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Cross SRR, Marmol-Guijarro AC, Bates KT, Marrin JC, Tickle PG, Rose KA, Codd JR. Testing the form-function paradigm: body shape correlates with kinematics but not energetics in selectively-bred birds. Commun Biol 2024; 7:900. [PMID: 39048787 PMCID: PMC11269648 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06592-w] [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: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
A central concept of evolutionary biology, supported by broad scale allometric analyses, asserts that changing morphology should induce downstream changes in locomotor kinematics and energetics, and by inference selective fitness. However, if these mechanistic relationships exist at local intraspecific scales, where they could provide substrate for fundamental microevolutionary processes, is unknown. Here, analyses of selectively-bred duck breeds demonstrate that distinct body shapes incur kinematic shifts during walking, but these do not translate into differences in energetics. A combination of modular relationships between anatomical regions, and a trade-off between limb flexion and trunk pitching, are shown to homogenise potential functional differences between the breeds, accounting for this discrepancy between form and function. This complex interplay between morphology, motion and physiology indicates that understanding evolutionary links between the avian body plan and locomotor diversity requires studying locomotion as an integrated whole and not key anatomical innovations in isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel R R Cross
- Department of Musculoskeletal & Ageing Science, Institute of Life Course & Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, William Henry Duncan Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK.
| | - Andres C Marmol-Guijarro
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108, Halle, Germany
- 3Diversity, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Karl T Bates
- Department of Musculoskeletal & Ageing Science, Institute of Life Course & Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, William Henry Duncan Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK
| | - John C Marrin
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Peter G Tickle
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Kayleigh A Rose
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, Wales, UK
| | - Jonathan R Codd
- Faculty of Biology, Medicine & Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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von Baczko MB, Zariwala J, Ballentine SE, Desojo JB, Hutchinson JR. Biomechanical modeling of musculoskeletal function related to the terrestrial locomotion of Riojasuchus tenuisceps (Archosauria: Ornithosuchidae). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024. [PMID: 38943347 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/11/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
Riojasuchus tenuisceps was a pseudosuchian archosaur from the Late Triassic period in Argentina. Like other ornithosuchids, it had unusual morphology such as a unique "crocodile-reversed" ankle joint, a lesser trochanter as in dinosaurs and a few other archosaurs, robust vertebrae, and somewhat shortened, gracile forelimbs. Such traits have fuelled controversies about its locomotor function-were its limbs erect or "semi-erect"? Was it quadrupedal or bipedal, or a mixture thereof? These controversies seem to persist because analyses have been qualitative (functional morphology) or correlative (morphometrics) rather than explicitly, quantitatively testing mechanistic hypotheses about locomotor function. Here, we develop a 3D whole-body model of R. tenuisceps with the musculoskeletal apparatus of the hindlimbs represented in detail using a new muscle reconstruction. We use this model to quantify the body dimensions and hindlimb muscle leverages of this enigmatic taxon, and to estimate joint ranges of motion and qualitative joint functions. Our model supports prior arguments that R. tenuisceps used an erect posture, parasagittal gait and plantigrade pes. However, some of our inferences illuminate the rather contradictory nature of evidence from the musculoskeletal system of R. tenuisceps-different features support (or are ambiguous regarding) quadrupedalism or bipedalism. Deeper analyses of our biomechanical model could move toward a consensus regarding ornithosuchid locomotion. Answering these questions would not only help understand the palaeobiology and bizarre morphology of this clade, but also more broadly if (or how) locomotor abilities played a role in the survival versus extinction of various archosaur lineages during the end-Triassic mass extinction event.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Belen von Baczko
- Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Juned Zariwala
- Structure & Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, College of Health and Sciences, University of Lincoln, Brayford Pool Campus, Lincoln, UK
| | - Sarah Elizabeth Ballentine
- Structure & Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK
| | - Julia B Desojo
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- División Paleontología Vertebrados, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, La Plata, Argentina
| | - John R Hutchinson
- Structure & Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, UK
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Matsui T. Epidermal Barrier Development via Corneoptosis: A Unique Form of Cell Death in Stratum Granulosum Cells. J Dev Biol 2023; 11:43. [PMID: 38132711 PMCID: PMC10744242 DOI: 10.3390/jdb11040043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Epidermal development is responsible for the formation of the outermost layer of the skin, the epidermis. The establishment of the epidermal barrier is a critical aspect of mammalian development. Proper formation of the epidermis, which is composed of stratified squamous epithelial cells, is essential for the survival of terrestrial vertebrates because it acts as a crucial protective barrier against external threats such as pathogens, toxins, and physical trauma. In mammals, epidermal development begins from the embryonic surface ectoderm, which gives rise to the basal layer of the epidermis. This layer undergoes a series of complex processes that lead to the formation of subsequent layers, including the stratum intermedium, stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, and stratum corneum. The stratum corneum, which is the topmost layer of the epidermis, is formed by corneoptosis, a specialized form of cell death. This process involves the transformation of epidermal keratinocytes in the granular layer into flattened dead cells, which constitute the protective barrier. In this review, we focus on the intricate mechanisms that drive the development and establishment of the mammalian epidermis to gain insight into the complex processes that govern this vital biological system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takeshi Matsui
