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Leavey A, Richards CT, Porro LB. Comparative muscle anatomy of the anuran pelvis and hindlimb in relation to locomotor mode. J Anat 2024. [PMID: 39119773 DOI: 10.1111/joa.14122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 07/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/25/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Frogs have a highly conserved body plan, yet they employ a diverse array of locomotor modes, making them ideal organisms for investigating the relationships between morphology and locomotor function, in particular whether anatomical complexity is a prerequisite for functional complexity. We use diffusible iodine contrast-enhanced microCT (diceCT) imaging to digitally dissect the gross muscle anatomy of the pelvis and hindlimbs for 30 species of frogs representing five primary locomotor modes, including the first known detailed dissection for some of the world's smallest frogs, forming the largest digital comparative analysis of musculoskeletal structure in any vertebrate clade to date. By linking musculoskeletal dissections and phylogenetic comparative methods, we then quantify and compare relationships between anatomy and function across over 160 million years of anuran evolution. In summary, we have found that bone lengths and pelvic crest sizes are generally not reliable predictors of muscle sizes, which highlights important implications for future palaeontological studies. Our investigation also presents previously unreported differences in muscle anatomy between frogs specialising in different locomotor modes, including several of the smallest frog hindlimb muscles, which are extremely difficult to extract and measure using traditional approaches. Furthermore, we find evidence of many-to-one and one-to-many mapping of form to function across the phylogeny. Additionally, we perform the first quantitative analysis of how the degree of muscle separation can differ between frogs. We find evidence that phylogenetic history is the key contributing factor to muscle separation in the pelvis and thigh, while the separation of shank muscles is influenced more strongly by locomotor mode. Finally, our anatomical 3D reconstructions are published alongside this manuscript to contribute towards future research and serve as educational materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Leavey
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College-Camden Campus, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, London, UK
| | - Christopher T Richards
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College-Camden Campus, Comparative Biomedical Sciences, London, UK
| | - Laura B Porro
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
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2
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Dickinson E, Hartstone-Rose A. Behavioral correlates of fascicular organization: The confluence of muscle architectural anatomy and function. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023. [PMID: 36880440 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2023] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Abstract
Muscle is a complex tissue that has been studied on numerous hierarchical levels: from gross descriptions of muscle organization to cellular analyses of fiber profiles. In the middle of this space between organismal and cellular biology lies muscle architecture, the level at which functional correlations between a muscle's internal fiber organization and contractile abilities are explored. In this review, we summarize this relationship, detail recent advances in our understanding of this form-function paradigm, and highlight the role played by The Anatomical Record in advancing our understanding of functional morphology within muscle over the past two decades. In so doing, we honor the legacy of Editor-in-Chief Kurt Albertine, whose stewardship of the journal from 2006 through 2020 oversaw the flourishing of myological research, including numerous special issues dedicated to exploring the behavioral correlates of myology across diverse taxa. This legacy has seen the The Anatomical Record establish itself as a preeminent source of myological research, and a true leader within the field of comparative anatomy and functional morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Dickinson
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, USA
| | - Adam Hartstone-Rose
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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3
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Waśniewska-Włodarczyk A, Paulsen F, Olewnik Ł, Polguj M. Morphological variability of the plantaris tendon in the human fetus. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16871. [PMID: 34413401 PMCID: PMC8376867 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-96391-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Muscular anatomy often differs between species and individuals. In particular, the plantaris muscle (PM) demonstrates great morphological variability in its course and its proximal and distal attachments. The aim of this study was to investigate the morphological variation of the PM tendon in human fetuses. Forty-six spontaneously aborted human fetuses (23 male, 23 female) aged 18-38 weeks of gestation were studied. Morphology of the attachment of the PM was assessed in both lower extremities (n = 92). The PM was present in 72 lower limbs (78.26%) and absent in 20 (21.74%). Eight types of PM distal attachment were identified. We propose an eight-fold classification of PM insertion in fetuses. Leg length, length of tendon, extension point (ExP) from the calcaneus, and ExP thickness differed significantly among types of PM insertion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Waśniewska-Włodarczyk
- Department of Normal and Clinical Anatomy, Chair of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland.
