1
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Noftz LA, Calede JJM. Multivariate analyses of skull morphology inform the taxonomy and evolution of geomyoid rodents. Curr Zool 2023; 69:456-474. [PMID: 37614926 PMCID: PMC10443661 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Morphological analyses are critical to quantify phenotypic variation, identify taxa, inform phylogenetic relationships, and shed light on evolutionary patterns. This work is particularly important in groups that display great morphological disparity. Such is the case in geomyoid rodents, a group that includes 2 of the most species-rich families of rodents in North America: the Geomyidae (pocket gophers) and the Heteromyidae (kangaroo rats, pocket mice, and their relatives). We assessed variation in skull morphology (including both shape and size) among geomyoids to test the hypothesis that there are statistically significant differences in skull measurements at the family, genus, and species levels. Our sample includes 886 specimens representing all geomyoid genera and 39 species. We used the geometric mean to compare size across taxa. We used 14 measurements of the cranium and lower jaw normalized for size to compare shape among and within taxa. Our results show that skull measurements enable the distinction of geomyoids at the family, genus, and species levels. There is a larger amount of size variation within Geomyidae than within Heteromyidae. Our phylomorphospace analysis shows that the skull shape of the common ancestor of all geomyoids was more similar to the common ancestor of heteromyids than that of geomyids. Geomyid skulls display negative allometry whereas heteromyid skulls display positive allometry. Within heteromyids, dipodomyines, and non-dipodomyines show significantly different allometric patterns. Future analyses including fossils will be necessary to test our evolutionary hypotheses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lily A Noftz
- Biology Program, The Ohio State University at Marion, 1459 Mount Vernon Avenue, Marion, OH 43302, USA
| | - Jonathan J M Calede
- Biology Program, The Ohio State University at Marion, 1459 Mount Vernon Avenue, Marion, OH 43302, USA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, 318 W. 12th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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2
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Goswami A, Noirault E, Coombs EJ, Clavel J, Fabre AC, Halliday TJD, Churchill M, Curtis A, Watanabe A, Simmons NB, Beatty BL, Geisler JH, Fox DL, Felice RN. Developmental origin underlies evolutionary rate variation across the placental skull. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220083. [PMID: 37183904 PMCID: PMC10184245 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The placental skull has evolved into myriad forms, from longirostrine whales to globular primates, and with a diverse array of appendages from antlers to tusks. This disparity has recently been studied from the perspective of the whole skull, but the skull is composed of numerous elements that have distinct developmental origins and varied functions. Here, we assess the evolution of the skull's major skeletal elements, decomposed into 17 individual regions. Using a high-dimensional morphometric approach for a dataset of 322 living and extinct eutherians (placental mammals and their stem relatives), we quantify patterns of variation and estimate phylogenetic, allometric and ecological signal across the skull. We further compare rates of evolution across ecological categories and ordinal-level clades and reconstruct rates of evolution along lineages and through time to assess whether developmental origin or function discriminate the evolutionary trajectories of individual cranial elements. Our results demonstrate distinct macroevolutionary patterns across cranial elements that reflect the ecological adaptations of major clades. Elements derived from neural crest show the fastest rates of evolution, but ecological signal is equally pronounced in bones derived from neural crest and paraxial mesoderm, suggesting that developmental origin may influence evolutionary tempo, but not capacity for specialisation. This article is part of the theme issue 'The mammalian skull: development, structure and function'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Goswami
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Eve Noirault
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Ellen J Coombs
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - Julien Clavel
- Université Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Anne-Claire Fabre
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, 3005 Bern, Switzerland
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Thomas J D Halliday
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Morgan Churchill
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI 54901, USA
| | - Abigail Curtis
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Akinobu Watanabe
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Nancy B Simmons
- Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Brian L Beatty
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Jonathan H Geisler
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - David L Fox
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Ryan N Felice
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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3
