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Marcy AE, Mitchell DR, Guillerme T, Phillips MJ, Weisbecker V. Beyond CREA: Evolutionary patterns of non-allometric shape variation and divergence in a highly allometric clade of murine rodents. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11588. [PMID: 38952651 PMCID: PMC11213820 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 05/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The shared functions of the skull are thought to result in common evolutionary patterns in mammalian cranial shape. Craniofacial evolutionary allometry (CREA) is a particularly prominent pattern where larger species display proportionally elongate facial skeletons and smaller braincases. It was recently proposed that CREA arises from biomechanical effects of cranial scaling when diets are similar. Thus, deviations from CREA should occur with changes in cranial biomechanics, for example due to dietary change. Here, we test this using 3D geometric morphometric analysis in a dataset of Australian murine crania, which are highly allometric. We contrast allometric and non-allometric variation in the cranium by comparing evolutionary mode, allometry, ordinations, as well as allometry, integration, and modularity in functional modules. We found evidence of stabilising selection in allometry-containing and size-free shape, and substantial non-allometric variation aligned with dietary specialisation in parallel with CREA. Integration among cranial modules was higher, and modularity lower, with size included, but integration between rostrum and cranial vault, which are involved in the CREA pattern, dropped dramatically after size removal. Our results thus support the hypothesis that CREA is a composite arising from selection on cranial function, with substantial non-allometric shape variation occurring alongside CREA where dietary specialisation impacts selection on gnawing function. This emphasises the need to research mammalian cranial evolution in the context of allometric and non-allometric selection on biomechanical function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel E. Marcy
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Science ConnectCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - D. Rex Mitchell
- College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityBedford ParkSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | | | - Matthew J. Phillips
- School of Biology and Environmental ScienceQueensland University of TechnologyBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Vera Weisbecker
- College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityBedford ParkSouth AustraliaAustralia
- Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and HeritageWollongongAustralia
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2
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Tse YT, Miller CV, Pittman M. Morphological disparity and structural performance of the dromaeosaurid skull informs ecology and evolutionary history. BMC Ecol Evol 2024; 24:39. [PMID: 38622512 PMCID: PMC11020771 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02222-5] [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: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Non-avialan theropod dinosaurs had diverse ecologies and varied skull morphologies. Previous studies of theropod cranial morphology mostly focused on higher-level taxa or characteristics associated with herbivory. To better understand morphological disparity and function within carnivorous theropod families, here we focus on the Dromaeosauridae, 'raptors' traditionally seen as agile carnivorous hunters.We applied 2D geometric morphometrics to quantify skull shape, performed mechanical advantage analysis to assess the efficiency of bite force transfer, and performed finite element analysis to examine strain distribution in the skull during biting. We find that dromaeosaurid skull morphology was less disparate than most non-avialan theropod groups. Their skulls show a continuum of form between those that are tall and short and those that are flat and long. We hypothesise that this narrower morphological disparity indicates developmental constraint on skull shape, as observed in some mammalian families. Mechanical advantage indicates that Dromaeosaurus albertensis and Deinonychus antirrhopus were adapted for relatively high bite forces, while Halszkaraptor escuilliei was adapted for high bite speed, and other dromaeosaurids for intermediate bite forces and speeds. Finite element analysis indicates regions of high strain are consistent within dromaeosaurid families but differ between them. Average strain levels do not follow any phylogenetic pattern, possibly due to ecological convergence between distantly-related taxa.Combining our new morphofunctional data with a re-evaluation of previous evidence, we find piscivorous reconstructions of Halszkaraptor escuilliei to be unlikely, and instead suggest an invertivorous diet and possible adaptations for feeding in murky water or other low-visibility conditions. We support Deinonychus antirrhopus as being adapted for taking large vertebrate prey, but we find that its skull is relatively less resistant to bite forces than other dromaeosaurids. Given the recovery of high bite force resistance for Velociraptor mongoliensis, which is believed to have regularly engaged in scavenging behaviour, we suggest that higher bite force resistance in a dromaeosaurid taxon may reflect a greater reliance on scavenging rather than fresh kills.Comparisons to the troodontid Gobivenator mongoliensis suggest that a gracile rostrum like that of Velociraptor mongoliensis is ancestral to their closest common ancestor (Deinonychosauria) and the robust rostra of Dromaeosaurus albertensis and Deinonychus antirrhopus are a derived condition. Gobivenator mongoliensis also displays a higher jaw mechanical advantage and lower resistance to bite force than the examined dromaeosaurids, but given the hypothesised ecological divergence of troodontids from dromaeosaurids it is unclear which group, if either, represents the ancestral condition. Future work extending sampling to troodontids would therefore be invaluable and provide much needed context to the origin of skull form and function in early birds. This study illustrates how skull shape and functional metrics can discern non-avialan theropod ecology at lower taxonomic levels and identify variants of carnivorous feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuen Ting Tse
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Case Vincent Miller
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Michael Pittman
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR, China.
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3
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Mitchell DR, Sherratt E, Weisbecker V. Facing the facts: adaptive trade-offs along body size ranges determine mammalian craniofacial scaling. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:496-524. [PMID: 38029779 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13032] [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: 03/27/2023] [Revised: 11/12/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian cranium (skull without lower jaw) is representative of mammalian diversity and is thus of particular interest to mammalian biologists across disciplines. One widely retrieved pattern accompanying mammalian cranial diversification is referred to as 'craniofacial evolutionary allometry' (CREA). This posits that adults of larger species, in a group of closely related mammals, tend to have relatively longer faces and smaller braincases. However, no process has been officially suggested to explain this pattern, there are many apparent exceptions, and its predictions potentially conflict with well-established biomechanical principles. Understanding the mechanisms behind CREA and causes for deviations from the pattern therefore has tremendous potential to explain allometry and diversification of the mammalian cranium. Here, we propose an amended framework to characterise the CREA pattern more clearly, in that 'longer faces' can arise through several kinds of evolutionary change, including elongation of the rostrum, retraction of the jaw muscles, or a more narrow or shallow skull, which all result in a generalised gracilisation of the facial skeleton with increased size. We define a standardised workflow to test for the presence of the pattern, using allometric shape predictions derived from geometric morphometrics analysis, and apply this to 22 mammalian families including marsupials, rabbits, rodents, bats, carnivores, antelopes, and whales. Our results show that increasing facial gracility with size is common, but not necessarily as ubiquitous as previously suggested. To address the mechanistic basis for this variation, we then review cranial adaptations for harder biting. These dictate that a more gracile cranium in larger species must represent a structural sacrifice in the ability to produce or withstand harder bites, relative to size. This leads us to propose that facial gracilisation in larger species is often a product of bite force allometry and phylogenetic niche conservatism, where more closely related species tend to exhibit more similar feeding ecology and biting behaviours and, therefore, absolute (size-independent) bite force requirements. Since larger species can produce the same absolute bite forces as smaller species with less effort, we propose that relaxed bite force demands can permit facial gracility in response to bone optimisation and alternative selection pressures. Thus, mammalian facial scaling represents an adaptive by-product of the shifting importance of selective pressures occurring with increased size. A reverse pattern of facial 'shortening' can accordingly also be found, and is retrieved in several cases here, where larger species incorporate novel feeding behaviours involving greater bite forces. We discuss multiple exceptions to a bite force-mediated influence on facial proportions across mammals which lead us to argue that ecomorphological specialisation of the cranium is likely to be the primary driver of facial scaling patterns, with some developmental constraints as possible secondary factors. A potential for larger species to have a wider range of cranial functions when less constrained by bite force demands might also explain why selection for larger sizes seems to be prevalent in some mammalian clades. The interplay between adaptation and constraint across size ranges thus presents an interesting consideration for a mechanistically grounded investigation of mammalian cranial allometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Rex Mitchell
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia
| | - Emma Sherratt
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
