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Jónsdóttir GÓ, von Elm LM, Ingimarsson F, Tersigni S, Snorrason SS, Pálsson A, Steele SE. Diversity in the internal functional feeding elements of sympatric morphs of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus). PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300359. [PMID: 38771821 PMCID: PMC11108142 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The diversity of functional feeding anatomy is particularly impressive in fishes and correlates with various interspecific ecological specializations. Intraspecific polymorphism can manifest in divergent feeding morphology and ecology, often along a benthic-pelagic axis. Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) is a freshwater salmonid known for morphological variation and sympatric polymorphism and in Lake Þingvallavatn, Iceland, four morphs of charr coexist that differ in preferred prey, behaviour, habitat use, and external feeding morphology. We studied variation in six upper and lower jaw bones in adults of these four morphs using geometric morphometrics and univariate statistics. We tested for allometric differences in bone size and shape among morphs, morph effects on bone size and shape, and divergence along the benthic-pelagic axis. We also examined the degree of integration between bone pairs. We found differences in bone size between pelagic and benthic morphs for two bones (dentary and premaxilla). There was clear bone shape divergence along a benthic-pelagic axis in four bones (dentary, articular-angular, premaxilla and maxilla), as well as allometric shape differences between morphs in the dentary. Notably for the dentary, morph explained more shape variation than bone size. Comparatively, benthic morphs possess a compact and taller dentary, with shorter dentary palate, consistent with visible (but less prominent) differences in external morphology. As these morphs emerged in the last 10,000 years, these results indicate rapid functional evolution of specific feeding structures in arctic charr. This sets the stage for studies of the genetics and development of rapid and parallel craniofacial evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura-Marie von Elm
- Institute of Life- and Environmental Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | | | - Samuel Tersigni
- Institute of Life- and Environmental Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | | | - Arnar Pálsson
- Institute of Life- and Environmental Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
| | - Sarah Elizabeth Steele
- Institute of Life- and Environmental Science, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland
- Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Canada
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Rader JA, Hedrick TL. Morphological evolution of bird wings follows a mechanical sensitivity gradient determined by the aerodynamics of flapping flight. Nat Commun 2023; 14:7494. [PMID: 37980422 PMCID: PMC10657351 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43108-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The physical principles that govern the function of biological structures also mediate their evolution, but the evolutionary drivers of morphological traits within complex structures can be difficult to predict. Here, we use morphological traits measured from 1096 3-dimensional bird wing scans from 178 species to test the interaction of two frameworks for relating morphology to evolution. We examine whether the evolutionary rate (σ2) and mode is dominated by the modular organization of the wing into handwing and armwing regions, and/or the relationship between trait morphology and functional output (i.e. mechanical sensitivity, driven here by flapping flight aerodynamics). Our results support discretization of the armwing and handwing as morphological modules, but morphological disparity and σ2 varied continuously with the mechanical sensitivity gradient and were not modular. Thus, mechanical sensitivity should be considered an independent and fundamental driver of evolutionary dynamics in biomechanical traits, distinct from morphological modularity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan A Rader
- Dept. of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
| | - Tyson L Hedrick
- Dept. of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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Law CJ, Blackwell EA, Curtis AA, Dickinson E, Hartstone-Rose A, Santana SE. Decoupled evolution of the cranium and mandible in carnivoran mammals. Evolution 2022; 76:2959-2974. [PMID: 35875871 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/17/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The relationship between skull morphology and diet is a prime example of adaptive evolution. In mammals, the skull consists of the cranium and the mandible. Although the mandible is expected to evolve more directly in response to dietary changes, dietary regimes may have less influence on the cranium because additional sensory and brain-protection functions may impose constraints on its morphological evolution. Here, we tested this hypothesis by comparing the evolutionary patterns of cranium and mandible shape and size across 100+ species of carnivoran mammals with distinct feeding ecologies. Our results show decoupled modes of evolution in cranial and mandibular shape; cranial shape follows clade-based evolutionary shifts, whereas mandibular shape evolution is linked to broad dietary regimes. These results are consistent with previous hypotheses regarding hierarchical morphological evolution in carnivorans and greater evolutionary lability of the mandible with respect to diet. Furthermore, in hypercarnivores, the evolution of both cranial and mandibular size is associated with relative prey size. This demonstrates that dietary diversity can be loosely structured by craniomandibular size within some guilds. Our results suggest that mammal skull morphological evolution is shaped by mechanisms beyond dietary adaptation alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris J Law
