1
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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; 245:751-774. [PMID: 39119773 PMCID: PMC11470798 DOI: 10.1111/joa.14122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [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 BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
- Structure and Motion LaboratoryRoyal Veterinary College—Camden Campus, Comparative Biomedical SciencesLondonUK
| | - Christopher T. Richards
- Structure and Motion LaboratoryRoyal Veterinary College—Camden Campus, Comparative Biomedical SciencesLondonUK
| | - Laura B. Porro
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Cell and Developmental BiologyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
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2
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Harrison SL, Sutton GP, Herrel A, Deeming DC. Estimated and in vivo measurements of bite force demonstrate exceptionally large bite forces in parrots (Psittaciformes). J Anat 2024. [PMID: 39315554 DOI: 10.1111/joa.14144] [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: 07/18/2024] [Revised: 09/10/2024] [Accepted: 09/11/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Jaw morphology and function determine the range of dietary items that an organism can consume. Bite force is a function of the force exerted by the jaw musculature and applied via the skeleton. Bite force has been studied in a wide range of taxa using various methods, including direct measurement, or calculation from skulls or jaw musculature. Data for parrots (Psittaciformes), considered to have strong bites, are rare. This study calculated bite force for a range of parrot species of differing sizes using a novel method that relied on forces calculated using the area of jaw muscles measured in situ and their masses. The values for bite force were also recorded in vivo using force transducers, allowing for a validation of the dissection-based models. The analysis investigated allometric relationships between measures of body size and calculated bite force. Additionally, the study examined whether a measure of a muscle scar could be a useful proxy to estimate bite force in parrots. Bite force was positively allometric relative to body and skull mass, with macaws having the strongest bite recorded to date for a bird. Calculated values for bite force were not statistically different from measured values. Muscle scars from the adductor muscle attachment on the mandible can be used to accurately predict bite force in parrots. These results have implications for how parrots process hard food items and how bite forces are estimated in other taxa using morphological characteristics of the jaw musculature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon L Harrison
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Lincoln, UK
| | - Gregory P Sutton
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Lincoln, UK
| | - Anthony Herrel
- Département Adaptations du Vivant, Bâtiment d'Anatomie Comparée, UMR 7179 C.N.R.S/M.N.H.N., Paris, France
- Department of Biology, Evolutionary Morphology of Vertebrates, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - D Charles Deeming
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Lincoln, UK
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3
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Dickinson E, Manzo M, Davis CE, Kolli S, Schwenk A, Carter A, Liu C, Vasipalli N, Ratkiewicz A, Deutsch AR, Granatosky MC, Hartstone-Rose A. Ecological correlates of three-dimensional muscle architecture within the dietarily diverse Strepsirrhini. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024; 307:1975-1994. [PMID: 38063131 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
Analysis of muscle architecture, traditionally conducted via gross dissection, has been used to evaluate adaptive relationships between anatomical form and behavioral function. However, gross dissection cannot preserve three-dimensional relationships between myological structures for analysis. To analyze such data, we employ diffusible, iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (DiceCT) to explore the relationships between feeding ecology and masticatory muscle microanatomy in eight dietarily diverse strepsirrhines: allowing, for the first time, preservation of three-dimensional fascicle orientation and tortuosity across a functional comparative sample. We find that fascicle properties derived from these digital analyses generally agree with those measured from gross-dissected conspecifics. Physiological cross-sectional area was greatest in species with mechanically challenging diets. Frugivorous taxa and the wood-gouging species all exhibit long jaw adductor fascicles, while more folivorous species show the shortest relative jaw adductor fascicle lengths. Fascicle orientation in the parasagittal plane also seems to have a clear dietary association: most folivorous taxa have masseter and temporalis muscle vectors that intersect acutely while these vectors intersect obliquely in more frugivorous species. Finally, we observed notably greater magnitudes of fascicle tortuosity, as well as greater interspecific variation in tortuosity, within the jaw adductor musculature than in the jaw abductors. While the use of a single specimen per species precludes analysis of intraspecific variation, our data highlight the diversity of microanatomical variation that exists within the strepsirrhine feeding system and suggest that muscle architectural configurations are evolutionarily labile in response to dietary ecology-an observation to be explored across larger samples in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Dickinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, New York, USA