- South Australian Museum, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000, Australia
| | - Vera Weisbecker
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia
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Kuo PC, Navalón G, Benson RBJ, Field DJ. Macroevolutionary drivers of morphological disparity in the avian quadrate. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232250. [PMID: 38378144 PMCID: PMC10878815 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2250] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024] Open
Abstract
In birds, the quadrate connects the mandible and skull, and plays an important role in cranial kinesis. Avian quadrate morphology may therefore be assumed to have been influenced by selective pressures related to feeding ecology, yet large-scale variation in quadrate morphology and its potential relationship with ecology have never been quantitatively investigated. Here, we used geometric morphometrics and phylogenetic comparative methods to quantify morphological variation of the quadrate and its relationship with key ecological features across a wide phylogenetic sample. We found non-significant associations between quadrate shape and feeding ecology across different scales of phylogenetic comparison; indeed, allometry and phylogeny exhibit stronger relationships with quadrate shape than ecological features. We show that similar quadrate shapes are associated with widely varying dietary ecologies (one-to-many mapping), while divergent quadrate shapes are associated with similar dietary ecologies (many-to-one mapping). Moreover, we show that the avian quadrate evolves as an integrated unit and exhibits strong associations with the morphologies of neighbouring bones. Our results collectively illustrate that quadrate shape has evolved jointly with other elements of the avian kinetic system, with the major crown bird lineages exploring alternative quadrate morphologies, highlighting the potential diagnostic value of quadrate morphology in investigations of bird systematics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Chen Kuo
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - Guillermo Navalón
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
| | - Roger B. J. Benson
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, 3 S Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3AN, UK
- American Museum of Natural History, 200 Central Park West, New York, NY, USA
| | - Daniel J. Field
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EQ, UK
- Museum of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing St, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- Fossil Reptiles, Amphibians and Birds Section, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
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5
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Madrigal-Roca LJ. Assessing the predictive value of morphological traits on primary lifestyle of birds through the extreme gradient boosting algorithm. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0295182. [PMID: 38180970 PMCID: PMC10769058 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The relationship between morphological traits and ecological performance in birds is an important area of research, as it can help us to understand how birds are able to adapt and how they are affected by changes in their environment. Many studies have investigated the relationship between morphological traits and certain aspects of the performance and ecological niche of these animals. However, the relationship between morphological traits and the primary lifestyle of birds has not previously been explored. This paper aims to evaluate the predictive potential of morphological data to determine the primary lifestyle of birds through a tree-based machine learning algorithm. By doing this, it is also possible to evaluate these artificial categories that we used to split up birds and know whether they are suitable for dividing them in function of shared morphological characteristics or need a redefinition under more discriminant criteria. Supplementary dataset 1 of the AVONET project was used, which comprises the 11 morphological predictors used in this work and the classification according to the primary lifestyle for more than 95% of the existing bird species. For all morphological traits used, statistically significant univariate differences were found between primary lifestyles. The three fitted machine learning models showed high accuracy, in all cases above 78% and superior to the ones achieved through traditional approaches used as contrasts. The results obtained provide evidence that primary lifestyle can be predicted in birds based on morphological traits, as well as more insights about the relevance of functional traits for ecological modeling. This is another step forward in our mechanistic understanding of bird ecology, while exploring how birds have adapted to their environments and how they interact with their surroundings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Javier Madrigal-Roca
- Applied Genetic Group, Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Havana, Vedado, Havana, Cuba
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6
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Dickinson E, Young MW, Granatosky MC. Beakiation: how a novel parrot gait expands the locomotor repertoire of living birds. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231397. [PMID: 38298389 PMCID: PMC10827422 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024]
Abstract
Occupation of arboreal habitats poses myriad locomotor challenges, driving both anatomical and behavioural innovations across various tetrapod lineages. Here, we report and biomechanically assess a novel, beak-driven locomotor mode-'beakiation'-by which parrots advance along the underside of narrow arboreal substrates. Using high-speed videography and kinetic analyses, we describe the limb loading patterns and pendular mechanics of beakiation, and compare the biomechanical characteristics of this gait with other suspensory behaviours (namely, forelimb-driven brachiation and inverted quadrupedal walking). We report that the parrot beak experiences comparable force magnitudes (approx. 150% body weight in the normal plane; approx. 50% body weight in the fore-aft plane) to the forelimbs of brachiating primates. Parrot beakiation is also characterized by longer-than-expected pendular periods, similar to observations of gibbon brachiation. However, in terms of mechanical energy recovery, beakiation is typified by lower levels of energetic recovery than brachiating specialists: a product of its slower, more careful nature. The observation of this novel behaviour-which adds to a growing base of literature regarding beak-assisted locomotor strategies in birds-highlights the extraordinary behavioural plasticity of birds, the functional versatility of the avian beak, and the difficulties in reconstructing an animal's locomotor repertoire from morphological characteristics alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Dickinson
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, NY, USA
| | - Melody W. Young
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, NY, USA
| | - Michael C. Granatosky
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, NY, USA
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, NY, USA
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7
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Guillerme T, Bright JA, Cooney CR, Hughes EC, Varley ZK, Cooper N, Beckerman AP, Thomas GH. Innovation and elaboration on the avian tree of life. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadg1641. [PMID: 37878701 PMCID: PMC10599619 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adg1641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
Widely documented, megaevolutionary jumps in phenotypic diversity continue to perplex researchers because it remains unclear whether these marked changes can emerge from microevolutionary processes. Here, we tackle this question using new approaches for modeling multivariate traits to evaluate the magnitude and distribution of elaboration and innovation in the evolution of bird beaks. We find that elaboration, evolution along the major axis of phenotypic change, is common at both macro- and megaevolutionary scales, whereas innovation, evolution away from the major axis of phenotypic change, is more prominent at megaevolutionary scales. The major axis of phenotypic change among species beak shapes at megaevolutionary scales is an emergent property of innovation across clades. Our analyses suggest that the reorientation of phenotypes via innovation is a ubiquitous route for divergence that can arise through gradual change alone, opening up further avenues for evolution to explore.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Guillerme
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Jen A. Bright
- School of Natural Science, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX, UK
| | | | - Emma C. Hughes
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Zoë K. Varley
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, the Natural History Museum at Tring, Tring, UK
| | - Natalie Cooper
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | | | - Gavin H. Thomas
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
- Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, the Natural History Museum at Tring, Tring, UK
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8
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Marek RD, Felice RN. The neck as a keystone structure in avian macroevolution and mosaicism. BMC Biol 2023; 21:216. [PMID: 37833771 PMCID: PMC10576348 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01715-x] [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: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The origin of birds from non-avian theropod dinosaur ancestors required a comprehensive restructuring of the body plan to enable the evolution of powered flight. One of the proposed key mechanisms that allowed birds to acquire flight and modify the associated anatomical structures into diverse forms is mosaic evolution, which describes the parcelization of phenotypic traits into separate modules that evolve with heterogeneous tempo and mode. Avian mosaicism has been investigated with a focus on the cranial and appendicular skeleton, and as such, we do not understand the role of the axial column in avian macroevolution. The long, flexible neck of extant birds lies between the cranial and pectoral modules and represents an opportunity to study the contribution of the axial skeleton to avian mosaicism. RESULTS Here, we use 3D geometric morphometrics in tandem with phylogenetic comparative methods to provide, to our knowledge, the first integrative analysis of avian neck evolution in context with the head and wing and to interrogate how the interactions between these anatomical systems have influenced macroevolutionary trends across a broad sample of extant birds. We find that the neck is integrated with both the head and the forelimb. These patterns of integration are variable across clades, and only specific ecological groups exhibit either head-neck or neck-forelimb integration. Finally, we find that ecological groups that display head-neck and neck-forelimb integration tend to display significant shifts in the rate of neck morphological evolution. CONCLUSIONS Combined, these results suggest that the interaction between trophic ecology and head-neck-forelimb mosaicism influences the evolutionary variance of the avian neck. By linking together the biomechanical functions of these distinct anatomical systems, the cervical vertebral column serves as a keystone structure in avian mosaicism and macroevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan D Marek