| | - Friedrich Paulsen
- Institute of Functional and Clinical Anatomy, Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
- Department of Topographic Anatomy and Operative Surgery, Sechenov University, Moscow, Russia
| | - Łukasz Olewnik
- Department of Anatomical Dissection and Donation, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
| | - Michał Polguj
- Department of Normal and Clinical Anatomy, Chair of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
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Fannin LD, Plavcan JM, Daegling DJ, McGraw WS. Oral processing, sexual selection, and size variation in the circumorbital region of Colobus and Piliocolobus. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 175:559-576. [PMID: 33811653 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The function of the browridge in primates is a subject of enduring debate. Early studies argued for a role in resisting masticatory stresses, but recent studies have suggested sexual signaling as a biological role. We tested associations between circumorbital form, diet, oral processing, and social behavior in two species of colobus monkey-the king colobus (Colobus polykomos) and western red or bay colobus (Piliocolobus badius). MATERIALS AND METHODS We quantified circumorbital size and dimorphism in a sample of 98 crania. Controlling for age and facial size, we tested whether variation in circumorbital morphology can be explained by variation in diet, oral processing behavior, masticatory muscle size, and mating system. To contextualize our results, we included a broader sample of facial dimorphism for 67 anthropoid species. RESULTS Greater circumorbital thickness is unrelated to the stresses of food processing. King colobus engages in longer bouts of anterior tooth use, chews more per ingestive event, and processes a tougher diet, yet circumorbital thickness of C. polykomos is reduced compared to P. badius. Differences in circumorbital development do not vary with wear or facial size. Greater sexual dimorphism is present in P. badius; comparisons across anthropoids indicated patterns of circumorbital dimorphism were decoupled from overall size dimorphism. CONCLUSIONS The expanded circumorbits of male red colobus monkeys evolved in response to intense male-male competition. This hypothesis is consistent with the pattern across anthropoid primates and highlights the underappreciated role of sexual selection in shaping the primate face.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke D Fannin
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA.,Graduate Program in Ecology, Evolution, Environment, and Society, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - J Michael Plavcan
- Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
| | - David J Daegling
- Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - W Scott McGraw
- Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
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5
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Dickson BV, Clack JA, Smithson TR, Pierce SE. Functional adaptive landscapes predict terrestrial capacity at the origin of limbs. Nature 2020; 589:242-245. [PMID: 33239789 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2974-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The acquisition of terrestrial, limb-based locomotion during tetrapod evolution has remained a subject of debate for more than a century1,2. Our current understanding of the locomotor transition from water to land is largely based on a few exemplar fossils such as Tiktaalik3, Acanthostega4, Ichthyostega5 and Pederpes6. However, isolated bony elements may reveal hidden functional diversity, providing a more comprehensive evolutionary perspective7. Here we analyse 40 three-dimensionally preserved humeri from extinct tetrapodomorphs that span the fin-to-limb transition and use functionally informed ecological adaptive landscapes8-10 to reconstruct the evolution of terrestrial locomotion. We show that evolutionary changes in the shape of the humerus are driven by ecology and phylogeny and are associated with functional trade-offs related to locomotor performance. Two divergent adaptive landscapes are recovered for aquatic fishes and terrestrial crown tetrapods, each of which is defined by a different combination of functional specializations. Humeri of stem tetrapods share a unique suite of functional adaptations, but do not conform to their own predicted adaptive peak. Instead, humeri of stem tetrapods fall at the base of the crown tetrapod landscape, indicating that the capacity for terrestrial locomotion occurred with the origin of limbs. Our results suggest that stem tetrapods may have used transitional gaits5,11 during the initial stages of land exploration, stabilized by the opposing selective pressures of their amphibious habits. Effective limb-based locomotion did not arise until loss of the ancestral 'L-shaped' humerus in the crown group, setting the stage for the diversification of terrestrial tetrapods and the establishment of modern ecological niches12,13.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blake V Dickson
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Jennifer A Clack
- University Museum of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Stephanie E Pierce