| | - Madison Manzo
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Cassidy E Davis
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Shruti Kolli
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, USA
| | - Alysa Schwenk
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
- College of Public Health, Thomacharles Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ashley Carter
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Cindy Liu
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Nimi Vasipalli
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Aleksandra Ratkiewicz
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, New York, USA
| | - Ashley R Deutsch
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael C Granatosky
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, New York, USA
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, New York, USA
| | - Adam Hartstone-Rose
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
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4
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Lagorio AD, McGechie FR, Fields MG, Fortner J, Mackereth E, Perez C, Wilken AT, Leal M, Ward CV, Middleton KM, Holliday CM. Computational Approaches and Observer Variation in the 3D Musculoskeletal Modeling of the Heads of Anolis. Integr Org Biol 2024; 6:obae009. [PMID: 38699511 PMCID: PMC11065355 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obae009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/05/2024] Open
Abstract
High-resolution imaging, 3D modeling, and quantitative analyses are equipping evolutionary biologists with new approaches to understanding the variation and evolution of the musculoskeletal system. However, challenges with interpreting DiceCT data and higher order use of modeled muscles have not yet been fully explored, and the error in and accuracy of some digital methods remain unclear. West Indian Anolis lizards are a model clade for exploring patterns in functional adaptation, ecomorphology, and sexual size dimorphism in vertebrates. These lizards possess numerous jaw muscles with potentially different anatomies that sculpt the adductor chamber of the skull. Here we test approaches to quantifying the musculoskeletal shape of the heads of two species of Anolis: A. pulchellus and A. sagrei. We employ comparative approaches such as DiceCT segmentation of jaw muscles, 3D surface attachment mapping, and 3D landmarking with the aim of exploring muscle volumes, 3D muscle fiber architecture, and sexual dimorphism of the skull. We then compare sources of measurement error in these 3D analyses while also presenting new 3D musculoskeletal data from the Anolis feeding apparatus. These findings demonstrate the accessibility and repeatability of these emerging techniques as well as provide details regarding the musculoskeletal anatomy of the heads of A. pulchellus and A. sagrei which show potential for further research of comparative biomechanics and evolution in the clade.
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Affiliation(s)
- A D Lagorio
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - F R McGechie
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
| | - M G Fields
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - J Fortner
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - E Mackereth
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - C Perez
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - A T Wilken
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - M Leal
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - C V Ward
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
| | - K M Middleton
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - C M Holliday
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65212, USA
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5
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Dos Santos DM, de Carvalho JC, de Oliveira CEM, de Andrade MB, Santucci RM. Cranial and postcranial anatomy of a juvenile baurusuchid (Notosuchia, Crocodylomorpha) and the taxonomical implications of ontogeny. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024. [PMID: 38429867 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25419] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Baurusuchidae comprises a clade of top-tier terrestrial predators and are among the most abundant crocodyliforms found in the Adamantina Formation, Bauru Basin, Brazil (Campanian-Maastrichtian). Here, we provide a detailed description of the cranial and postcranial osteology and myology of the most complete juvenile baurusuchid found to date. Although the preservation of juvenile individuals is somewhat rare, previously reported occurrences of baurusuchid egg clutches, a yearling individual, and larger, but skeletally immature specimens, comprise a unique opportunity to track anatomical changes throughout their ontogenetic series. Its cranial anatomy was resolved with the aid of a three-dimensional model generated by the acquisition of computed tomography data, and its inferred adductor mandibular musculature was compared to that of mature specimens in order to assess possible ontogenetic shifts. A subsequent phylogenetic analysis included the scoring of Gondwanasuchus scabrosus, the smallest baurusuchid species known to date, to evaluate its phylogenetic relations relative to a known juvenile. We find considerable differences between juveniles and adults concerning skull ornamentation and muscle development, which might indicate ontogenetic niche partitioning, and also anatomical and phylogenetic evidence that G. scabrosus corresponds to a young semaphoront lacking mature cranial features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Martins Dos Santos