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Ryan N Felice
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London, UK
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9
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Mosleh S, Choi GPT, Musser GM, James HF, Abzhanov A, Mahadevan L. Beak morphometry and morphogenesis across avian radiations. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230420. [PMID: 37752837 PMCID: PMC10523063 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Adaptive avian radiations associated with the diversification of bird beaks into a multitude of forms enabling different functions are exemplified by Darwin's finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers. To elucidate the nature of these radiations, we quantified beak shape and skull shape using a variety of geometric measures that allowed us to collapse the variability of beak shape into a minimal set of geometric parameters. Furthermore, we find that just two measures of beak shape-the ratio of the width to length and the normalized sharpening rate (increase in the transverse beak curvature near the tip relative to that at the base of the beak)-are strongly correlated with diet. Finally, by considering how transverse sections to the beak centreline evolve with distance from the tip, we show that a simple geometry-driven growth law termed 'modified mean curvature flow' captures the beak shapes of Darwin's finches and Hawaiian honeycreepers. A surprising consequence of the simple growth law is that beak shapes that are not allowed based on the developmental programme of the beak are also not observed in nature, suggesting a link between evolutionary morphology and development in terms of growth-driven developmental constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salem Mosleh
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Gary P. T. Choi
- Department of Mathematics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - Grace M. Musser
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - Helen F. James
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA
| | - Arhat Abzhanov
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK
- Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - L. Mahadevan
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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10
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Matthews DG, Dial TR, Lauder GV. Genes, Morphology, Performance, and Fitness: Quantifying Organismal Performance to Understand Adaptive Evolution. Integr Comp Biol 2023; 63:843-859. [PMID: 37422435 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icad096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023] Open
Abstract
To understand the complexities of morphological evolution, we must understand the relationships between genes, morphology, performance, and fitness in complex traits. Genomicists have made tremendous progress in finding the genetic basis of many phenotypes, including a myriad of morphological characters. Similarly, field biologists have greatly advanced our understanding of the relationship between performance and fitness in natural populations. However, the connection from morphology to performance has primarily been studied at the interspecific level, meaning that in most cases we lack a mechanistic understanding of how evolutionarily relevant variation among individuals affects organismal performance. Therefore, functional morphologists need methods that will allow for the analysis of fine-grained intraspecific variation in order to close the path from genes to fitness. We suggest three methodological areas that we believe are well suited for this research program and provide examples of how each can be applied within fish model systems to build our understanding of microevolutionary processes. Specifically, we believe that structural equation modeling, biological robotics, and simultaneous multi-modal functional data acquisition will open up fruitful collaborations among biomechanists, evolutionary biologists, and field biologists. It is only through the combined efforts of all three fields that we will understand the connection between evolution (acting at the level of genes) and natural selection (acting on fitness).
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Matthews
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Terry R Dial
- Department of Biology and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Moab, UT 84322, USA
- Department of Environment and Society, Utah State University, Moab, UT 84322, USA
| | - George V Lauder
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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11
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Cantlay JC, Martin GR, McClelland SC, Potier S, O'Brien MF, Fernández-Juricic E, Bond AL, Portugal SJ. Binocular vision and foraging in ducks, geese and swans (Anatidae). Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231213. [PMID: 37670586 PMCID: PMC10510447 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1213] [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: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Wide variation in visual field configuration across avian species is hypothesized to be driven primarily by foraging ecology and predator detection. While some studies of selected taxa have identified relationships between foraging ecology and binocular field characteristics in particular species, few have accounted for the relevance of shared ancestry. We conducted a large-scale, comparative analysis across 39 Anatidae species to investigate the relationship between the foraging ecology traits of diet or behaviour and binocular field parameters, while controlling for phylogeny. We used phylogenetic models to examine correlations between traits and binocular field characteristics, using unidimensional and morphometric approaches. We found that foraging behaviour influenced three parameters of binocular field size: maximum binocular field width, vertical binocular field extent, and angular separation between the eye-bill projection and the direction of maximum binocular field width. Foraging behaviour and body mass each influenced two descriptors of binocular field shape. Phylogenetic relatedness had minimal influence on binocular field size and shape, apart from vertical binocular field extent. Binocular field differences are associated with specific foraging behaviours, as related to the perceptual challenges of obtaining different food items from aquatic and terrestrial environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer C. Cantlay
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Graham R. Martin
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Stephanie C. McClelland
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
| | - Simon Potier
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | | | | | - Alexander L. Bond
- Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Akeman Street, Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 6AP, UK
| | - Steven J. Portugal
- Department of Biological Sciences, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Royal Holloway University of London, Egham, Surrey TW20 0EX, UK
- Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Akeman Street, Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 6AP, UK
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12
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Pandelis GG, Grundler MC, Rabosky DL. Ecological correlates of cranial evolution in the megaradiation of dipsadine snakes. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:48. [PMID: 37679675 PMCID: PMC10485986 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02157-3] [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: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dipsadine snakes represent one of the most spectacular vertebrate radiations that have occurred in any continental setting, with over 800 species in South and Central America. Their species richness is paralleled by stunning ecological diversity, ranging from arboreal snail-eating and aquatic eel-eating specialists to terrestrial generalists. Despite the ecological importance of this clade, little is known about the extent to which ecological specialization shapes broader patterns of phenotypic diversity within the group. Here, we test how habitat use and diet have influenced morphological diversification in skull shape across 160 dipsadine species using micro-CT and 3-D geometric morphometrics, and we use a phylogenetic comparative approach to test the contributions of habitat use and diet composition to variation in skull shape among species. RESULTS We demonstrate that while both habitat use and diet are significant predictors of shape in many regions of the skull, habitat use significantly predicts shape in a greater number of skull regions when compared to diet. We also find that across ecological groupings, fossorial and aquatic behaviors result in the strongest deviations in morphospace for several skull regions. We use simulations to address the robustness of our results and describe statistical anomalies that can arise from the application of phylogenetic generalized least squares to complex shape data. CONCLUSIONS Both habitat and dietary ecology are significantly correlated with skull shape in dipsadines; the strongest relationships involved skull shape in snakes with aquatic and fossorial lifestyles. This association between skull morphology and multiple ecological axes is consistent with a classic model of adaptive radiation and suggests that ecological factors were an important component in driving morphological diversification in the dipsadine megaradiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory G Pandelis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA.
