional evolution of the pelvic girdle and hindlimb of Dinosauromorpha on the lineage to Sauropoda [Elektronische Ressource] / by Regina Fechner

Morphofunctional Evolution of the Pelvic Girdle and Hindlimb of Dinosauromorpha on the Lineage to Sauropoda Dissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades in den Naturwissenschaften submitted to the Fakultät für Geowissenschaften der Ludwigs Maximilians Universität, München by Dipl.-geol. Regina Fechner Spring 2009 1st supervisor: Dr. O.W.M. Rauhut Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie München 2nd supervisor: Prof. Dr. M. Sander Steinmann-Institut für Geologie, Mineralogie und Paläontologie, Universität Bonn Bonn Tag der mündlichen Prüfung: 14.11.2009 Nothing in Biology Makes Sense Except in the Light of Evolution (Theodosius Dobzhansky) Acknowledgements I first express my gratitude to Dr. O.W.M Rauhut and Prof. Dr. M. Sander, the first and second supervisor of this thesis, for guidance and support and for the opportunity to be part of the wonderful Research group “Biology of the Sauropod Dinosaurs: The Evolution of Gigantism”. I have greatly benefited from discussions with many people. Prof. Dr. H. Preuschoft, Dr. U. Witzel and Prof. Dr. A. Christian have been a valuable source of information, advice, and support. I am also indebted to Dr. K. Remes. Dr. H. Mallison, Dr. G. Demski, R. Gößling, Dr. E.-M. Griebeler, Dr. N. Klein, J.-T. Möller, Dr. T. Suthau, Dr. T. Tütken, S.