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Morris ZS, Colbert MW, Rowe TB. Variation and Variability in Skeletal Ossification of the Gray Short-tailed Opossum, Monodelphis domestica. Integr Org Biol 2024; 6:obae024. [PMID: 39114377 PMCID: PMC11305135 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obae024] [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: 12/29/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
By reconstructing and comparing the sequence of ontogenetic (embryonic development and post-natal growth) events across species, developmental biologists have gained unique insights into the key processes underlying the evolution of modern lineages and their extinct relatives. However, despite the importance of intraspecific variation to evolutionary transformation and lineage divergence, variation in the sequence of developmental events is seldom acknowledged. Thus, how much variation or variability should be expected during ontogeny remains poorly understood and it is an open question to what extent it impacts interspecific comparisons of developmental patterns. To address this crucial question, we studied the skeletal development of the important biomedical and developmental model organism, Monodelphis domestica. We investigated cranial, forelimb, and hindlimb elements using ontogenetic sequence analysis (OSA) to quantify and assess the full range of variation and variability in the sequence of ossification. Our study documented that previously unrecognized variation exists during M. domestica ontogeny-with over 5000 sequences for the full 92 event analysis. Further, OSA revealed unexpectedly high variability (i.e., the propensity to express variation) in the sequence of ossification for the skull and across the entire skeleton. Reconstructed modal sequences were generally in agreement with previously recognized patterns, including earlier ossification of the facial skeleton and a slight offset between forelimb and hindlimb development. However, the full range of variation shows that the majority of specimens in our analysis followed developmental trajectories distinct from those recovered by prior studies. This level of variation is quite remarkable and demonstrates the importance of assessing intraspecific ontogenetic variation. By quantifying sequence polymorphism and studying how developmental variation and variability differ among species, we can clarify more precisely how developmental patterns differ among species and gain insights into how ontogeny itself evolves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z S Morris
- Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
| | - M W Colbert
- Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- University of Texas High‐Resolution X‐Ray CT Facility, The University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - T B Rowe
- Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- University of Texas High‐Resolution X‐Ray CT Facility, The University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
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2
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Regionalization, constraints, and the ancestral ossification patterns in the vertebral column of amniotes. Sci Rep 2022; 12:22257. [PMID: 36564413 PMCID: PMC9789111 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24983-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of the vertebral column has been studied extensively in modern amniotes, yet many aspects of its evolutionary history remain enigmatic. Here we expand the existing data on four major vertebral developmental patterns in amniotes based on exceptionally well-preserved specimens of the early Permian mesosaurid reptile Mesosaurus tenuidens: (i) centrum ossification, (ii) neural arch ossification, (iii) neural arch fusion, and (iv) neurocentral fusion. We retrace the evolutionary history of each pattern and reconstruct the ancestral condition in amniotes. Despite 300 million years of evolutionary history, vertebral development patterns show a surprisingly stability in amniotes since their common ancestor. We propose that this stability may be linked to conservatism in the constraints posed by underlying developmental processes across amniotes. We also point out that birds, mammals, and squamates each show specific trends deviating from the ancestral condition in amniotes, and that they remain rather unchanged within these lineages. The stability of their unique patterns demonstrates a certain homogeneity of vertebral developmental constraints within these lineages, which we suggest might be linked to their specific modes of regionalization. Our research provides a framework for the evolution of axial development in amniotes and a foundation for future studies.
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Cordero GA, Werneburg I. Domestication and the comparative embryology of birds. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART B, MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2022; 338:447-459. [PMID: 35604321 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Studies of domesticated animals have greatly contributed to our understanding of avian embryology. Foundational questions in developmental biology were motivated by Aristotle's observations of chicken embryos. By the 19th century, the chicken embryo was at the center stage of developmental biology, but how closely does this model species mirror the ample taxonomic diversity that characterizes the avian tree of life? Here, we provide a brief overview of the taxonomic breadth of comparative embryological studies in birds. We particularly focused on staging tables and papers that attempted to document the timing of developmental transformations. We show that most of the current knowledge of avian embryology is based on Galliformes (chicken and quail) and Anseriformes (duck and goose). Nonetheless, data are available for some ecologically diverse avian subclades, including Struthioniformes (e.g., ostrich, emu) and Sphenisciformes (penguins). Thus far, there has only been a handful of descriptive embryological studies in the most speciose subclade of Aves, that is, the songbirds (Passeriniformes). Furthermore, we found that temporal variances for developmental events are generally uniform across a consensus chronological sequence for birds. Based on the available data, developmental trajectories for chicken and other model species appear to be highly similar. We discuss future avenues of research in comparative avian embryology in light of the currently available wealth of data on domesticated species and beyond.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerardo A Cordero
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP), Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Animal Biology, Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ingmar Werneburg
- Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP), Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Griffin CT, Botelho JF, Hanson M, Fabbri M, Smith-Paredes D, Carney RM, Norell MA, Egawa S, Gatesy SM, Rowe TB, Elsey RM, Nesbitt SJ, Bhullar BAS. The developing bird pelvis passes through ancestral dinosaurian conditions. Nature 2022; 608:346-352. [PMID: 35896745 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04982-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Living birds (Aves) have bodies substantially modified from the ancestral reptilian condition. The avian pelvis in particular experienced major changes during the transition from early archosaurs to living birds1,2. This stepwise transformation is well documented by an excellent fossil record2-4; however, the ontogenetic alterations that underly it are less well understood. We used embryological imaging techniques to examine the morphogenesis of avian pelvic tissues in three dimensions, allowing direct comparison with the fossil record. Many ancestral dinosaurian features2 (for example, a forward-facing pubis, short ilium and pubic 'boot') are transiently present in the early morphogenesis of birds and arrive at their typical 'avian' form after transitioning through a prenatal developmental sequence that mirrors the phylogenetic sequence of character acquisition. We demonstrate quantitatively that avian pelvic ontogeny parallels the non-avian dinosaur-to-bird transition and provide evidence for phenotypic covariance within the pelvis that is conserved across Archosauria. The presence of ancestral states in avian embryos may stem from this conserved covariant relationship. In sum, our data provide evidence that the avian pelvis, whose early development has been little studied5-7, evolved through terminal addition-a mechanism8-10 whereby new apomorphic states are added to the end of a developmental sequence, resulting in expression8,11 of ancestral character states earlier in that sequence. The phenotypic integration we detected suggests a previously unrecognized mechanism for terminal addition and hints that retention of ancestral states in development is common during evolutionary transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T Griffin