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA.
- Amphibian and Reptile Diversity Research Center, Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, Texas, 76019, USA.
| | - Michael C Grundler
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
| | - Daniel L Rabosky
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
- Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109, USA
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13
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Tamagnini D, Michaud M, Meloro C, Raia P, Soibelzon L, Tambusso PS, Varela L, Maiorano L. Conical and sabertoothed cats as an exception to craniofacial evolutionary allometry. Sci Rep 2023; 13:13571. [PMID: 37604901 PMCID: PMC10442348 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40677-6] [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: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Among evolutionary trends shaping phenotypic diversity over macroevolutionary scales, CREA (CRaniofacial Evolutionary Allometry) describes a tendency, among closely related species, for the smaller-sized of the group to have proportionally shorter rostra and larger braincases. Here, we used a phylogenetically broad cranial dataset, 3D geometric morphometrics, and phylogenetic comparative methods to assess the validity and strength of CREA in extinct and living felids. To test for the influence of biomechanical constraints, we quantified the impact of relative canine height on cranial shape evolution. Our results provided support to CREA at the family level. Yet, whereas felines support the rule, big cats, like Pantherinae and Machairodontinae, conform weakly if not at all with CREA predictions. Our findings suggest that Machairodontinae constitute one of the first well-supported exceptions to this biological rule currently known, probably in response to the biomechanical demands and developmental changes linked with their peculiar rostral adaptations. Our results suggest that the acquisition of extreme features concerning biomechanics, evo-devo constraints, and/or ecology is likely to be associated with peculiar patterns of morphological evolution, determining potential exceptions to common biological rules, for instance, by inducing variations in common patterns of evolutionary integration due to heterochronic changes under ratchet-like evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Davide Tamagnini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", University of Rome "La Sapienza", Zoology Building, Viale dell'Università 32, 00185, Rome, Italy.
- Museum of Zoology, Sapienza Museum Centre, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy.
| | - Margot Michaud
- Evolution & Diversity Dynamics Lab, University of Liège, Liege, Belgium
| | - Carlo Meloro
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Pasquale Raia
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell'Ambiente e delle Risorse, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Leopoldo Soibelzon
- División Paleontología Vertebrados, Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Paseo del Bosque s/n, 1900, La Plata, Argentina
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnicas (CONICET), Godoy Cruz 2290, C1425FQB, CABA, Argentina
| | - P Sebastián Tambusso
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Departamento de Canelones, Servicio Académico Universitario y Centro de Estudios Paleontológicos (SAUCE-P), Universidad de la República, Santa Isabel s/n, 91500, Sauce, Uruguay
| | - Luciano Varela
- Departamento de Paleontología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Iguá 4225, 11400, Montevideo, Uruguay
- Departamento de Canelones, Servicio Académico Universitario y Centro de Estudios Paleontológicos (SAUCE-P), Universidad de la República, Santa Isabel s/n, 91500, Sauce, Uruguay
| | - Luigi Maiorano
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", University of Rome "La Sapienza", Zoology Building, Viale dell'Università 32, 00185, Rome, Italy
- Museum of Zoology, Sapienza Museum Centre, University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy
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14
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Müller RT, Ezcurra MD, Garcia MS, Agnolín FL, Stocker MR, Novas FE, Soares MB, Kellner AWA, Nesbitt SJ. New reptile shows dinosaurs and pterosaurs evolved among diverse precursors. Nature 2023; 620:589-594. [PMID: 37587301 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06359-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
Dinosaurs and pterosaurs have remarkable diversity and disparity through most of the Mesozoic Era1-3. Soon after their origins, these reptiles diversified into a number of long-lived lineages, evolved unprecedented ecologies (for example, flying, large herbivorous forms) and spread across Pangaea4,5. Recent discoveries of dinosaur and pterosaur precursors6-10 demonstrated that these animals were also speciose and widespread, but those precursors have few if any well-preserved skulls, hands and associated skeletons11,12. Here we present a well-preserved partial skeleton (Upper Triassic, Brazil) of the new lagerpetid Venetoraptor gassenae gen. et sp. nov. that offers a more comprehensive look into the skull and ecology of one of these precursors. Its skull has a sharp, raptorial-like beak, preceding that of dinosaurs by around 80 million years, and a large hand with long, trenchant claws that firmly establishes the loss of obligatory quadrupedalism in these precursor lineages. Combining anatomical information of the new species with other dinosaur and pterosaur precursors shows that morphological disparity of precursors resembles that of Triassic pterosaurs and exceeds that of Triassic dinosaurs. Thus, the 'success' of pterosaurs and dinosaurs was a result of differential survival among a broader pool of ecomorphological variation. Our results show that the morphological diversity of ornithodirans started to flourish among early-diverging lineages and not only after the origins of dinosaurs and pterosaurs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodrigo T Müller
- Centro de Apoio à Pesquisa Paleontológica da Quarta Colônia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, São João do Polêsine, Brazil.
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil.