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Samuels JX, Calede JJM, Hunt, Jr. RM. The earliest dipodomyine heteromyid in North America and the phylogenetic relationships of geomorph rodents. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14693. [PMID: 36915658 PMCID: PMC10007967 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Dipodomyine heteromyids (kangaroo rats and mice) are a diverse group of arid-adapted ricochetal rodents of North America. Here, a new genus and species of a large dipodomyine is reported from early Miocene-aged deposits of the John Day Formation in Oregon that represents the earliest record of the subfamily. The taxon is known from a single specimen consisting of a nearly complete skull, dentary, partial pes, and caudal vertebra. The specimen is characterized by a mosaic of ancestral and highly derived cranial features of heteromyids. Specifically, the dental morphology and some cranial characteristics are similar to early heteromyids, but other aspects of morphology, including the exceptionally inflated auditory bullae, are more similar to known dipodomyines. This specimen was included in a phylogenetic analysis comprising 96 characters and the broadest sampling of living and extinct geomorph rodents of any morphological phylogenetic analysis to date. Results support the monophyly of crown-group Heteromyidae exclusive of Geomyidae and place the new taxon within Dipodomyinae. The new heteromyid is the largest known member of the family. Analyses suggest that large body size evolved several times within Heteromyidae. Overall, the morphology of the new heteromyid supports a mosaic evolution of the open-habitat adaptations that characterize kangaroo rats and mice, with the inflation of the auditory bulla appearing early in the group, and bipedality/ricochetal locomotion appearing later. We hypothesize that cooling and drying conditions in the late Oligocene and early Miocene favored adaptations for life in more open habitats, resulting in increased locomotor specialization in this lineage over time from a terrestrial ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua X. Samuels
- Department of Geosciences, Don Sundquist Center of Excellence in Paleontology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, United States of America
| | - Jonathan J.-M. Calede
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University—Marion, Marion, OH, United States of America
| | - Robert M. Hunt, Jr.
- Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska—Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, United States of America
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4
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Bento Da Costa L, Bardin J, Senut B. Locomotor adaptations in the Early Miocene species Diamantomys luederitzi (Rodentia, Mammalia) from Uganda (Napak). J Morphol 2023; 284:e21560. [PMID: 36715561 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21560] [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: 06/15/2022] [Revised: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
The study of morphological adaptations to different ecological parameters among fossil vertebrates has been an important challenge in recent decades. In this paper, we focus on the link between morphological traits and locomotor behavior such as terrestriality, fossoriality and arboreality (including gliding). One of the most diverse groups in which various locomotor habits are represented is rodents, occupying a wide range of ecological niches. This work highlights morphological variations in skulls and humerus in extant rodents with varying locomotion, to predict this parameter in the extinct species Diamantomys luederitzi (Early Miocene, Napak, Uganda). Linear discriminant analysis and phylogenetic flexible discriminant analysis are used to analyze datasets obtained via traditional morphometry (measurements) and geometric morphometrics (landmarks). The results show good discrimination between locomotor groups for both structures in extant species: the skull has a wider and longer rostrum in terrestrial and fossorial taxa compared to arboreal rodents, is also higher and posteriorly wider in fossorial taxa; the distal humerus shows elongation of the trochlea and capitulum and a higher trochlea in fossorial and terrestrial species, allowing an increase of stability instead of mobility, which is more important in arboreal taxa for movement in trees. In D. luederitzi, all skull analyses except one predicted it as a terrestrial species, the other prediction as a glider was possibly linked to the diet. For the distal humerus, this species has been predicted as a terrestrial, fossorial and arboreal taxon in differing analyses, reflected by morphological traits represented in these different locomotor categories. These varying predictions could highlight the intraspecific variation in this fossil species as well as its locomotor repertoire, raising a discussion about the use of different methods in such analyses. In addition to these predictions, several issues are discussed, such as the presence of locomotor signal in the skull and its validity in locomotor studies, as well as the relevance of the use of fragmentary material in such analyses. The results obtained in this work highlight the importance of the locomotor signal in these structures, as well as the possibility of taking into account poorly preserved material, in particular the distal humerus.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jérémie Bardin
- CR2P-UMR 7207 MNHN-CNRS-Sorbonne Université, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Brigitte Senut
- Département Origines & Evolution, CR2P-UMR 7207 MNHN-CNRS, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
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Gomes Rodrigues H, Damette M. Incipient morphological specializations associated with fossorial life in the skull of ground squirrels (Sciuridae, Rodentia). J Morphol 2023; 284:e21540. [PMID: 36533735 PMCID: PMC10107104 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21540] [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: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 09/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Anatomical and biological specializations have been studied extensively in fossorial rodents, especially in subterranean species, such as mole-rats or pocket-gophers. Sciurids (i.e., squirrels) are mostly known for their diverse locomotory behaviors, and encompass many arboreal species. They also include less specialized fossorial species, such as ground squirrels that are mainly scratch diggers. The skull of ground squirrels remains poorly investigated in a fossorial context, while it may reflect incipient morphological specializations associated with fossorial life, especially due to the putative use of incisors for digging in some taxa. Here, we present the results of a comparative analysis of the skull of five fossorial sciurid species, and compare those to four