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Department of Geosciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - João F Botelho
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Departamento Biología Celular y Molecular, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Michael Hanson
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Matteo Fabbri
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Nagaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Daniel Smith-Paredes
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Ryan M Carney
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA
| | - Mark A Norell
- Division of Vertebrate Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Shiro Egawa
- RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Kobe, Japan
| | - Stephen M Gatesy
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Timothy B Rowe
- Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Ruth M Elsey
- Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Grand Chenier, LA, USA
| | | | - Bhart-Anjan S Bhullar
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
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Prondvai E, Kocsis AT, Abourachid A, Adriaens D, Godefroit P, Hu DY, Butler RJ. Radial porosity profiles: a new bone histological method for comparative developmental analysis of diametric limb bone growth. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211893. [PMID: 35582660 PMCID: PMC9091851 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
In fossil tetrapods, limb bone histology is considered the most reliable tool not only for inferring skeletal maturity-a crucial assessment in palaeobiological and evolutionary studies-but also for evaluating the growth dynamics within the ontogenetic window represented by the primary bone cortex. Due to its complex relationship with bone growth and functional maturation, primary cortical vascularity is an indispensable osteohistological character for reconstructing growth dynamics, especially in the context of various developmental strategies along the precocial-altricial spectrum. Using this concept as our working hypothesis, we developed a new quantitative osteohistological parameter, radial porosity profile (RPP), that captures relative cortical porosity changes in limb bones as trajectories. We built a proof-of-concept RPP dataset on extant birds, then added fossil paravian dinosaurs and performed a set of trajectory-grouping analyses to identify potential RPP categories and evaluate them in the context of our ontogeny-developmental strategy working hypothesis. We found that RPPs, indeed, reflect important developmental features within and across elements, specimens and taxa, supporting their analytical power. Our RPPs also revealed unexpected potential osteohistological correlates of growth and functional development of limb bones. The diverse potential applications of RPPs open up new research directions in the evolution of locomotor ontogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edina Prondvai
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
- MTA-MTM-ELTE Research Group for Paleontology, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Adam T. Kocsis
- Department of Palaeobiology, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Anick Abourachid
- Département Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179 Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle – CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Dominique Adriaens
- Department of Biology, Evolutionary Morphology of Vertebrates, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Pascal Godefroit
- Directorate Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Dong-Yu Hu
- Key Laboratory for Evolution of Past Life in Northeast Asia, Ministry of Land and Resources, Paleontological Institute of Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
- Paleontological Museum of Liaoning, Shenyang, People's Republic of China
| | - Richard J. Butler
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK
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Skawiński T, Kuziak P, Kloskowski J, Borczyk B. Phylogenetic Diversity of Ossification Patterns in the Avian Vertebral Column: A Review and New Data from the Domestic Pigeon and Two Species of Grebes. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:180. [PMID: 35205047 PMCID: PMC8869719 DOI: 10.3390/biology11020180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Despite many decades of studies, our knowledge of skeletal development in birds is limited in many aspects. One of them is the development of the vertebral column. For many years it was widely believed that the column ossifies anteroposteriorly. However, later studies indicated that such a pattern is not universal in birds and in many groups the ossification starts in the thoracic rather than cervical region. Recent analyses suggest that two loci, located in the cervical and thoracic vertebrae, were ancestrally present in birds. However, the data on skeletal development are very scarce in the Neoaves, a clade that includes approximately 95% of extant species. We review the available information about the vertebral column development in birds and describe the ossification pattern in three neoavians, the domestic pigeon (Columba livia domestica), the great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus) and the red-necked grebe (Podiceps grisegena). In P. cristatus, the vertebral column starts ossifying in the thoracic region. The second locus is present in the cervical vertebrae. In the pigeon, the cervical vertebrae ossify before the thoracics, but both the thoracic and cervical loci are present. Our ancestral state reconstructions confirm that both these loci were ancestrally present in birds, but the thoracic locus was later lost in psittacopasserans and at least some galloanserans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Skawiński
- Department of Palaeozoology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Vertebrates, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland; (P.K.); (B.B.)
| | - Piotr Kuziak
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Vertebrates, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland; (P.K.); (B.B.)
| | - Janusz Kloskowski
- Department of Zoology, Institute of Zoology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 71C, 60-625 Poznań, Poland;
| | - Bartosz Borczyk
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of Vertebrates, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Wrocław, Sienkiewicza 21, 50-335 Wrocław, Poland; (P.K.); (B.B.)
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7
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Plateau O, Foth C. Common Patterns of Skull Bone Fusion and Their Potential to Discriminate Different Ontogenetic Stages in Extant Birds. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.737199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The degree of sutural closure between bones generally allows for the classification of skeleton maturity in tetrapods. In mammals, the sutural closure of skull bones was previously used as proxy to evaluate the ontogenetic stage of single individuals. However, due to temporal variation, this process can be only applied among mammalian subclades, but not for all mammals in general. In contrast, the process of sutural closures in bird skulls could be a more reliable ontogenetic proxy for this clade as adult birds commonly show a generally high degree of bone fusion. To test this, we studied the process of sutural closure in ontogenetic series of 18 extant bird species regarding the presence of an ontogenetic signal and compared the results with changes in skull size and proportions. Univariate analyses indicate that bone fusion happens faster in altricial than in precocial birds. However, the use of PCoA and multivariate regressions reveal that the skull bone fusion follows a common pattern among birds and thus can be used as proxy to identify different ontogenetic stages. In general, the process of sutural closure spreads from posterior to anterior and from ventral to dorsal. In contrast, skull measurements reflect rather interspecific allometry than ontogeny. The used of bone fusion as proxy will help to better identify and compare different stages of maturation in birds, including historical material from osteological collections.