- Zoology Graduate Program, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil
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6
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Arbour JH. GoodFibes: An R Package for The Detection of Muscle Fibers from diceCT Scans. Integr Org Biol 2023; 5:obad030. [PMID: 37644979 PMCID: PMC10461528 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obad030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Contrast enhanced computed-tomography imaging like diffusible iodine-based contrast-enhanced computed tomography (diceCT) can provide detailed information on muscle architecture important to comparative analyses of functional morphology, using non-destructive approaches. However, manual segmentation of muscle fascicles/fibers is time-consuming, and automated approaches are at times inaccessible and unaffordable. Here, we introduce GoodFibes, an R package for reconstructing muscle architecture in 3D from diceCT image stacks. GoodFibes uses textural analysis of image grayscale values to track straight or curved fiber paths through a muscle image stack. Accessory functions provide quality checking, fiber merging, and 3D visualization and export capabilities. We demonstrate the utility and effectiveness of GoodFibes using two datasets, from an ant and bat diceCT scans. In both cases, GoodFibes provides reliable measurements of mean fiber length compared to traditional approaches, and is as effective as currently available software packages. This open-source, free to use software package will help to improve access to tools in the analysis of muscle fiber anatomy using diceCT scans. The flexible and transparent R-language environment allows other users to build on the functions described here and permits direct statistical analysis of the resulting fiber metrics. We hope that this will increase the number of comparative and evolutionary studies incorporating these rich and functionally important datasets.
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Affiliation(s)
- J H Arbour
- Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, 37132, TN, USA
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7
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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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8
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Holliday CM, Schachner ER. Dispatches from the age of crocodiles: New discoveries from ancient lineages. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2022; 305:2343-2352. [PMID: 35912969 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Crocodilians inspire researchers and the public alike with their explosive hunting methodologies, distinct craniofacial and dental morphology, and resplendent fossil record. This special issue highlights recent advances in the biology and paleontology of this fascinating lineage of vertebrates. The authors in this volume bring crocodylians and their extinct ancestors to life using a variety of approaches including fieldwork, imaging, 3D modeling, developmental biology, physiological monitoring, dissection, and a host of other comparative methods. Our journey begins with early crocodylomorphs from the Triassic, carries us through the radiation of crocodyliforms during the rest of the Mesozoic Era, and finally celebrates the diversification development and biology of extant crocodylians. Crocodyliform science has grown appreciably the past few decades. New fossil species and genetic evidence continue to keep phylogenies and our understanding of relationships wavering in key places of the tree such as the relationships of the extinct marine thalattosuchians as well as still living species like gharials. The application of imaging approaches and 3D modeling to both preserved tissues as well as living specimens is now revealing patterns in brain and lung evolution and function, growth strategies, and feeding and locomotor behaviors across the lineage. Comparative anatomical studies are offering new data on genitals, cephalic venous drainage and thoracoabdominal pressures. The new discoveries found here only reveal there is far more work to be done to understand the biology and behavior responsible for the great radiation extinct suchians and their crocodylian descendants experienced during their conquest of Mesozoic and Tertiary ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey M Holliday
- Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA
| | - Emma R Schachner
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
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Herbst EC, Meade LE, Lautenschlager S, Fioritti N, Scheyer TM. A toolbox for the retrodeformation and muscle reconstruction of fossil specimens in Blender. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022. [PMID: 36039284 DOI: 10.5061/dryad.qjq2bvqk2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Accurate muscle reconstructions can offer new information on the anatomy of fossil organisms and are also important for biomechanical analysis (multibody dynamics and finite-element analysis (FEA)). For the sake of simplicity, muscles are often modelled as point-to-point strands or frustra (cut-off cones) in biomechanical models. However, there are cases in which it is useful to model the muscle morphology in three dimensions, to better examine the effects of muscle shape and size. This is especially important for fossil analyses, where muscle force is estimated from the reconstructed muscle morphology (rather than based on data collected in vivo). The two main aims of this paper are as follows. First, we created a new interactive tool in the free open access software Blender to enable interactive three-dimensional modelling of muscles. This approach can be applied to both palaeontological and human biomechanics research to generate muscle force magnitudes and lines of action for FEA. Second, we provide a guide on how to use existing Blender tools to reconstruct distorted or incomplete specimens. This guide is aimed at palaeontologists but can also be used by anatomists working with damaged specimens or to test functional implication of hypothetical morphologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva C Herbst