- Laboratory for Evolutionary Cell Biology of the Skin, School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo University of Technology, 1404-1, Katakura-cho, Tokyo 192-0982, Japan
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Macaulay S, Hoehfurtner T, Cross SRR, Marek RD, Hutchinson JR, Schachner ER, Maher AE, Bates KT. Decoupling body shape and mass distribution in birds and their dinosaurian ancestors. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1575. [PMID: 36949094 PMCID: PMC10033513 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37317-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/24/2023] Open
Abstract
It is accepted that non-avian theropod dinosaurs, with their long muscular tails and small forelimbs, had a centre-of-mass close to the hip, while extant birds, with their reduced tails and enlarged wings have their mass centred more cranially. Transition between these states is considered crucial to two key innovations in the avian locomotor system: crouched bipedalism and powered flight. Here we use image-based models to challenge this dichotomy. Rather than a phylogenetic distinction between 'dinosaurian' and 'avian' conditions, we find terrestrial versus volant taxa occupy distinct regions of centre-of-mass morphospace consistent with the disparate demands of terrestrial bipedalism and flight. We track this decoupled evolution of body shape and mass distribution through bird evolution, including the origin of centre-of-mass positions more advantageous for flight and major reversions coincident with terrestriality. We recover modularity in the evolution of limb proportions and centre-of-mass that suggests fully crouched bipedalism evolved after powered flight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Macaulay
- Department of Musculoskeletal & Ageing Science, Institute of Life Course & Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, William Henry Duncan Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK
| | - Tatjana Hoehfurtner
- Department of Musculoskeletal & Ageing Science, Institute of Life Course & Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, William Henry Duncan Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Green Lane, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, UK
| | - Samuel R R Cross
- Department of Musculoskeletal & Ageing Science, Institute of Life Course & Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, William Henry Duncan Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK
| | - Ryan D Marek
- Department of Cell & Development Biology, Division of Biosciences, University College London, Anatomy Building, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - John R Hutchinson
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, UK
| | - Emma R Schachner
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA
| | - Alice E Maher
- Department of Musculoskeletal & Ageing Science, Institute of Life Course & Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, William Henry Duncan Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK
| | - Karl T Bates
- Department of Musculoskeletal & Ageing Science, Institute of Life Course & Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, William Henry Duncan Building, 6 West Derby Street, Liverpool, L7 8TX, UK.
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Demuth OE, Wiseman ALA, Hutchinson JR. Quantitative biomechanical assessment of locomotor capabilities of the stem archosaur Euparkeria capensis. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221195. [PMID: 36704253 PMCID: PMC9874271 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Birds and crocodylians are the only remaining members of Archosauria (ruling reptiles) and they exhibit major differences in posture and gait, which are polar opposites in terms of locomotor strategies. Their broader lineages (Avemetatarsalia and Pseudosuchia) evolved a multitude of locomotor modes in the Triassic and Jurassic periods, including several occurrences of bipedalism. The exact timings and frequencies of bipedal origins within archosaurs, and thus their ancestral capabilities, are contentious. It is often suggested that archosaurs ancestrally exhibited some form of bipedalism. Euparkeria capensis is a central taxon for the investigation of locomotion in archosaurs due to its phylogenetic position and intermediate skeletal morphology, and is argued to be representative of facultative bipedalism in this group. However, no studies to date have biomechanically tested if bipedality was feasible in Eupakeria. Here, we use musculoskeletal models and static simulations in its hindlimb to test the influences of body posture and muscle parameter estimation methods on locomotor potential. Our analyses show that the resulting negative pitching moments around the centre of mass were prohibitive to sustainable bipedality. We conclude that it is unlikely that Euparkeria was facultatively bipedal, and was probably quadrupedal, rendering the inference of ancestral bipedal abilities in Archosauria unlikely.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver E. Demuth
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, UK
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ashleigh L. A. Wiseman
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, UK
- McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - John R. Hutchinson
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hatfield, UK
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