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Wang Y, Wu K, Gan X, Ouyang Q, Wu Q, Liu H, Hu S, Han C, Zhang R, Hu J, Wang J, Li L. The pattern of duck sternal ossification and the changes of histological structure and gene expression therein. Poult Sci 2021; 100:101112. [PMID: 34116350 PMCID: PMC8193625 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2021.101112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 02/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
As the largest single bone, avian sterna are very different from those of mammals in terms of morphology and functions. Moreover, years of artificial selection in poultry led to incomplete sternal ossification at slaughter age, which may cause diseases, sternal injury, and restriction to breast muscle growth. However, in living birds, studies have rarely described the ossification pattern and underlying mechanisms of the sterna. Here, we examined the pattern (timeline, ossification centers, ossification directions, weekly changes of different parts, quantified differences in ossification degree among sexes and parts) and developmental changes (histological structure, gene expression) of postnatal duck sternal ossification. Direct observation and alcian blue and alizarin red staining of whole sterna samples revealed that, duck sterna mainly ossified during 5 to 9 wk old with five ossification centers. These centers and their ossification directions were different from and more complex than the previously studied birds. The weekly changes of sterna and the quantitative analysis of ossification-related traits showed that ossifications in the three parts of duck sterna (sternum body, keel, posterolateral processes) were mutually independent in space and time, meanwhile, the male duck sterna were more late-maturing than the female. The results of hematoxylin-eosin, alcian blue, and toluidine blue stainings and the expression levels of COL2A1, COL10A1, COL1A2, and CTSK together supported that, duck sternal ossification was highly similar to typical endochondral ossification. Furthermore, continuously high expression of MMP13 and SPARC and their significant (P < 0.05) co-expression with COL2A1, COL10A1, COL1A2, and CTSK suggested the importance of MMP13 and SPARC in duck sternal ossification. Taken together, our results may be helpful for the understanding of avian sternal ossification and the improvement of the performance and welfare of poultry from a new perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yushi Wang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Kang Wu
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Xiang Gan
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Qingyuan Ouyang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Qifan Wu
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Hehe Liu
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Shenqiang Hu
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Chunchun Han
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Rongping Zhang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Jiwei Hu
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
| | - Jiwen Wang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China.
| | - Liang Li
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan 611130, China
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9
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Hüppi E, Werneburg I, Sánchez-Villagra MR. Evolution and development of the bird chondrocranium. Front Zool 2021; 18:21. [PMID: 33926502 PMCID: PMC8082637 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00406-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Birds exhibit an enormous diversity in adult skull shape (disparity), while their embryonic chondrocrania are considered to be conserved across species. However, there may be chondrocranial features that are diagnostic for bird clades or for Aves as a whole. We synthesized and analyzed information on the sequence of chondrification of 23 elements in ten bird species and five outgroups. Moreover, we critically considered the developmental morphology of the chondrocrania of 21 bird species and examined whether the diversity in adult skull shape is reflected in the development of the embryonic skull, and whether there are group-specific developmental patterns. Results We found that chondrocranial morphology is largely uniform in its major features, with some variation in the presence or absence of fenestrae and other parts. In kiwis (Apteryx), the unique morphology of the bony skull in the orbito-nasal region is reflected in its chondrocranial anatomy. Finally, differences in morphology and chondrification sequence may distinguish between different Palaeognathae and Neognathae and between the Galloanserae and Neoaves. The sequence of chondrification is largely conserved in birds, but with some variation in most regions. The peri- and prechordal areas in the base of the chondrocranium are largely conserved. In contrast to the outgroups, chondrification in birds starts in the acrochordal cartilage and the basicranial fenestra is formed secondarily. Further differences concern the orbital region, including early chondrification of the pila antotica and the late formation of the planum supraseptale. Conclusion Synthesizing information on chondrocranial development confronts terminological issues and a lack of comparable methods used (e.g., different staining; whole-mounts versus histology). These issues were taken into consideration when assessing differences across species. The summary of works on avian chondrocranial development, covered more than a century, and a comparison of the chondrification sequence among birds could be conducted. Future studies could test the hypothesis that chondrocranial disparity in Aves, in terms of the shape and proportion of individual elements, could be as large as adult skull disparity, despite conserved developmental patterns and the richness of forms in other (dermal) portions of the skull. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12983-021-00406-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn Hüppi
- Universität Zürich, Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Karl-Schmid-Straße 4, 8006, Zürich, Switzerland.
| | - Ingmar Werneburg
- Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (HEP) an der Eberhard Karls Universität, Sigwartstraße 10, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.,Fachbereich Geowissenschaften der Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Hölderlinstraße 12, 72074, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marcelo R Sánchez-Villagra
- Universität Zürich, Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Karl-Schmid-Straße 4, 8006, Zürich, Switzerland
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10
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Rose CS. Amphibian Hormones, Calcium Physiology, Bone Weight, and Lung Use Call for a More Inclusive Approach to Understanding Ossification Sequence Evolution. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.620971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Skeleton plays a huge role in understanding how vertebrate animals have diversified in phylogeny, ecology and behavior. Recent evo-devo research has used ossification sequences to compare skeletal development among major groups, to identify conserved and labile aspects of a sequence within a group, to derive ancestral and modal sequences, and to look for modularity based on embryonic origin and type of bone. However, questions remain about how to detect and order bone appearances, the adaptive significance of ossification sequences and their relationship to adult function, and the utility of categorizing bones by embryonic origin and type. Also, the singular focus on bone appearances and the omission of other tissues and behavioral, ecological and life history events limit the relevance of such analyses. Amphibians accentuate these concerns because of their highly specialized biphasic life histories and the exceptionally late timing, and high variability of their ossification sequences. Amphibians demonstrate a need for a whole-animal, whole-ontogeny approach that integrates the entire ossification process with physiology, behavior and ecology. I discuss evidence and hypotheses for how hormone mediation and calcium physiology might elicit non-adaptive variability in ossification sequence, and for adaptive strategies to partition larval habitats using bone to offset the buoyancy created by lung use. I also argue that understanding plasticity in ossification requires shifting focus away from embryonic development and adult function, and toward postembryonic mechanisms of regulating skeletal growth, especially ones that respond directly to midlife environments and behaviors.