arboreal sciurids, one arboreal/fossorial sciurid and one specialized fossorial aplodontiid. The quantification of both cranial and mandibular shapes, using three dimensional geometric morphometrics, reveals that fossorial species clearly depart from arboreal species. Fossorial species from the Marmotini tribe, and also Xerini to a lesser extent, show widened zygomatic arches and occipital plate on the cranium, and a wide mandible with reduced condyles. These shared characteristics, which are present in the aplodontiid species, likely represent fossorial specializations rather than relaxed selection on traits related to the ancestral arboreal condition of sciurids. Such cranial and mandibular configurations combined with proodont incisors might also be related to the frequent use of incisors for digging (added to forelimbs), especially in Marmotini evolving in soft to hard soil conditions. This study provides some clues to understand the evolutionary mechanisms shaping the skull of fossorial rodents, in relation to the time spent underground and to the nature of the soil.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helder Gomes Rodrigues
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie-Paris (CR2P), UMR CNRS 7207, CP38, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Mathilde Damette
- Centre de Recherche en Paléontologie-Paris (CR2P), UMR CNRS 7207, CP38, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
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Goswami A, Noirault E, Coombs EJ, Clavel J, Fabre AC, Halliday TJD, Churchill M, Curtis A, Watanabe A, Simmons NB, Beatty BL, Geisler JH, Fox DL, Felice RN. Attenuated evolution of mammals through the Cenozoic. Science 2022; 378:377-383. [DOI: 10.1126/science.abm7525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The Cenozoic diversification of placental mammals is the archetypal adaptive radiation. Yet, discrepancies between molecular divergence estimates and the fossil record fuel ongoing debate around the timing, tempo, and drivers of this radiation. Analysis of a three-dimensional skull dataset for living and extinct placental mammals demonstrates that evolutionary rates peak early and attenuate quickly. This long-term decline in tempo is punctuated by bursts of innovation that decreased in amplitude over the past 66 million years. Social, precocial, aquatic, and herbivorous species evolve fastest, especially whales, elephants, sirenians, and extinct ungulates. Slow rates in rodents and bats indicate dissociation of taxonomic and morphological diversification. Frustratingly, highly similar ancestral shape estimates for placental mammal superorders suggest that their earliest representatives may continue to elude unequivocal identification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Goswami
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Eve Noirault
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Ellen J. Coombs
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Julien Clavel
- Université Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Anne-Claire Fabre
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, Bern, Switzerland
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Thomas J. D. Halliday
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Morgan Churchill
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI, USA
| | - Abigail Curtis
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Akinobu Watanabe
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, NY, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Nancy B. Simmons
- Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Brian L. Beatty
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Jonathan H. Geisler
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - David L. Fox
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Ryan N. Felice
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London, UK
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
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7
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Calede JJM. The oldest semi-aquatic beaver in the world and a new hypothesis for the evolution of locomotion in Castoridae. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220926. [PMID: 36016911 DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6154283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The North American rodent fossil record includes hundreds of species representing both an incredible taxonomic diversity and great ecological disparity. Although it is during the Oligocene that taxonomic diversity first peaks, it is not until the Miocene, almost 10 Myr later, that many ecologies, particularly locomotory ecologies, are recorded. Here, I present a new Oligocene-aged species of beaver from Montana, Microtheriomys articulaquaticus sp. nov., which represents the oldest semi-aquatic rodent in North America and the oldest amphibious beaver in the world, pushing the advent of semi-aquatic ecology in beavers by 7 Myr. I also provide morphological data supporting a terrestrial ecology for the sister taxon to Castoridae. Together with existing data, these findings lead to a new hypothesis for the evolutionary ecology of castorids whereby swimming was exapted from burrowing during the Oligocene. This evolution of semi-aquatic locomotion may have taken place in North America instead of Eurasia. It started in small beavers with gigantism achieved only much later. Indeed, body size evolution in castoroids follows a directional drift. Beavers obey Cope's rule, a selection for larger size over time that appears associated with semi-aquatic ecology and may well explain their low modern diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J M Calede
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Marion, 1459 Mount Vernon Avenue, Marion, OH 43302, USA
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8
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Calede JJM. The oldest semi-aquatic beaver in the world and a new hypothesis for the evolution of locomotion in Castoridae. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220926. [PMID: 36016911 PMCID: PMC9399697 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220926] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