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Luke E Meade
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Stephan Lautenschlager
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Niccolo Fioritti
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Torsten M Scheyer
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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10
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Herbst EC, Meade LE, Lautenschlager S, Fioritti N, Scheyer TM. A toolbox for the retrodeformation and muscle reconstruction of fossil specimens in Blender. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022. [PMID: 36039284 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6145965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Accurate muscle reconstructions can offer new information on the anatomy of fossil organisms and are also important for biomechanical analysis (multibody dynamics and finite-element analysis (FEA)). For the sake of simplicity, muscles are often modelled as point-to-point strands or frustra (cut-off cones) in biomechanical models. However, there are cases in which it is useful to model the muscle morphology in three dimensions, to better examine the effects of muscle shape and size. This is especially important for fossil analyses, where muscle force is estimated from the reconstructed muscle morphology (rather than based on data collected in vivo). The two main aims of this paper are as follows. First, we created a new interactive tool in the free open access software Blender to enable interactive three-dimensional modelling of muscles. This approach can be applied to both palaeontological and human biomechanics research to generate muscle force magnitudes and lines of action for FEA. Second, we provide a guide on how to use existing Blender tools to reconstruct distorted or incomplete specimens. This guide is aimed at palaeontologists but can also be used by anatomists working with damaged specimens or to test functional implication of hypothetical morphologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva C Herbst
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Luke E Meade
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Stephan Lautenschlager
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Niccolo Fioritti
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Torsten M Scheyer
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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11
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Herbst EC, Meade LE, Lautenschlager S, Fioritti N, Scheyer TM. A toolbox for the retrodeformation and muscle reconstruction of fossil specimens in Blender. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220519. [PMID: 36039284 PMCID: PMC9399692 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Accurate muscle reconstructions can offer new information on the anatomy of fossil organisms and are also important for biomechanical analysis (multibody dynamics and finite-element analysis (FEA)). For the sake of simplicity, muscles are often modelled as point-to-point strands or frustra (cut-off cones) in biomechanical models. However, there are cases in which it is useful to model the muscle morphology in three dimensions, to better examine the effects of muscle shape and size. This is especially important for fossil analyses, where muscle force is estimated from the reconstructed muscle morphology (rather than based on data collected in vivo). The two main aims of this paper are as follows. First, we created a new interactive tool in the free open access software Blender to enable interactive three-dimensional modelling of muscles. This approach can be applied to both palaeontological and human biomechanics research to generate muscle force magnitudes and lines of action for FEA. Second, we provide a guide on how to use existing Blender tools to reconstruct distorted or incomplete specimens. This guide is aimed at palaeontologists but can also be used by anatomists working with damaged specimens or to test functional implication of hypothetical morphologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva C. Herbst
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Luke E. Meade
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Stephan Lautenschlager
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Niccolo Fioritti
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
| | - Torsten M. Scheyer
- Palaeontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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12
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Laitman JT, Smith HF. Teeth to the right of me, teeth to the left of me, teeth in front of me -hello to the world of crocodiles and their many relatives in a new special issue of The Anatomical Record. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2022; 305:2337-2342. [PMID: 35906076 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey T Laitman
- The Anatomical Record, Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York, USA
| | - Heather F Smith
- The Anatomical Record, Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology, Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York, USA
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