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11
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Skawiński T, Borczyk B, Hałupka L. Postnatal ossification sequences in Acrocephalus scirpaceus and Chroicocephalus ridibundus (Aves: Neognathae): The precocial-altricial spectrum and evolution of compound bones in birds. J Anat 2021; 238:349-364. [PMID: 32875600 PMCID: PMC7812134 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Revised: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the development of the avian skeleton has attracted considerable attention, most of the studies have been concentrated on the embryonic period, while studies on the postnatal period are rare. We studied the postnatal development of the skeleton in two phylogenetically distant birds, an altricial passerine Acrocephalus scirpaceus and a semiprecocial charadriiform Chroicocephalus ridibundus. The neonates of the former, despite being altricial, have well-ossified skeleton-the degree of development approaches that of the semiprecocial gull. However, after hatching the limb bones (particularly those of the hind limb) ossify earlier in the gull which is probably related to faster acquisition of locomotor abilities. We have observed that, in contrast to previous reports from neognathous birds, in the ankle of the gull, the ascending process fuses with the astragalus rather than with the calcaneum. This type of development is present in palaeognaths and nonavian dinosaurs but has not yet been reported in neognaths. This indicates a greater diversity within Neognathae and suggests a more complex scenario for the evolution of the avian ankle. However, data from a greater number of species are needed to establish the developmental sequence ancestral for neognathous birds. Furthermore, the sequence of bone fusions in the wrist of Acrocephalus is similar to the fossil-documented evolutionary sequence observed in the phylogeny of early birds, with the semilunate carpal and major metacarpal fusing first, followed by the alular metacarpal fusing with the major metacarpal and then the major and minor metacarpal fusing proximally. These data underscore the importance of developmental studies for reconstructing the evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Skawiński
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of VertebratesFaculty of Biological SciencesUniversity of WrocławWrocławPoland
| | - Bartosz Borczyk
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Conservation of VertebratesFaculty of Biological SciencesUniversity of WrocławWrocławPoland
| | - Lucyna Hałupka
- Ornithological StationFaculty of Biological SciencesUniversity of WrocławWrocławPoland
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12
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Green TL, Gignac PM. Osteological description of casque ontogeny in the southern cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) using micro-CT imaging. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2020; 304:461-479. [PMID: 32558300 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Extant cassowaries (Casuarius) are unique flightless birds found in the tropics of Indo-Australia. They have garnered substantial attention from anatomists with focus centered on the bony makeup and function of their conspicuous cranial casques, located dorsally above the orbits and neurocranium. The osteological patterning of the casque has been formally described previously; however, there are differing interpretations between authors. These variable descriptions suggest that an anatomical understanding of casque anatomy and its constituent elements may be enhanced by developmental studies aimed at further elucidating this bizarre structure. In the present study, we clarify casque osteology of the southern cassowary (C. casuarius) by detailing casque anatomy across an extensive growth series for the first time. We used micro-computed tomography (μCT) imaging to visualize embryonic development and post-hatching ontogeny through adulthood. We also sampled closely related emus (Dromaius novaehollandiae) and ostriches (Struthio camelus) to provide valuable comparative context. We found that southern cassowary casques are comprised of three paired (i.e., nasals, lacrimals, frontals) and two unpaired elements (i.e., mesethmoid, median casque element). Although lacrimals have rarely been considered as casque elements, the contribution to the casque structure was evident in μCT images. The median casque element has often been cited as a portion of the mesethmoid. However, through comparisons between immature C. casuarius and D. novaehollandiae, we document the median casque element as a distinct unit from the mesethmoid.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd L Green
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Paul M Gignac
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.,Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA.,MicroCT Imaging Consortium for Research and Outreach, Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
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13
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Abstract
Abstract
The origin of birds from their terrestrial antecedents was accompanied by a wholesale transformation of their skeleton as they transitioned from a terrestrial to aerial realm. Part of this dramatic transformation is the reduction of separate vertebral elements into regional fusions to limit axial flexibility. This is partially mirrored within the development of the axial column, with regions of the axial column experiencing increasing morphological modularity and the loss of skeletal elements through vertebral fusions. Using a detailed description of the morphological development of the axial column in the model domestic chicken, Gallus gallus domesticus, we present a map of axial ossification based on discrete characters. Delays in ossification are found to occur in conjunction with the formation of fusions. Our study shows that the pattern and sequence of fusion and ossification during development may reflect the presence of independent modules as subsets within the typical regions of the avian axial column. Interestingly, few of these fusion modules correspond to the initial axial Hox expression patterns, suggesting another patterning mechanism is driving axial fusion regionalization. Additionally, two regions of fusion are discovered in the synsacrum. The anterior region of seven fused synsacrals may correspond to the non-ornithuran pygostylian synsacrum of the same number of vertebrae.