| | - Martín D Ezcurra
- Sección Paleontología de Vertebrados CONICET-Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Mauricio S Garcia
- Centro de Apoio à Pesquisa Paleontológica da Quarta Colônia, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, São João do Polêsine, Brazil
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade Animal, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil
| | - Federico L Agnolín
- Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados CONICET-Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Fundación de Historia Natural 'Félix de Azara', Departamento de Ciencias Naturales y Antropología, Universidad Maimónides, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | | | - Fernando E Novas
- Laboratorio de Anatomía Comparada y Evolución de los Vertebrados CONICET-Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Marina B Soares
- Laboratório de Sistemática e Tafonomia de Vertebrados Fósseis, Setor de Paleovertebrados, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Alexander W A Kellner
- Laboratório de Sistemática e Tafonomia de Vertebrados Fósseis, Setor de Paleovertebrados, Departamento de Geologia e Paleontologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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15
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Tyler J, Hocking DP, Younger JL. Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of shape variation in the albatross compound bill. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230751. [PMID: 37593712 PMCID: PMC10427816 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Albatross are the largest seabirds on Earth and have a suite of adaptations for their pelagic lifestyle. Rather than having a bill made of a single piece of keratin, Procellariiformes have a compound rhamphotheca, made of several joined plates. Drivers of the shape of the albatross bill have not been explored. Here we use three-dimensional scans of 61 upper bills from 12 species of albatross to understand whether intrinsic (species assignment & size) or extrinsic (diet) factors predict bill shape. Diet is a significant predictor of bill shape with coarse dietary categories providing higher R2 values than dietary proportion data. We also find that of the intrinsic factors, species assignment accounts for ten times more of the variation than size (72% versus 6.8%) and that there is a common allometric vector of shape change between all species. When considering species averages in a phylogenetic framework, there are significant Blomberg's K results for both shape and size (K = 0.29 & 1.10) with the first axis of variation having a much higher K value (K = 1.9), reflecting the split in shape at the root of the tree. The influence of size on bill shape is limited, with species assignment and diet predicting far more of the variation. The results show that both intrinsic and extrinsic factors are needed to understand morphological evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Tyler
- Milner Centre for Evolution, Department of Life Sciences, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - David P. Hocking
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Zoology, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Jane L. Younger
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Battery Point, Tasmania 7004, Australia
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16
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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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17
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Hunt ESE, Felice RN, Tobias JA, Goswami A. Ecological and life-history drivers of avian skull evolution. Evolution 2023; 77:1720-1729. [PMID: 37105944 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad079] [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: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
One of the most famous examples of adaptive radiation is that of the Galápagos finches, where skull morphology, particularly the beak, varies with feeding ecology. Yet increasingly studies are questioning the strength of this correlation between feeding ecology and morphology in relation to the entire neornithine radiation, suggesting that other factors also significantly affect skull evolution. Here, we broaden this debate to assess the influence of a range of ecological and life-history factors, specifically habitat density, migration, and developmental mode, in shaping avian skull evolution. Using 3D geometric morphometric data to robustly quantify skull shape for 354 extant species spanning avian diversity, we fitted flexible phylogenetic regressions and estimated evolutionary rates for each of these factors across the full data set. The results support a highly significant relationship between skull shape and both habitat density and migration, but not developmental mode. We further found heterogenous rates of evolution between different character states within habitat density, migration, and developmental mode, with rapid skull evolution in species that occupy dense habitats, are migratory, or are precocial. These patterns demonstrate that diverse factors affect the tempo and mode of avian phenotypic evolution and that skull evolution in birds is not simply a reflection of feeding ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eloise S E Hunt
- Department of Life Sciences and Grantham Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Ryan N Felice
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, United Kingdom
| | - Anjali Goswami
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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18
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Tharakan S, Shepherd N, Gower DJ, Stanley EL, Felice RN, Goswami A, Watanabe A. High-Density Geometric Morphometric Analysis of Intraspecific Cranial Integration in the Barred Grass Snake ( Natrix helvetica) and Green Anole ( Anolis carolinensis). Integr Org Biol 2023; 5:obad022. [PMID: 37397233 PMCID: PMC10311474 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obad022] [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: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
How do phenotypic associations intrinsic to an organism, such as developmental and mechanical processes, direct morphological evolution? Comparisons of intraspecific and clade-wide patterns of phenotypic covariation could inform how population-level trends ultimately dictate macroevolutionary changes. However, most studies have focused on analyzing integration and modularity either at macroevolutionary or intraspecific levels, without a shared analytical framework unifying these temporal scales. In this study, we investigate the intraspecific patterns of cranial integration in two squamate species: Natrix helvetica and Anolis carolinensis. We analyze their cranial integration patterns using the same high-density three-dimensional geometric morphometric approach used in a prior squamate-wide evolutionary study. Our results indicate that Natrix and Anolis exhibit shared intraspecific cranial integration patterns, with some differences, including a more integrated rostrum in the latter. Notably, these differences in intraspecific patterns correspond to their respective interspecific patterns in snakes and lizards, with few exceptions. These results suggest that interspecific patterns of cranial integration reflect intraspecific patterns. Hence, our study suggests that the phenotypic associations that direct morphological variation within species extend across micro- and macroevolutionary levels, bridging these two scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Tharakan
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, 100 Northern Boulevard, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - N Shepherd
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - D J Gower
- Life Sciences Division, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
| | - E L Stanley
- Digital Imaging Division, Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-0001, USA
| | - R N Felice
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- Life Sciences Division, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - A Goswami
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- Life Sciences Division, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
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19
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Stenhouse EH, Bellamy P, Kirby W, Vaughan IP, Symondson WOC, Orozco-terWengel P. Herbivorous dietary selection shown by hawfinch ( Coccothraustes coccothraustes) within mixed woodland habitats. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230156. [PMID: 37181798 PMCID: PMC10170347 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Knowledge of diet and dietary selectivity is vital, especially for the conservation of declining species. Accurately obtaining this information, however, is difficult, especially if the study species feeds on a wide range of food items within heterogeneous and inaccessible environments, such as the tree canopy. Hawfinches (Coccothraustes coccothraustes), like many woodland birds, are declining for reasons that are unclear. We investigated the possible role that dietary selection may have in these declines in the UK. Here, we used a combination of high-throughput sequencing of 261 hawfinch faecal samples assessed against tree occurrence data from quadrats sampled in three hawfinch population strongholds in the UK to test for evidence of selective foraging. This revealed that hawfinches show selective feeding and consume certain tree genera disproportionally to availability. Positive selection was shown for beech (Fagus), cherry (Prunus), hornbeam (Carpinus), maples (Acer) and oak (Quercus), while Hawfinch avoided ash (Fraxinus), birch (Betula), chestnut (Castanea), fir (Abies), hazel (Corylus), rowan (Sorbus) and lime (Tilia). This approach provided detailed information on hawfinch dietary choice and may be used to predict the effects of changing food resources on other declining passerines populations in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewan H. Stenhouse
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, Wales, UK
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Paul Bellamy
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Will Kirby
- RSPB Centre for Conservation Science, The Lodge, Sandy SG19 2DL, UK
| | - Ian P. Vaughan
- School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AT, Wales, UK
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20
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Krishnan A. Biomechanics illuminates form-function relationships in bird bills. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:297128. [PMID: 36912385 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245171] [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: 03/14/2023]
Abstract