The North American rodent fossil record includes hundreds of species representing both an incredible taxonomic diversity and great ecological disparity. Although it is during the Oligocene that taxonomic diversity first peaks, it is not until the Miocene, almost 10 Myr later, that many ecologies, particularly locomotory ecologies, are recorded. Here, I present a new Oligocene-aged species of beaver from Montana, Microtheriomys articulaquaticus sp. nov., which represents the oldest semi-aquatic rodent in North America and the oldest amphibious beaver in the world, pushing the advent of semi-aquatic ecology in beavers by 7 Myr. I also provide morphological data supporting a terrestrial ecology for the sister taxon to Castoridae. Together with existing data, these findings lead to a new hypothesis for the evolutionary ecology of castorids whereby swimming was exapted from burrowing during the Oligocene. This evolution of semi-aquatic locomotion may have taken place in North America instead of Eurasia. It started in small beavers with gigantism achieved only much later. Indeed, body size evolution in castoroids follows a directional drift. Beavers obey Cope's rule, a selection for larger size over time that appears associated with semi-aquatic ecology and may well explain their low modern diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J. M. Calede
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University at Marion, 1459 Mount Vernon Avenue, Marion, OH 43302, USA
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9
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Scarpitti EA, Calede JJM. Ecological correlates of the morphology of the auditory bulla in rodents: Application to the fossil record. J Anat 2022; 240:647-668. [PMID: 34747041 PMCID: PMC8930836 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
For rodents, hearing is essential to survival. It enables predator evasion, prey detection, and conspecific recognition; it is also likely to be constrained by the physical environment. The resulting hypothetical link between tympanic bulla morphology and ecology has never been investigated across a broad array of rodent species before. Such link may enable the determination of the ecological affinities of many fossil species only known from partial skulls. In this study, we used geometric morphometrics to quantify the shape of the auditory bulla of 197 specimens representing 91 species from 17 families of extant rodents across four different locomotory modes. We used landmarks and semi-landmarks on the ventral and lateral views of the skull to capture morphological characteristics of the bulla and external auditory meatus (EAM). Our results demonstrate an association between bullar morphology and locomotion in rodents. Bullar shape enables the correct classification of 76% of the species in our training set. Fossorial taxa, in particular, show a characteristic morphology including an asymmetric bulla with a dorsally located and laterally expanded EAM that has a small opening diameter. A phylogenetically informed flexible discriminant analysis shows a weak phylogenetic effect on tympanic morphology. There is no evidence for differences in bullar hypertrophy across locomotory categories. The application of this approach to select fossil rodents from the Oligo-Miocene shows broad agreements with prior studies and yields new locomotory inferences for 14 fossil species, including the first proposed locomotion for members of the family Florentiamyidae. Such results call for the timing of burrowing diversification in rodents to be reevaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jonathan J. M. Calede
- School of Earth SciencesThe Ohio State UniversityColumbusOhioUSA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal BiologyThe Ohio State UniversityMarionOhioUSA
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10
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Corenblit D, Corbara B, Steiger J. Biogeomorphological eco-evolutionary feedback between life and geomorphology: a theoretical framework using fossorial mammals. Naturwissenschaften 2021; 108:55. [PMID: 34661745 DOI: 10.1007/s00114-021-01760-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Engineer organisms not only adapt to pre-existing environmental conditions but also co-construct their physical environment. By doing so, they can subsequently change selection pressures for themselves and other species, as well as change community and ecosystem structures and functions. Focusing on one representative example, i.e., fossorial mammals, we show that geomorphological Earth system components are crucial for understanding and quantifying links between evolutionary and ecosystem dynamics and that feedbacks between geomorphology and engineer organisms constitute a major driver of geomorphological organization on the Earth's surface. We propose a biogeomorphological eco-evolutionary feedback synthesis from the gene to the landscape where eco-evolutionary feedbacks are mediated by the geomorphological dimensions of a niche that are affected by engineer organisms, such as fossorial mammals. Our concept encompasses (i) the initial responses of fossorial mammals to environmental constraints that enhance the evolution of their morphological and biomechanical traits for digging in the soil; (ii) specific adaptations of engineer fossorial mammals (morphological, biomechanical, physiological and behavioural feedback traits for living in burrows) to their constructed geomorphological environment; and (iii) ecological and evolutionary feedbacks diffusing at the community and ecological levels. Such a new perspective in geomorphology may lead to a better conceptualization and analysis of Earth surface processes and landforms as parts of complex adaptive systems in which Darwinian selection processes at lower landscape levels lead to self-organization of higher-level landforms and landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dov Corenblit
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, GEOLAB, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
- Université de Toulouse, CNRS, Laboratoire Écologie Fonctionnelle et Environnement, 31062, Toulouse, France.