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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6
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Cost IN, Middleton KM, Sellers KC, Echols MS, Witmer LM, Davis JL, Holliday CM. Palatal Biomechanics and Its Significance for Cranial Kinesis in Tyrannosaurus rex. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2019; 303:999-1017. [PMID: 31260190 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The extinct nonavian dinosaur Tyrannosaurus rex, considered one of the hardest biting animals ever, is often hypothesized to have exhibited cranial kinesis, or, mobility of cranial joints relative to the braincase. Cranial kinesis in T. rex is a biomechanical paradox in that forcefully biting tetrapods usually possess rigid skulls instead of skulls with movable joints. We tested the biomechanical performance of a tyrannosaur skull using a series of static positions mimicking possible excursions of the palate to evaluate Postural Kinetic Competency in Tyrannosaurus. A functional extant phylogenetic bracket was employed using taxa, which exhibit measurable palatal excursions: Psittacus erithacus (fore-aft movement) and Gekko gecko (mediolateral movement). Static finite element models of Psittacus, Gekko, and Tyrannosaurus were constructed and tested with different palatal postures using anatomically informed material properties, loaded with muscle forces derived from dissection, phylogenetic bracketing, and a sensitivity analysis of muscle architecture and tested in orthal biting simulations using element strain as a proxy for model performance. Extant species models showed lower strains in naturally occurring postures compared to alternatives. We found that fore-aft and neutral models of Tyrannosaurus experienced lower overall strains than mediolaterally shifted models. Protractor muscles dampened palatal strains, while occipital constraints increased strains about palatocranial joints compared to jaw joint constraints. These loading behaviors suggest that even small excursions can strain elements beyond structural failure. Thus, these postural tests of kinesis, along with the robusticity of other cranial features, suggest that the skull of Tyrannosaurus was functionally akinetic. Anat Rec, 303:999-1017, 2020. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian N Cost
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Kevin M Middleton
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | - Kaleb C Sellers
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
| | | | - Lawrence M Witmer
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
| | - Julian L Davis
- Department of Engineering, University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, Indiana
| | - Casey M Holliday
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri
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Ercoli MD, Álvarez A, Candela AM. Sciuromorphy outside rodents reveals an ecomorphological convergence between squirrels and extinct South American ungulates. Commun Biol 2019; 2:202. [PMID: 31231692 PMCID: PMC6546766 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-019-0423-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/15/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Notoungulates were a diverse group of South American ungulates that included the rodent-like typotherians. However, they are typically compared with other ungulates and interpreted as grazers. Here we present the first detailed reconstruction of the masticatory muscles of the pachyrukhine typotherians Paedotherium and Tremacyllus. An outstanding feature is the presence of a true sciuromorph condition, defined by an anterior portion of the deep masseter muscle originating from a wide zygomatic plate that reaches the rostrum, a trait traceable since the Oligocene pachyrukhines. Consequently, pachyrukhines are the first case of sciuromorph non-rodent mammals. This morphology would have allowed them to explore ecological niches unavailable for the exclusively hystricomorph coexisting rodents. This innovative acquisition seems to be synchronous in Pachyrukhinae and sciuromorph rodents and related to hard-food consumption. We postulate the expansion of nut and cone trees during the major environmental changes at Eocene-Oligocene transition as a potential trigger for this convergence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos D. Ercoli
- Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA), Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, CONICET, IdGyM, Av. Bolivia 1661, 4600 San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy Argentina
| | - Alicia Álvarez
- Instituto de Ecorregiones Andinas (INECOA), Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, CONICET, IdGyM, Av. Bolivia 1661, 4600 San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy Argentina
| | - Adriana M. Candela
- División de Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, FCNyM, UNLP, CONICET, Paseo del Bosque s/n, 1900 La Plata, Buenos Aires Argentina
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8
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Jannel A, Nair JP, Panagiotopoulou O, Romilio A, Salisbury SW. “Keep your feet on the ground”: Simulated range of motion and hind foot posture of the Middle Jurassic sauropod