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14
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Ontogeny of the anuran urostyle and the developmental context of evolutionary novelty. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:3034-3044. [PMID: 31988131 PMCID: PMC7022158 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1917506117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Fusion of caudal vertebrae has evolved multiple times independently: the pygostyle of birds, coccyx in apes and humans, ural plate of fish, and the urostyle of frogs. The anuran urostyle, however, is structurally and developmentally distinct because of the contribution of an ossifying hypochord. To date, the developmental mechanisms behind an ossifying hypochord have remained obscure. Here, we provide a detailed analysis of the development of this evolutionary innovative structure and of how neuromusculature, cell death, and proliferation paved their way to facilitate its formation. Finally, we propose that the ossifying hypochord plays a role in tail loss in anurans and reorganizing the dorsal aorta and thus is pivotal in the evolution of the anuran bauplan. Developmental novelties often underlie the evolutionary origins of key metazoan features. The anuran urostyle, which evolved nearly 200 MYA, is one such structure. It forms as the tail regresses during metamorphosis, when locomotion changes from an axial-driven mode in larvae to a limb-driven one in adult frogs. The urostyle comprises of a coccyx and a hypochord. The coccyx forms by fusion of caudal vertebrae and has evolved repeatedly across vertebrates. However, the contribution of an ossifying hypochord to the coccyx in anurans is unique among vertebrates and remains a developmental enigma. Here, we focus on the developmental changes that lead to the anuran urostyle, with an emphasis on understanding the ossifying hypochord. We find that the coccyx and hypochord have two different developmental histories: First, the development of the coccyx initiates before metamorphic climax whereas the ossifying hypochord undergoes rapid ossification and hypertrophy; second, thyroid hormone directly affects hypochord formation and appears to have a secondary effect on the coccygeal portion of the urostyle. The embryonic hypochord is known to play a significant role in the positioning of the dorsal aorta (DA), but the reason for hypochordal ossification remains obscure. Our results suggest that the ossifying hypochord plays a role in remodeling the DA in the newly forming adult body by partially occluding the DA in the tail. We propose that the ossifying hypochord-induced loss of the tail during metamorphosis has enabled the evolution of the unique anuran bauplan.
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15
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Tahara
- Redpath Museum, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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16
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Dinosaur ossification centres in embryonic birds uncover developmental evolution of the skull. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1966-1973. [DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0713-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/05/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
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17
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Brocklehurst RJ, Moritz S, Codd J, Sellers WI, Brainerd EL. Rib kinematics during lung ventilation in the American alligator ( Alligator mississippiensis): an XROMM analysis. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 220:3181-3190. [PMID: 28855323 PMCID: PMC5612015 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.156166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 06/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The current hypothesis regarding the mechanics of breathing in crocodylians is that the double-headed ribs, with both a capitulum and tuberculum, rotate about a constrained axis passing through the two articulations; moreover, this axis shifts in the caudal thoracic ribs, as the vertebral parapophysis moves from the centrum to the transverse process. Additionally, the ventral ribcage in crocodylians is thought to possess additional degrees of freedom through mobile intermediate ribs. In this study, X-ray reconstruction of moving morphology (XROMM) was used to quantify rib rotation during breathing in American alligators. Whilst costovertebral joint anatomy predicted overall patterns of motion across the ribcage (decreased bucket handle motion and increased calliper motion), there were significant deviations: anatomical axes overestimated pump handle motion and, generally, ribs in vivo rotate about all three body axes more equally than predicted. The intermediate ribs are mobile, with a high degree of rotation measured about the dorsal intracostal joints, especially in the more caudal ribs. Motion of the sternal ribs became increasingly complex caudally, owing to a combination of the movements of the vertebral and intermediate segments. As the crocodylian ribcage is sometimes used as a model for the ancestral archosaur, these results have important implications for how rib motion is reconstructed in fossil taxa, and illustrate the difficulties in reconstructing rib movement based on osteology alone. Summary: Using XROMM to test how well joint anatomy predicts rib motion during breathing in crocodylians, our best living model for the earliest archosaurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Brocklehurst
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Sabine Moritz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - Jonathan Codd
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - William I Sellers
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Elizabeth L Brainerd
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
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18
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Knoll F, Chiappe LM, Sanchez S, Garwood RJ, Edwards NP, Wogelius RA, Sellers WI, Manning PL, Ortega F, Serrano FJ, Marugán-Lobón J, Cuesta E, Escaso F, Sanz JL. A diminutive perinate European Enantiornithes reveals an asynchronous ossification pattern in early birds. Nat Commun 2018; 9:937. [PMID: 29507288 PMCID: PMC5838198 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03295-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Fossils of juvenile Mesozoic birds provide insight into the early evolution of avian development, however such fossils are rare. The analysis of the ossification sequence in these early-branching birds has the potential to address important questions about their comparative developmental biology and to help understand their morphological evolution and ecological differentiation. Here we report on an early juvenile enantiornithine specimen from the Early Cretaceous of Europe, which sheds new light on the osteogenesis in this most species-rich clade of Mesozoic birds. Consisting of a nearly complete skeleton, it is amongst the smallest known Mesozoic avian fossils representing post-hatching stages of development. Comparisons between this new specimen and other known early juvenile enantiornithines support a clade-wide asynchronous pattern of osteogenesis in the sternum and the vertebral column, and strongly indicate that the hatchlings of these phylogenetically basal birds varied greatly in size and tempo of skeletal maturation. Fossil juvenile Mesozoic birds are exceedingly rare and can provide important insight into the early evolution of avian development. Here, Knoll et al. describe one of the smallest known Mesozoic avians, which indicates a clade-wide asynchronous pattern of osteogenesis and great variation in basal bird hatchling size and skeletal maturation tempo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Knoll
- ARAID-Fundación Conjunto Paleontológico de Teruel-Dinopolis, 44002, Teruel, Spain. .,School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.