| | - Bruno Corbara
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, LMGE, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Johannes Steiger
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, GEOLAB, 63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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11
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Calede JJM, Brown A. Sexual dimorphism in cranial shape and size in geomyoid rodents: multivariate and evolutionary perspectives. Curr Zool 2021; 68:469-488. [PMID: 36090141 PMCID: PMC9450181 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Geomyoid rodents provide a great study system for the analysis of sexual dimorphism. They are polygynic and many inhabit harsh arid environments thought to promote sexual dimorphism. In fact, there has been extensive work published on the sexual size dimorphism of individual populations and species within this rodent clade. However, little work has been undertaken to assess the evolutionary patterns and processes associated with this sexual dimorphism. We use multivariate analyses of cranial measurements in a phylogenetic framework to determine the distribution of size and shape dimorphism among geomyoids and test for Rensch’s rule. Our results suggest that sexual dimorphism is more common in geomyids than heteromyids, but it is not in fact universal. There is evidence for variation in sexual dimorphism across populations. Additionally, in many taxa, geographic variation appears to overwhelm existing sexual dimorphism. We find support for the repeated independent evolution of shape and size dimorphism across geomyoid taxa, but we do not find support for an association between size and shape dimorphism. There is no evidence for Rensch’s rule in geomyoids, whether at the superfamily or family level. Together, our findings suggest that there is no single explanation for the evolution of sexual dimorphism in geomyoids and that, instead, it is the product of numerous evolutionary events. Future studies incorporating phylogenetic relationships will be necessary to paint a more complete picture of the evolution of sexual dimorphism in geomyoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J M Calede
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, 318 W. 12th Ave., 300 Aronoff Laboratory, Columbus, OH 43210, USA and
- The Ohio State University at Marion, 1459 Mount Vernon Avenue, Marion, OH 43302, USA
| | - Andrew Brown
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, 318 W. 12th Ave., 300 Aronoff Laboratory, Columbus, OH 43210, USA and
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12
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Alhajeri BH. Desmodilliscus braueri crania compared to Pachyuromys duprasi (Desmodilliscini, Gerbillinae, Rodentia). MAMMALIA 2021. [DOI: 10.1515/mammalia-2021-0036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Molecular phylogenies support the monophyly of Desmodilliscus braueri and Pachyuromys duprasi as a clade basally split from all other gerbillines. While this monophyly supports their placement in a single tribe (Desmodilliscini), no morphological synapomorphies exist among desmodilliscines. This study compares the scale-independent cranial shapes of these two species using geometric morphometrics to determine how they differ and/or converge. Tribal synapomorphies, should they exist, may appear as interspecifically invariable cranial regions. No such invariable cranial regions were detected. The two species significantly differed in cranial size and shape. A small part of shape variation was allometric, with a weak unique allometric effect. No sexual size nor shape dimorphism was found. The sister taxa greatly differed in almost all cranial features, with Pachyuromys (when compared to Desmodilliscus) having a larger-sized cranium, with a larger bulla and suprameatal triangle, a more posteriorly placed palatine foramina, and more anteriorly shifted (and reduced) rostral cranial structures, due to being crowded by the hypertrophied bulla. Cranial variation patterns are consistent with the literature. The extreme morphological divergence among these species is explained by the distant divergence time and ecological differences. Absence of cranial shape synapomorphies does not preclude synapomorphies in other craniodental morphological features (e.g., detailed morphology of the dentition and cranial foramina) or in other morphological structures, such as the postcranial skeleton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bader H. Alhajeri
- Department of Biological Sciences , Kuwait University , Safat, 13060 , Kuwait
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13
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Kalthoff DC, Mörs T. Biomechanical adaptations for burrowing in the incisor enamel microstructure of Geomyidae and Heteromyidae (Rodentia: Geomyoidea). Ecol Evol 2021; 11:9447-9459. [PMID: 34306634 PMCID: PMC8293781 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The enamel microstructure of fossil and extant Geomyoidea (Geomyidae, Heteromyidae) lower incisors incorporates three- or two-layered schmelzmusters with uniserial, transverse Hunter-Schreger bands having parallel and perpendicular or exclusively perpendicular oriented interprismatic matrix. Phylogenetically, these schmelzmusters are regarded as moderately (enamel type 2) to highly derived (enamel type 3). Our analysis detected a zone of modified radial enamel close to the enamel-dentine junction. Modified radial enamel shows a strong phylogenetic signal within the clade Geomorpha as it is restricted to fossil and extant Geomyoidea and absent in Heliscomyidae, Florentiamyidae, and Eomyidae. This character dates back to at least the early Oligocene (early Arikareean, 29 Ma), where it occurs in entoptychine gophers. We contend that this specialized incisor enamel architecture developed as a biomechanical adaptation to regular burrowing activities including chisel-tooth digging and a fiber-rich diet and was probably present in the common ancestor of the clade. We regard the occurrence of modified radial enamel in lower incisors of scratch-digging Geomyidae and Heteromyidae as the retention of a plesiomorphic character that is selectively neutral. The shared occurrence of modified radial enamel is a strong, genetically anchored argument for the close phylogenetic relationship of Geomyidae and Heteromyidae on the dental microstructure level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Thomas Mörs