The field of comparative biomechanics examines how form, mechanical properties and environmental interactions shape the function of biological structures. Biomechanics has advanced by leaps and bounds as rapid technological progress opens up new research horizons. In this Review, I describe how our understanding of the avian bill, a morphologically diverse multifunctional appendage, has been transformed by employing a biomechanical perspective. Across functions from feeding to excavating hollows in trees and as a vocal apparatus, the study of the bill spans both solid and fluid biomechanics, rendering it useful to understand general principles across disciplines. The different shapes of the bill across bird species result in functional and mechanical trade-offs, thus representing a microcosm of many broader form-function questions. Using examples from diverse studies, I discuss how research into bird bills has been shaped over recent decades, and its influence on our understanding of avian ecology and evolution. Next, I examine how bill material properties and geometry influence performance in dietary and non-dietary contexts, simultaneously imposing trade-offs on other functions. Following an examination of the interactions of bills with fluids and their role as part of the vocal apparatus, I end with a discussion of the sensory biomechanics of the bill, focusing specifically on the bill-tip mechanosensory organ. With these case studies, I highlight how this burgeoning and consequential field represents a roadmap for our understanding of the function and evolution of biological structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anand Krishnan
- Department of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal, Bhauri 462066, Madhya Pradesh, India
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21
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Clark AD, Hu H, Benson RBJ, O’Connor JK. Reconstructing the dietary habits and trophic positions of the Longipterygidae (Aves: Enantiornithes) using neontological and comparative morphological methods. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15139. [PMID: 37009163 PMCID: PMC10062354 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The Longipterygidae are a unique clade among the enantiornithines in that they exhibit elongate rostra (≥60% total skull length) with dentition restricted to the distal tip of the rostrum, and pedal morphologies suited for an arboreal lifestyle (as in other enantiornithines). This suite of features has made interpretations of this group’s diet and ecology difficult to determine due to the lack of analogous taxa that exhibit similar morphologies together. Many extant bird groups exhibit rostral elongation, which is associated with several disparate ecologies and diets (e.g., aerial insectivory, piscivory, terrestrial carnivory). Thus, the presence of rostral elongation in the Longipterygidae only somewhat refines trophic predictions of this clade. Anatomical morphologies do not function singularly but as part of a whole and thus, any dietary or ecological hypothesis regarding this clade must also consider other features such as their unique dentition. The only extant group of dentulous volant tetrapods are the chiropterans, in which tooth morphology and enamel thickness vary depending upon food preference. Drawing inferences from both avian bill proportions and variations in the dental morphology of extinct and extant taxa, we provide quantitative data to support the hypothesis that the Longipterygidae were animalivorous, with greater support for insectivory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander D. Clark
- Cincinnati Museum Center, Geier Collections & Research Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
| | - Han Hu
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Roger BJ Benson
- American Museum of Natural History, New York City, New York, United States
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22
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Button DJ, Porro LB, Lautenschlager S, Jones MEH, Barrett PM. Multiple pathways to herbivory underpinned deep divergences in ornithischian evolution. Curr Biol 2023; 33:557-565.e7. [PMID: 36603586 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The extent to which evolution is deterministic is a key question in biology,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 with intensive debate on how adaptation6,10,11,12,13 and constraints14,15,16 might canalize solutions to ecological challenges.4,5,6 Alternatively, unique adaptations1,9,17 and phylogenetic contingency1,3,18 may render evolution fundamentally unpredictable.3 Information from the fossil record is critical to this debate,1,2,11 but performance data for extinct taxa are limited.7 This knowledge gap is significant, as general morphology may be a poor predictor of biomechanical performance.17,19,20 High-fiber herbivory originated multiple times within ornithischian dinosaurs,21 making them an ideal clade for investigating evolutionary responses to similar ecological pressures.22 However, previous biomechanical modeling studies on ornithischian crania17,23,24,25 have not compared early-diverging taxa spanning independent acquisitions of herbivory. Here, we perform finite-element analysis on the skull of five early-diverging members of the major ornithischian clades to characterize morphofunctional pathways to herbivory. Results reveal limited functional convergence among ornithischian clades, with each instead achieving comparable performance, in terms of reconstructed patterns and magnitudes of functionally induced stress, through different adaptations of the feeding apparatus. Thyreophorans compensated for plesiomorphic low performance through increased absolute size, heterodontosaurids expanded jaw adductor muscle volume, ornithopods increased jaw system efficiency, and ceratopsians combined these approaches. These distinct solutions to the challenges of herbivory within Ornithischia underpinned the success of this diverse clade. Furthermore, the resolution of multiple solutions to equivalent problems within a single clade through macroevolutionary time demonstrates that phenotypic evolution is not necessarily predictable, instead arising from the interplay of adaptation, innovation, contingency, and constraints.1,2,3,7,8,9,18.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Button
- Science Group, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.
| | - Laura B Porro
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6DE, UK
| | - Stephan Lautenschlager
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Marc E H Jones
- Science Group, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Paul M Barrett
- Science Group, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK
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23
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Tseng ZJ. Evolution: Mix-and-match adaptations in plant-eating dinosaurs. Curr Biol 2023; 33:R103-R106. [PMID: 36750019 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.12.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Ornithischian dinosaurs were primary consumers in Mesozoic ecosystems, their evolution intricately linked to challenges of a plant-heavy diet. Whether phenotypic similarities among different ornithischian lineages imply a common functional solution to herbivory is unclear. New research suggests that they evolved herbivory via multiple biomechanical pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Jack Tseng
- Department of Integrative Biology and Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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24
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Goodwin MR, Arbour JH. Darter fishes exhibit variable intraspecific head shape allometry and modularity. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023; 306:446-456. [PMID: 36153816 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25088] [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: 06/08/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Allometry, the relationship between anatomical proportions and body size, may either limit or facilitate the diversification of morphology. We examined the impact of allometry in darter fish morphology, which displays a variety of trophic morphologies. This study aimed to address (a) whether there was significant variation in darter head allometry, (b) if allometry contributed to head shape diversity in adults, and (c) if darters show head shape modularity associated with allometry. We used geometric morphometrics to quantify head shape across 10 different species and test for heterogeneity in allometric slopes. In addition, we quantified the degree of modularity between the preorbital and postorbital regions of the darter head, both before and after correction for body size. We found that different species have unique allometric slopes, particularly among the Simoperca subgenus, and that closely related darter species tend to show ontogenetic divergence, contributing to the diversity of head shapes observed in adults. We suggest that such a pattern may result from the similarity of juvenile diets due to gape limitation. We also found that several species show significant modularity in head shape but that modularity was evolutionarily labile and only sometimes impacted by head shape allometry. Overall, our work suggests that ontogenetic shape development may have been important to the evolution of head shape in darters, particularly in the evolution of foraging traits and microhabitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maris R Goodwin
- Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jessica H Arbour
- Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
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25
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Cameron C, Johnson DH, Gauthier G, Lecomte N, Therrien J. Ecomorphological adaptations of owl feet and talons. J Zool (1987) 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.13044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- C. Cameron
- Canada Research Chair in Polar and Boreal Ecology Université de Moncton Moncton NB Canada
| | | | | | - N. Lecomte
- Canada Research Chair in Polar and Boreal Ecology Université de Moncton Moncton NB Canada
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26