| | - Luis M Chiappe
- The Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA
| | - Sophie Sanchez
- Department of Organismal Biology, Uppsala University, 752 36, Uppsala, Sweden.,European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, 38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Russell J Garwood
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.,Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Nicholas P Edwards
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.,Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, CA, 94025, USA
| | - Roy A Wogelius
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - William I Sellers
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Phillip L Manning
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK.,Department of Geology and Environmental Geosciences, College of Charleston, SC, 29424, Charleston, USA
| | - Francisco Ortega
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisco J Serrano
- The Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA.,Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Málaga, 29010, Málaga, Spain
| | - Jesús Marugán-Lobón
- The Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, 90007, USA.,Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Elena Cuesta
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
| | - Fernando Escaso
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Jose Luis Sanz
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049, Madrid, Spain
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19
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Chevrinais M, Sire JY, Cloutier R. Unravelling the ontogeny of a Devonian early gnathostome, the "acanthodian" Triazeugacanthus affinis (eastern Canada). PeerJ 2017; 5:e3969. [PMID: 29094000 PMCID: PMC5661438 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3969] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of vertebrate ontogenies has the potential to inform us of shared developmental patterns and processes among organisms. However, fossilised ontogenies of early vertebrates are extremely rare during the Palaeozoic Era. A growth series of the Late Devonian “acanthodian” Triazeugacanthus affinis, from the Miguasha Fossil-Fish Lagerstätte, is identified as one of the best known early vertebrate fossilised ontogenies given the exceptional preservation, the large size range, and the abundance of specimens. Morphological, morphometric, histological and chemical data are gathered on a growth series of Triazeugacanthus ranging from 4 to 52 mm in total length. The developmental trajectory of this Devonian “acanthodian” is characteristic of fishes showing a direct development with alternating steps and thresholds. Larvae show no squamation but a progressive appearance of cartilaginous neurocranial and vertebral elements, and appendicular elements, whereas juveniles progress in terms of ossification and squamation. The presence of cartilaginous and bony tissues, discriminated on histological and chemical signatures, shows a progressive mineralisation of neurocranial and vertebral elements. Comparison among different body proportions for larvae, juveniles and adults suggest allometric growth in juveniles. Because of the phylogenetic position of “acanthodians”, Triazeugacanthus ontogeny informs us about deep time developmental conditions in gnathostomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Chevrinais
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie et Biologie évolutive, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Canada
| | - Jean-Yves Sire
- CNRS-UMR 7138-Evolution Paris-Seine IBPS, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
| | - Richard Cloutier
- Laboratoire de Paléontologie et Biologie évolutive, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Canada
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20
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Cellular preservation of musculoskeletal specializations in the Cretaceous bird Confuciusornis. Nat Commun 2017; 8:14779. [PMID: 28327586 PMCID: PMC5364438 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2016] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The hindlimb of theropod dinosaurs changed appreciably in the lineage leading to extant birds, becoming more ‘crouched' in association with changes to body shape and gait dynamics. This postural evolution included anatomical changes of the foot and ankle, altering the moment arms and control of the muscles that manipulated the tarsometatarsus and digits, but the timing of these changes is unknown. Here, we report cellular-level preservation of tendon- and cartilage-like tissues from the lower hindlimb of Early Cretaceous Confuciusornis. The digital flexor tendons passed through cartilages, cartilaginous cristae and ridges on the plantar side of the distal tibiotarsus and proximal tarsometatarsus, as in extant birds. In particular, fibrocartilaginous and cartilaginous structures on the plantar surface of the ankle joint of Confuciusornis may indicate a more crouched hindlimb posture. Recognition of these specialized soft tissues in Confuciusornis is enabled by our combination of imaging and chemical analyses applied to an exceptionally preserved fossil. Birds have a more crouched posture compared to their theropod dinosaur ancestors. Here, Jiang and colleagues describe a lower hindlimb of the Early Cretaceous bird Confuciusornis with soft tissues apparently preserved even as molecules, indicating a somewhat more modern posture in ancient birds.
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21
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Wang M, Hu H. A Comparative Morphological Study of the Jugal and Quadratojugal in Early Birds and Their Dinosaurian Relatives. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2016; 300:62-75. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2016] [Revised: 03/03/2016] [Accepted: 03/23/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Min Wang
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing China
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy; Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nanjing China
| | - Han Hu
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Beijing China
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22
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Carril J, Tambussi CP. Skeletogenesis ofMyiopsitta monachus(Psittaciformes) and sequence heterochronies in Aves. Evol Dev 2016; 19:17-28. [DOI: 10.1111/ede.12211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Julieta Carril
- Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias; Cátedra de Histología y Embriología; Calle 60 y 118 s/n (1900) La Plata Argentina
| | - Claudia P. Tambussi
- Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas; Físicas y Naturales, Vélez Sarsfield 1611; Ciudad Universitaria (5016) Córdoba Argentina
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23
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O'Connor JK, Zheng XT, Sullivan C, Chuong CM, Wang XL, Li A, Wang Y, Zhang XM, Zhou ZH. Evolution and functional significance of derived sternal ossification patterns in ornithothoracine birds. J Evol Biol 2015; 28:1550-67. [PMID: 26079847 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2014] [Revised: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 06/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The midline pattern of sternal ossification characteristic of the Cretaceous enantiornithine birds is unique among the Ornithodira, the group containing birds, nonavian dinosaurs and pterosaurs. This has been suggested to indicate that Enantiornithes is not the sister group of Ornithuromorpha, the clade that includes living birds and their close relatives, which would imply rampant convergence in many nonsternal features between enantiornithines and ornithuromorphs. However, detailed comparisons reveal greater similarity between neornithine (i.e. crown group bird) and enantiornithine modes of sternal ossification than previously recognized. Furthermore, a new subadult enantiornithine specimen demonstrates that sternal ossification followed a more typically ornithodiran pattern in basal members of the clade. This new specimen, referable to the Pengornithidae, indicates that the unique ossification pattern observed in other juvenile enantiornithines is derived within Enantiornithes. A similar but clearly distinct pattern appears to have evolved in parallel in the ornithuromorph lineage. The atypical mode of sternal ossification in some derived enantiornithines should be regarded as an autapomorphic condition rather than an indication that enantiornithines are not close relatives of ornithuromorphs. Based on what is known about molecular mechanisms for morphogenesis and the possible selective advantages, the parallel shifts to midline ossification that took place in derived enantiornithines and living neognathous birds appear to have been related to the development of a large ventral keel, which is only present in ornithuromorphs and enantiornithines. Midline ossification can serve to medially reinforce the sternum at a relatively early ontogenetic stage, which would have been especially beneficial during the protracted development of the superprecocial Cretaceous enantiornithines.