- Department of PalaeobiologySwedish Museum of Natural HistoryStockholmSweden
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14
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Locomotor Behavior and Body Mass of Paramys delicatus (Ischyromyidae, Rodentia) and Commentary on Other Early North American Paramyines. J MAMM EVOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-020-09523-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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15
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Dura O AF, Muñoz-Muñoz F, Ventura J. Three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of the humerus: Comparative postweaning ontogeny between fossorial and semiaquatic water voles (Arvicola). J Morphol 2020; 281:1679-1692. [PMID: 33037838 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 09/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Different types of locomotion in phylogenetically close rodent species can lead to significantly different growth patterns of certain skeletal structures. In the present study, we compared the allometric and phenotypic trajectories of the humerus in semiaquatic (Arvicola sapidus) and fossorial (Arvicola scherman) water vole taxa, using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics, to investigate the relationships between functional and ontogenetic differences. Results revealed shared humerus traits between A. sapidus and A. scherman, specifically an expansion of the epicondylar and deltopectoral crests along postnatal ontogeny. In both species, the humerus of young specimens is more robust than in adults, possibly as a compensatory response for lower bone stiffness. However, significant interspecific differences were detected in all components of allometric and phenotypic trajectories. Noticeably divergent allometric trajectories were observed, probably as a result of different functional pressures exerted on this bone. Important differences in the form of the adult humerus between taxa were also found, particularly in features located in muscle insertion zones. Furthermore, the allometric regression revealed certain shape variation not associated with size in A. scherman, suggesting mechanical stress produced by the persistent digging activity during adulthood. A. scherman is a chisel-tooth digger that shares several traits in the humerus morphology with scratch-digger rodent species. Nevertheless, these shared characteristics are less pronounced in fossorial water voles, which is congruent with the different implications of the forelimb in the digging activity in these two types of diggers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Filipa Dura O
- Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Francesc Muñoz-Muñoz
- Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jacint Ventura
- Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia, Facultat de Biociències, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
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16
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Weaver LN, Grossnickle DM. Functional diversity of small-mammal postcrania is linked to both substrate preference and body size. Curr Zool 2020; 66:539-553. [PMID: 33293932 PMCID: PMC7705507 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoaa057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Selective pressures favor morphologies that are adapted to distinct ecologies, resulting in trait partitioning among ecomorphotypes. However, the effects of these selective pressures vary across taxa, especially because morphology is also influenced by factors such as phylogeny, body size, and functional trade-offs. In this study, we examine how these factors impact functional diversification in mammals. It has been proposed that trait partitioning among mammalian ecomorphotypes is less pronounced at small body sizes due to biomechanical, energetic, and environmental factors that favor a “generalist” body plan, whereas larger taxa exhibit more substantial functional adaptations. We title this the Divergence Hypothesis (DH) because it predicts greater morphological divergence among ecomorphotypes at larger body sizes. We test DH by using phylogenetic comparative methods to examine the postcranial skeletons of 129 species of taxonomically diverse, small-to-medium-sized (<15 kg) mammals, which we categorize as either “tree-dwellers” or “ground-dwellers.” In some analyses, the morphologies of ground-dwellers and tree-dwellers suggest greater between-group differentiation at larger sizes, providing some evidence for DH. However, this trend is neither particularly strong nor supported by all analyses. Instead, a more pronounced pattern emerges that is distinct from the predictions of DH: within-group phenotypic disparity increases with body size in both ground-dwellers and tree-dwellers, driven by morphological outliers among “medium”-sized mammals. Thus, evolutionary increases in body size are more closely linked to increases in within-locomotor-group disparity than to increases in between-group disparity. We discuss biomechanical and ecological factors that may drive these evolutionary patterns, and we emphasize the significant evolutionary influences of ecology and body size on phenotypic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas N Weaver