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Geiger M, Sánchez‐Villagra MR, Sherratt E. Cranial shape variation in domestication: A pilot study on the case of rabbits. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART B, MOLECULAR AND DEVELOPMENTAL EVOLUTION 2022; 338:532-541. [PMID: 35934897 PMCID: PMC9804214 DOI: 10.1002/jez.b.23171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Domestication leads to phenotypic characteristics that have been described to be similar across species. However, this "domestication syndrome" has been subject to debate, related to a lack of evidence for certain characteristics in many species. Here we review diverse literature and provide new data on cranial shape changes due to domestication in the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) as a preliminary case study, thus contributing novel evidence to the debate. We quantified cranial shape of 30 wild and domestic rabbits using micro-computed tomography scans and three-dimensional geometric morphometrics. The goal was to test (1) if the domesticates exhibit shorter and broader snouts, smaller teeth, and smaller braincases than their wild counterparts; (2) to what extent allometric scaling is responsible for cranial shape variation; (3) if there is evidence for more variation in the neural crest-derived parts of the cranium compared with those derived of the mesoderm, in accordance with the "neural crest hypothesis." Our own data are consistent with older literature records, suggesting that although there is evidence for some cranial characteristics of the "domestication syndrome" in rabbits, facial length is not reduced. In accordance with the "neural crest hypothesis," we found more shape variation in neural crest versus mesoderm-derived parts of the cranium. Within the domestic group, allometric scaling relationships of the snout, the braincase, and the teeth shed new light on ubiquitous patterns among related taxa. This study-albeit preliminary due to the limited sample size-adds to the growing evidence concerning nonuniform patterns associated with domestication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeleine Geiger
- Paleontological Institute and MuseumUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland,Naturmuseum St.GallenSt.GallenSwitzerland,SWILD, Urban Ecology & Wildlife ResearchZurichSwitzerland
| | | | - Emma Sherratt
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of AdelaideAdelaideSAAustralia
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27
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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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28
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Hewes AE, Cuban D, Groom DJE, Sargent AJ, Beltrán DF, Rico-Guevara A. Variable evidence for convergence in morphology and function across avian nectarivores. J Morphol 2022; 283:1483-1504. [PMID: 36062802 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 08/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Nectar-feeding birds provide an excellent system in which to examine form-function relationships over evolutionary time. There are many independent origins of nectarivory in birds, and nectar feeding is a lifestyle with many inherent biophysical constraints. We review the morphology and function of the feeding apparatus, the locomotor apparatus, and the digestive and renal systems across avian nectarivores with the goals of synthesizing available information and identifying the extent to which different aspects of anatomy have morphologically and functionally converged. In doing so, we have systematically tabulated the occurrence of putative adaptations to nectarivory across birds and created what is, to our knowledge, the first comprehensive summary of adaptations to nectarivory across body systems and taxa. We also provide the first phylogenetically informed estimate of the number of times nectarivory has evolved within Aves. Based on this synthesis of existing knowledge, we identify current knowledge gaps and provide suggestions for future research questions and methods of data collection that will increase our understanding of the distribution of adaptations across bodily systems and taxa, and the relationship between those adaptations and ecological and evolutionary factors. We hope that this synthesis will serve as a landmark for the current state of the field, prompting investigators to begin collecting new data and addressing questions that have heretofore been impossible to answer about the ecology, evolution, and functional morphology of avian nectarivory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda E Hewes
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - David Cuban
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Derrick J E Groom
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Alyssa J Sargent
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Diego F Beltrán
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Alejandro Rico-Guevara
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, Washington, USA
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29
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Black CR, Armbruster JW. Chew on this: Oral jaw shape is not correlated with diet type in loricariid catfishes. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0277102. [PMID: 36322589 PMCID: PMC9629652 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The correlation between form and function is influenced by biomechanical constraints, natural selection, and ecological interactions. In many species of suction-feeding fishes, jaw shape has shown to be closely associated with diet. However, these correlations have not been tested in fishes that have more complex jaw functions. For example, the neotropical loricariid catfishes possess a ventrally facing oral disk, which allows for the oral jaws to adhere to surfaces to conduct feeding. To determine if jaw shape is correlated to diet type, we assessed oral jaw shape across 36 species using CT scans. Shape was quantified with traditional and automated landmarking in 3DSlicer, and diet type correlation was calculated using the phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) method. We found that traditional and automated processes captured shape effectively when all jaw components were combined. PGLS found that diet type did not correlate to jaw shape; however, there was a correlation between clades with diverse diets and fast evolutionary rates of shape. These results suggest that shape is not constrained to diet type, and that similarly shaped jaws coupled with different types of teeth could allow the fishes to feed on a wide range of materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinthia R. Black
- Department Entomology National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Jonathan W. Armbruster
- Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, United States of America
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30
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Russo LF, Meloro C, De Silvestri M, Chadwick EA, Loy A. Better sturdy or slender? Eurasian otter skull plasticity in response to feeding ecology. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0274893. [PMID: 36174011 PMCID: PMC9521905 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0274893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Otters are semi-aquatic mammals specialized in feeding on aquatic prey. The Eurasian otter Lutra lutra is the most widely distributed otter species. Despite a low degree of genetic variation across its European range, the population from Great Britain exhibits distinct genetic structuring. We examined 43 skulls of adult Eurasian otters belonging to 18 sampling localities and three genetic clusters (Shetlands, Wales and Scotland). For each sample location, information regarding climate was described using bioclimatic variables from WorldClim, and information on otter diet was extracted from the literature. By using photogrammetry, 3D models were obtained for each skull. To explore any evidence of adaptive divergence within these areas we used a three dimensional geometric morphometric approach to test differences in skull size and shape between areas with genetically distinct populations, as well as the influence of diet, isolation by distance and climate. Males were significantly larger in skull size than females across all the three genetic clusters. Skull shape, but not size, appeared to differ significantly among genetic clusters, with otters from Shetland exhibiting wider zygomatic arches and longer snouts compared to otters from Wales, whereas otters from Scotland displayed intermediate traits. A significant relationship could also be found between skull shape variation, diet as well as climate. Specifically, otters feeding on freshwater fish had more slender and short-snouted skulls compared to otters feeding mostly on marine fish. Individuals living along the coast are characterised by a mixed feeding regime based on marine fish and crustaceans and their skull showed an intermediate shape. Coastal and island otters also had larger orbits and eyes more oriented toward the ground, a larger nasal cavity, and a larger distance between postorbital processes and zygomatic arch. These functional traits could also represent an adaptation to favour the duration and depth of diving, while the slender skull of freshwater feeding otters could improve the hydrodynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Francesco Russo
- EnvixLab, Department of Biosciences and Territory, Università degli Studi del Molise, Pesche, Italy
| | - Carlo Meloro
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Mara De Silvestri
- EnvixLab, Department of Biosciences and Territory, Università degli Studi del Molise, Pesche, Italy
| | - Elizabeth A. Chadwick
- Cardiff University, Biomedical Science Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Anna Loy
- EnvixLab, Department of Biosciences and Territory, Università degli Studi del Molise, Pesche, Italy
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31
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ERDEM E, ÖZBAŞER FT, GÜRCAN EK, SOYSAL M. Turkey's indigenous genetic resource: Muradiye Kelebek pigeon. ANKARA ÜNIVERSITESI VETERINER FAKÜLTESI DERGISI 2022. [DOI: 10.33988/auvfd.1060211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
This research was carried out to determine the morphological characteristics of the Muradiye kelebek pigeon, which is one of our indigenous animal genetic resources. For this purpose, a total of 73 pigeons (35 male and 38 female) were examined from six breeders. Male pigeons were higher than the female pigeons in terms of trunk length (P < 0.001), head width (P < 0.05), beak length (P < 0.001), beak depth (P < 0.05), thoracic perimeter (P < 0.001), and tarsus diameter (P < 0.001). The body weight, chest width and thoracic perimeter of age group II were higher than those of age group I (P < 0.05; P < 0.01; P < 0.001). In terms of head structure, the Muradiye kelebek pigeons resemble Muradiye dönek, Bursa oynarı, Thrace roller, Alabadem, and Edremit kelebek pigeon genotypes. In addition, the plumage color of spotted in Muradiye kelebek pigeons, the plumage color of jackal in Thrace rollers, the plumage color of speckled in Edremit Kelebek pigeons, and the red/black galaca in Muradiye dönek pigeons may be mutual traits of these four pigeon genotypes. Therefore, the degree of kinship among Muradiye kelebek pigeons and the five pigeon genotypes (Muradiye dönek, Alabadem, Bursa oynarı, Thrace roller, Edremit kelebek pigeons) should be determined by genetic studies.