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Affiliation(s)
- J K O'Connor
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - X-T Zheng
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi, Shandong, China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi, Shandong, China
| | - C Sullivan
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - C-M Chuong
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - X-L Wang
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi, Shandong, China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi, Shandong, China
| | - A Li
- Department of Pathology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Y Wang
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi, Shandong, China.,Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi, Shandong, China
| | - X-M Zhang
- Tianyu Natural History Museum of Shandong, Pingyi, Shandong, China
| | - Z-H Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Vertebrate Evolution and Human Origins of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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24
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Francisco Botelho J, Smith-Paredes D, Soto-Acuña S, Mpodozis J, Palma V, Vargas AO. Skeletal plasticity in response to embryonic muscular activity underlies the development and evolution of the perching digit of birds. Sci Rep 2015; 5:9840. [PMID: 25974685 PMCID: PMC4431314 DOI: 10.1038/srep09840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2014] [Accepted: 03/11/2015] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Most birds have an opposable digit 1 (hallux) allowing the foot to grasp, which evolved from the non-opposable hallux of early theropod dinosaurs. An important morphological difference with early theropods is the twisting of the long axis of its metatarsal. Here, we show how embryonic musculature and the onset of its activity are required for twisting of metatarsal 1 (Mt1) and retroversion of the hallux. Pharmacologically paralyzed embryos do not fully retrovert the hallux and have a straight Mt1 shaft, phenocopying the morphology of early tetanuran dinosaurs. Molecular markers of cartilage maturation and ossification show that differentiation of Mt1 is significantly delayed compared to Mt2-4. We hypothesize on how delayed maturation may have increased plasticity, facilitating muscular twisting. Our experimental results emphasize the importance of embryonic muscular activity in the evolutionary origin of a crucial adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Francisco Botelho
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad de Chile and FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation. Las Palmeras 3425, Santiago, Chile. 7800003
| | - Daniel Smith-Paredes
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad de Chile and FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation. Las Palmeras 3425, Santiago, Chile. 7800003
| | - Sergio Soto-Acuña
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad de Chile and FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation. Las Palmeras 3425, Santiago, Chile. 7800003
| | - Jorge Mpodozis
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad de Chile and FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation. Las Palmeras 3425, Santiago, Chile. 7800003
| | - Verónica Palma
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad de Chile and FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation. Las Palmeras 3425, Santiago, Chile. 7800003
| | - Alexander O Vargas
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias de la Universidad de Chile and FONDAP Center for Genome Regulation. Las Palmeras 3425, Santiago, Chile. 7800003
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25
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Ziermann JM, Mitgutsch C, Olsson L. Analyzing developmental sequences with Parsimov--a case study of cranial muscle development in anuran larvae. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2014; 322:586-606. [PMID: 24692269 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.22566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2013] [Revised: 02/03/2014] [Accepted: 02/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Parsimov is a parsimony-based method for identifying the minimum number of heterochronic event-shifts on all branches of a given phylogenetic framework to explain the developmental sequences seen in the species investigated, and has been used to investigate the evolution of developmental sequences in various animal groups. However, the biological interpretation of the results is difficult not least because Parsimov uses non-independent data resulting from event-pairing as the basis for its analyses. To test the applicability of Parsimov to a large data set, larval cranial muscle development was studied in 15 anurans, three caudates and the Australian lungfish. We analyzed the developmental sequences with Parsimov to investigate: if there are (1) heterochronies on deep branches of a cladogram indicating changes in the ancestral sequences, (2) heterochronies that can be related to larval life-history, and (3) the sensitivity of the analysis to different underlying cladograms. We discovered general patterns of cranial muscle development, such as an anterior-to-posterior gradient, an outside-in pattern and a tendency for cranial muscles to develop from their region of origin toward their insertion. We found most heterochronies on terminal branches and only a few shifts on deep branches in the cladograms indicating changes in the ancestral sequences. No changes could be related to larval life-history. The underlying cladogram clearly influenced the outcome of the analysis. We propose that Parsimov has the potential, combined with other methods, to find evolutionary important changes and to aid the biological interpretation of these changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janine M Ziermann
- Department of Anatomy, Howard University College of Medicine, Washington, District of Columbia
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26
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Zheng X, Wang X, O'Connor J, Zhou Z. Insight into the early evolution of the avian sternum from juvenile enantiornithines. Nat Commun 2012; 3:1116. [DOI: 10.1038/ncomms2104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2012] [Accepted: 08/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
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27
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Tickle PG, Norell MA, Codd JR. Ventilatory mechanics from maniraptoran theropods to extant birds. J Evol Biol 2012; 25:740-7. [PMID: 22300582 DOI: 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2012.02465.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Shared behavioural, morphological and physiological characteristics are indicative of the evolution of extant birds from nonavian maniraptoran dinosaurs. One such shared character is the presence of uncinate processes and respiratory structures in extant birds. Recent research has suggested a respiratory role for these processes found in oviraptorid and dromaeosaurid dinosaurs. By measuring the geometry of fossil rib cage morphology, we demonstrate that the mechanical advantage, conferred by uncinate processes, for movements of the ribs in the oviraptorid theropod dinosaur, Citipati osmolskae, basal avialan species Zhongjianornis yangi, Confuciusornis sanctus and the more derived ornithurine Yixianornis grabaui, is of the same magnitude as found in extant birds. These skeletal characteristics provide further evidence of a flow-through respiratory system in nonavian theropod dinosaurs and basal avialans, and indicate that uncinate processes are a key adaptation facilitating the ventilation of a lung air sac system that diverged earlier than extant birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- P G Tickle