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, 78712.,Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98105.,Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98105.,Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, 10024.,Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, 10024.,Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, 10024
| | - Emily A Blackwell
- Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, 10024.,Department of Mammalogy, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, 10024.,Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, 10024.,Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, 01063
| | - Abigail A Curtis
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98105.,Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98105
| | - Edwin Dickinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695.,Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York, New York, 11545
| | - Adam Hartstone-Rose
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695
| | - Sharlene E Santana
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98105.,Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, 98105
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Carlig E, Christiansen JS, Di Blasi D, Ferrando S, Pisano E, Vacchi M, O’Driscoll RL, Ghigliotti L. Midtrophic fish feeding modes at the poles: an ecomorphological comparison of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica). Polar Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-021-02900-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and the Antarctic silverfish (Pleuragramma antarctica) are pelagic fish endemic to the Arctic and Antarctica sea, respectively. Both species are abundant and play a central role as midtrophic wasp-waist species in polar ecosystems. Due to their biological and ecological characteristics (small size, complex life histories, relatively short generation cycles, movement capability, planktivorous diet, and importance as prey), the polar cod and the Antarctic silverfish are potentially good sentinels of ecosystem change. Changes in polar zooplankton communities are well documented. How changes impact ecosystems as a whole largely depend on the degree of diet specialization and feeding flexibility of midtrophic species. Here, we provide the ecomorphological characterization of polar cod and Antarctic silverfish feeding performances. A comparative functional ecology approach, based on the analysis of morpho-anatomical traits, including calculation of suction index and mechanical advantage in jaw closing, was applied to profile the feeding modes and flexibility of the two species. Ecomorphological evidence supports differences in food acquisition: the polar cod appears able to alternate particulate ram-suction feeding to a pump filter feeding, and the Antarctic silverfish results be both a particulate ram and a tow-net filter feeder. Both species exhibit opportunistic feeding strategies and appear able to switch feeding mode according to the abundance and size of the available prey, which is a clue of potential resilience to a changing environment.
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Deban SM, Holzman R, Müller UK. Suction Feeding by Small Organisms: Performance Limits in Larval Vertebrates and Carnivorous Plants. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:852-863. [PMID: 32658970 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Suction feeding has evolved independently in two highly disparate animal and plant systems, aquatic vertebrates and carnivorous bladderworts. We review the suction performance of animal and plant suction feeders to explore biomechanical performance limits for aquatic feeders based on morphology and kinematics, in the context of current knowledge of suction feeding. While vertebrates have the greatest diversity and size range of suction feeders, bladderworts are the smallest and fastest known suction feeders. Body size has profound effects on aquatic organismal function, including suction feeding, particularly in the intermediate flow regime that tiny organisms can experience. A minority of tiny organisms suction feed, consistent with model predictions that generating effective suction flow is less energetically efficient and also requires more flow-rate specific power at small size. Although the speed of suction flows generally increases with body and gape size, some specialized tiny plant and animal predators generate suction flows greater than those of suction feeders 100 times larger. Bladderworts generate rapid flow via high-energy and high-power elastic recoil and suction feed for nutrients (relying on photosynthesis for energy). Small animals may be limited by available muscle energy and power, although mouth protrusion can offset the performance cost of not generating high suction pressure. We hypothesize that both the high energetic costs and high power requirements of generating rapid suction flow shape the biomechanics of small suction feeders, and that plants and animals have arrived at different solutions due in part to their different energy budgets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen M Deban
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of South Florida, 4202 E. Fowler Ave, SCA 110, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
| | - Roi Holzman
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel.,The Inter-University for Marine Sciences in Eilat, Israel
| | - Ulrike K Müller
- Department of Biology, California State University Fresno, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
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