Rhoetosaurus brownei
and its implications for sauropod biology. J Morphol 2019; 280:849-878. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2018] [Revised: 03/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andréas Jannel
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Jay P. Nair
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Olga Panagiotopoulou
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental BiologyMonash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University Clayton Victoria Australia
| | - Anthony Romilio
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
| | - Steven W. Salisbury
- School of Biological SciencesThe University of Queensland Brisbane Queensland Australia
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9
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Marchi D, Hartstone-Rose A. Functional Morphology and Behavioral Correlates to Postcranial Musculature. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 301:419-423. [PMID: 29418117 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
In this the second issue of a two-volume set of the Anatomical Record on the relationship between muscle functional morphology and behavior, the focus is on the postcranial musculature. Traditionally, when talking of the postcranium we think of the skeletal parts that primarily provide the lever system necessary for body movements. However, without the force produced by muscle, the postcranial skeleton could not perform these or most other tasks. In this special issue, our colleagues present ten papers that focus on postcranial muscle morphology and function from different perspectives. They include papers on forelimb and hindlimb muscle functional morphology of vertebrates, including lizards, bats, primates, a carnivoran and a rodent, and involved in different substrate use (arboreal, terrestrial, and flying) and locomotion behavior (quadrupedal, leaper, and suspensory) along with a historical overview to help bookend the contextualization of the issues. The picture that these papers provide is one of great liveliness in the field of muscle functional morphology where both young students and affirmed professors continue to contribute with both traditional approaches and new techniques to further our knowledge of muscle morphology and its relationship with animal behavior. Anat Rec, 301:419-423, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damiano Marchi
- Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Via Derna 1, Pisa 50126, Italy.,Evolutionary Studies Institute and Centre for Excellence in PalaeoSciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Wits 2050, South Africa
| | - Adam Hartstone-Rose
- College of Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina
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10
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Rose KD, Dunn RH, Kumar K, Perry JMG, Prufrock KA, Rana RS, Smith T. New fossils from Tadkeshwar Mine (Gujarat, India) increase primate diversity from the early Eocene Cambay Shale. J Hum Evol 2018; 122:93-107. [PMID: 29886006 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.05.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Revised: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Several new fossil specimens from the Cambay Shale Formation at Tadkeshwar Lignite Mine in Gujarat document the presence of two previously unknown early Eocene primate species from India. A new species of Asiadapis is named based on a jaw fragment preserving premolars similar in morphology to those of A. cambayensis but substantially larger. Also described is an exceptionally preserved edentulous dentary (designated cf. Asiadapis, unnamed sp. nov.) that is slightly larger and much more robust than previously known Cambay Shale primates. Its anatomy most closely resembles that of Eocene adapoids, and the dental formula is the same as in A. cambayensis. A femur and calcaneus are tentatively allocated to the same taxon. Although the dentition is unknown, exquisite preservation of the dentary of cf. Asiadapis sp. nov. enables an assessment of masticatory musculature, function, and gape adaptations, as well as comparison with an equally well-preserved dentary of the asiadapid Marcgodinotius indicus, also from Tadkeshwar. The new M. indicus specimen shows significant gape adaptations but was probably capable of only weak bite force, whereas cf. Asiadapis sp. nov. probably used relatively smaller gapes but could generate relatively greater bite forces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth D Rose
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
| | - Rachel H Dunn
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, Des Moines, IA 50312, USA
| | - Kishor Kumar
- Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun 248001, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Jonathan M G Perry
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Kristen A Prufrock
- Center for Functional Anatomy and Evolution, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Rajendra S Rana
- Department of Geology, H.N.B. Garhwal University, Srinagar 246175, Uttarakhand, India
| | - Thierry Smith
- Directorate Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, B-1000, Brussels, Belgium
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