- University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Mitgutsch C, Wimmer C, Sánchez-Villagra MR, Hahnloser R, Schneider RA. Timing of ossification in duck, quail, and zebra finch: intraspecific variation, heterochronies, and life history evolution. Zoolog Sci 2011; 28:491-500. [PMID: 21728797 DOI: 10.2108/zsj.28.491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Skeletogenic heterochronies have gained much attention in comparative developmental biology. The temporal appearance of mineralized individual bones in a species - the species ossification sequence - is an excellent marker in this kind of study. Several publications describe interspecific variation, but only very few detail intraspecific variation. In this study, we describe and analyze the temporal order of ossification of skeletal elements in the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata, the Japanese quail, Coturnix coturnix japonica, and the White Pekin duck, a domestic race of the mallard Anas platyrhynchos, and explore patterns of intraspecific variation in these events. The overall sequences were found to be conserved. In the duck, variability is present in the relative timing of ossification in the occipital, the basisphenoid and the otic regions of the skull and the phalanges in the postcranium. This variation appears generally in close temporal proximity. Comparison with previously published data shows differences in ossification sequence in the skull, the feet, and the pelvis in the duck, and especially the pelvis in the quail. This clearly documents variability among different breeds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Mitgutsch
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Karl Schmid-Strasse 4, CH-8006 Zürich, Switzerland
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Weisbecker V. MONOTREME OSSIFICATION SEQUENCES AND THE RIDDLE OF MAMMALIAN SKELETAL DEVELOPMENT. Evolution 2011; 65:1323-35. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01234.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vera Weisbecker
- Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St. CB2 3EQ, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Institut für Spezielle Zoologie und Evolutionsbiologie, Friedrich‐Schiller Universität Jena, Erbertstr.1, 07743 Jena, Germany
- E‐mail:
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Vickaryous MK, Hall BK. Comparative development of the crocodylian interclavicle and avian furcula, with comments on the homology of dermal elements in the pectoral apparatus. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY PART B-MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2010; 314:196-207. [PMID: 20422674 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.21326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The pectoral apparatus (shoulder girdle plus sternum) of amniotes plesiomorphically includes an unpaired element of dermal origin. In crocodylians, lepidosaurs, and nontherian synapsids (monotremes and their ancestors) this element is identified as the interclavicle, in Testudines (turtles and tortoises) as the entoplastron, and in Aves as the furcula. We investigated embryonic development of the interclavicle in Alligator mississippiensis (American alligator) and of the furcula in Gallus gallus (domestic chicken). The interclavicle and furcula are among the first skeletal elements to ossify, beginning at Ferguson stage 19 (Alligator) and Hamburger and Hamilton stage 33 (Gallus). Both elements: occupy a similar mid-ventral position within the pectoral apparatus; develop from paired (bilateral) cell condensations; never coexist at anytime during ontogeny or in the adult; and undergo intramembranous (i.e., direct) ossification. For both the interclavicle and the furcula, the initial onset of ossification is concomitant with mineralization of elements of the dermatocranium, and occurs in advance of mineralization of the replacement bones (e.g., scapula, metacoracoid) of the pectoral apparatus. Shortly after the initiation of ossification the paired condensations of both elements fuse. For each of Alligator and Gallus, only one pair of skeletogenic condensations is present during embryonic development. Based on these data and a review of the evolution and development of dermal elements in the pectoral apparatus, we conclude that the interclavicle is equally parsimonious as a homolog of the furcula.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew K Vickaryous
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
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Assessing the phylogenetic utility of sequence heterochrony: evolution of avian ossification sequences as a case study. ZOOLOGY 2010; 113:57-66. [PMID: 20116981 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2009.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2009] [Revised: 06/26/2009] [Accepted: 06/28/2009] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The evolution of developmental sequences, or sequence heterochrony, is an emerging field of study that addresses the temporal interplay between evolution and development. Some phylogenetic signal has been found in developmental sequence data, but sampling has generally been limited to small numbers of taxa and few developmental events. Here we present the largest ossification sequence dataset to date. The sequences are composed of ossification events throughout the avian skeleton, and are used to address the evolutionary signal of ossification sequence data within this clade. The results indicate that ossification sequences are conserved in birds, and show a stronger phylogenetic signal than previous studies, perhaps due to the volume of data. Phylogenetic signal is not strong enough, however, to consider ossification sequence data to be any better at resolving phylogenetic hypotheses than other morphological data and just as prone to evolutionary convergence. There is no one-to-one correlation between ossification sequence and developmental stage. We discuss some methodological implications of our findings, as well as commonalities in avian ossification sequences such as early ossification of the long bones relative to the dermatocranium, and of the hindlimb over the forelimb.
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MAXWELL ERINE, LARSSON HANSCE. Comparative ossification sequence and skeletal development of the postcranium of palaeognathous birds (Aves: Palaeognathae). Zool J Linn Soc 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00533.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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MAXWELL ERINE. Comparative ossification and development of the skull in palaeognathous birds (Aves: Palaeognathae). Zool J Linn Soc 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00480.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Harrison LB, Larsson HCE. Estimating Evolution of Temporal Sequence Changes: A Practical Approach to Inferring Ancestral Developmental Sequences and Sequence Heterochrony. Syst Biol 2008; 57:378-87. [DOI: 10.1080/10635150802164421] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Luke B. Harrison
- Redpath Museum, McGill University 859 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal QC H3A 2K6, Canada; E-mail: (L.B.H.); (H.C.E.L.)
| | - Hans C. E. Larsson
- Redpath Museum, McGill University 859 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal QC H3A 2K6, Canada; E-mail: (L.B.H.); (H.C.E.L.)
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