- Department of Biology, Life Sciences Building, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - David M Grossnickle
- Department of Biology, Life Sciences Building, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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17
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Janis CM, Martín-Serra A. Postcranial elements of small mammals as indicators of locomotion and habitat. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9634. [PMID: 32953256 PMCID: PMC7474524 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies have shown a correlation between postcranial anatomy and locomotor behavior in mammals, but the postcrania of small mammals (<5 kg) is often considered to be uninformative of their mode of locomotion due to their more generalized overall anatomy. Such small body size was true of all mammals during the Mesozoic. Anatomical correlates of locomotor behavior are easier to determine in larger mammals, but useful information can be obtained from the smaller ones. Limb bone proportions (e.g., brachial index) can be useful locomotor indicators; but complete skeletons, or even complete long bones, are rare for Mesozoic mammals, although isolated articular surfaces are often preserved. Here we examine the correlation of the morphology of long bone joint anatomy (specifically articular surfaces) and locomotor behavior in extant small mammals and demonstrate that such anatomy may be useful for determining the locomotor mode of Mesozoic mammals, at least for the therian mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine M. Janis
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, Avon, UK
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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18
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Evolution of woodcutting behaviour in Early Pliocene beaver driven by consumption of woody plants. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13111. [PMID: 32753594 PMCID: PMC7403313 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70164-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Modern beavers (Castor) are prolific ecosystem engineers and dramatically alter the landscape through tree harvesting and dam building. Little is known, however, about the evolutionary drivers of their woodcutting behaviour. Here we investigate if early woodcutting behaviour in Castoridae was driven by nutritional needs. We measured stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) of coeval subfossil plants and beaver collagen (Dipoides sp.) from the Early Pliocene, High Arctic Beaver Pond fossil locality (Ellesmere Island), in order to reconstruct Dipoides sp. diet. Isotopic evidence indicates a diet of woody plants and freshwater macrophytes, supporting the hypothesis that this extinct semiaquatic beaver engaged in woodcutting behaviour for feeding purposes. In a phylogenetic context, the isotopic evidence implies that woodcutting and consumption of woody plants can be traced back to a small-bodied, semiaquatic Miocene castorid, suggesting that beavers have been consuming woody plants for over 20 million years. We propose that the behavioural complex (swimming, woodcutting, and consuming woody plants) preceded and facilitated the evolution of dam building. Dam building and food caching behaviours appear to be specializations for cold winter survival and may have evolved in response to late Neogene northern cooling.
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Guerrero-Arenas R, Jiménez-Hidalgo E, Genise JF. Burrow systems evince non-solitary geomyid rodents from the Paleogene of southern Mexico. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230040. [PMID: 32163482 PMCID: PMC7067467 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a new complex burrow system produced by geomyids in southern Mexico. Yaviichnus inyooensis igen. isp. nov. is composed of main large chambers near the top of the paleosol, from which shafts showing different morphologies and orientations radiate, some of them ending in or connected to small deeper chambers. Gregorymys spp. is proposed as the producer based on its fossorial habits, abundance in the outcrops, presence of remains inside the burrows, and paired grooves in the walls, which are compatible with the traces of geomyid incisors. The complexity of these burrows attests to an extended underground life that would have been triggered by semiarid to arid conditions. Morphological complexity also suggests that the burrows were excavated and inhabited by more than one individual, indicating that Oligocene Gregorymys of southern Mexico would be a unique gregarious geomyid.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jorge Fernando Genise
- CONICET, División Icnología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Postnatal development of the largest subterranean mammal (Bathyergus suillus): Morphology, osteogenesis, and modularity of the appendicular skeleton. Dev Dyn 2019; 248:1101-1128. [DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.81] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Revised: 06/24/2019] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
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