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32
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Hüppi E, Geiger M. Fast‐paced city life? Tempo and mode of phenotypic changes in urban birds from Switzerland. Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Evelyn Hüppi
- University of Zurich, Palaeontological Institute and Museum Zürich Switzerland
| | - Madeleine Geiger
- Naturmuseum St. Gallen St. Gallen Switzerland
- SWILD, Urban Ecology & Wildlife Research Zurich Switzerland
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33
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Hughes EC, Edwards DP, Thomas GH. The homogenization of avian morphological and phylogenetic diversity under the global extinction crisis. Curr Biol 2022; 32:3830-3837.e3. [PMID: 35868322 PMCID: PMC9616725 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.06.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Biodiversity is facing a global extinction crisis that will reduce ecological trait diversity, evolutionary history, and ultimately ecosystem functioning and services.1, 2, 3, 4 A key challenge is understanding how species losses will impact morphological and phylogenetic diversity at global scales.5,6 Here, we test whether the loss of species threatened with extinction according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) leads to morphological and phylogenetic homogenization7,8 across both the whole avian class and within each biome and ecoregion globally. We use a comprehensive set of continuous morphological traits extracted from museum collections of 8,455 bird species, including geometric morphometric beak shape data,9 and sequentially remove species from those at most to least threat of extinction. We find evidence of morphological, but not phylogenetic, homogenization across the avian class, with species becoming more alike in terms of their morphology. We find that most biome and ecoregions are expected to lose morphological diversity at a greater rate than predicted by species loss alone, with the most imperiled regions found in East Asia and the Himalayan uplands and foothills. Only a small proportion of assemblages are threatened with phylogenetic homogenization, in particular parts of Indochina. Species extinctions will lead to a major loss of avian ecological strategies, but not a comparable loss of phylogenetic diversity. As the decline of species with unique traits and their replacement with more widespread generalist species continues, the protection of assemblages at most risk of morphological and phylogenetic homogenization should be a key conservation priority. Predicted loss of birds will drive exceptional declines in morphological diversity Species extinctions lead to a major loss of ecological strategies and functions Most biomes and ecoregions will experience morphological homogenization Phylogenetic diversity tends to decline as expected as species go extinct
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C Hughes
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK; Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Akeman Street, Tring HP23 6AP, UK.
| | - David P Edwards
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Gavin H Thomas
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK; Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Akeman Street, Tring HP23 6AP, UK.
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34
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Title PO, Swiderski DL, Zelditch ML. EcoPhyloMapper
: An
r
package for integrating geographical ranges, phylogeny and morphology. Methods Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13914] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pascal O. Title
- Department of Ecology & Evolution Stony Brook University Stony Brook NY USA
| | - Donald L. Swiderski
- Museum of Zoology and Kresge Hearing Research Institute University of Michigan Ann Arbor MI USA
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35
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Dos Santos MM, Klaczko J, da Costa Prudente AL. Sexual dimorphism and allometry in malacophagus snakes (Dipsadidae: Dipsadinae). ZOOLOGY 2022; 153:126026. [PMID: 35759990 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2022.126026] [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: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 06/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Sexual dimorphism in snakes is generally described in association with body or tail size and scale counts, with relatively few studies addressing intrasexual divergence in the skull. Here, we analyzed sexual dimorphism in the size and shape of skull and body in three malacophagous dipsadine snakes, Dipsas mikanii, Dipsas neuwiedi and Dipsas turgida, as well as allometric effect on these components. We used linear and geometric analysis to assess: (1) if there is sexual dimorphism in cranial components; (2) if there are differences between the sexes regarding body and tail size, number of ventral and subcaudal scales; (3) whether there is covariation between cranial components and body size; (4) if there are changes in cranial shape associated with increased size; and (5) whether there is an allometric relationship between body and tail size. Our results showed that all three species are dimorphic in cranial shape and size (except D. turgida for cranial size), with females having longer and thinner skulls than males. In the three species, the female skull was negatively allometric, whereas the male skull was isometric. Allometry related to cranial shape was significant only in males of D. turgida, which showed greater snout robustness and eye size associated with enlargement of the skull. Females of D. mikanii and D. neuwiedi were significantly larger than males. Only males of D. neuwiedi showed positive allometry for the tail, while dimorphism related to scale counts followed the pattern found in most snakes, with females having a greater number of ventrals and males subcaudals (except D. neuwiedi in the latter case). Based on our results, we hypothesize that patterns of sexual dimorphism and skull allometry in malacophagous snakes may be explained both by aspects related to diet and reproduction. Meanwhile, patterns associated with body size reflect advantages related to fecundity favoring greater reproductive success of females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Meireles Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Herpetologia, Coordenação de Zoologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, CxP 399, CEP 66017-970 Belém, Pará, Brazil.
| | - Julia Klaczko
- Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Brasilia, Brasília, Federal District, Brazil; Laboratory of Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy, University of Brasilia, Brasília, Federal District, Brazil
| | - Ana Lúcia da Costa Prudente
- Laboratório de Herpetologia, Coordenação de Zoologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, CxP 399, CEP 66017-970 Belém, Pará, Brazil
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36
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Duque-Correa MJ, Clauss M, Hoppe MI, Buyse K, Codron D, Meloro C, Edwards MS. Diet, habitat and flight characteristics correlate with intestine length in birds. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220675. [PMID: 35642364 PMCID: PMC9156916 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0675] [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: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
A link between diet and avian intestinal anatomy is generally assumed. We collated the length of intestinal sections and body mass of 390 bird species and tested relationships with diet, climate and locomotion. There was a strong phylogenetic signal in all datasets. The total and small intestine scaled more-than-geometrically (95%CI of the scaling exponent > 0.33). The traditional dietary classification (faunivore, omnivore and herbivore) had no significant effect on total intestine (TI) length. Significant dietary proxies included %folivory, %frugi-nectarivory and categories (frugi-nectarivory, granivory, folivory, omnivory, insectivory and vertivory). Individual intestinal sections were affected by different dietary proxies. The best model indicates that higher consumption of fruit and nectar, drier habitats, and a high degree of flightedness are linked to shorter TI length. Notably, the length of the avian intestine depends on other biological factors as much as on diet. Given the weak dietary signal in our datasets, the diet intestinal length relationships lend themselves to narratives of flexibility (morphology is not destiny) rather than of distinct adaptations that facilitate using one character (intestine length) as proxy for another (diet). Birds have TIs of about 85% that of similar-sized mammals, corroborating systematic differences in intestinal macroanatomy between vertebrate clades.
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Affiliation(s)
- María J. Duque-Correa
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 260, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marcus Clauss
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 260, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Monika I. Hoppe
- Clinic for Zoo Animals, Exotic Pets and Wildlife, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstr. 260, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Kobe Buyse
- Department of Veterinary and Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Heidestraat 19, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
| | - Daryl Codron
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, PO Box 339, 9300 Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Carlo Meloro
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Mark S. Edwards
- California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, USA
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37
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De Mendoza RS, Carril J, Degrange FJ, Demmel Ferreira MM, Nieto MN, Tambussi CP. Redefining the simplicity of the craniomandibular complex of nightjars: The case of Systellura longirostris (Aves: Caprimulgidae) by means of anatomical network analysis. J Morphol 2022; 283:945-955. [PMID: 35621367 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21482] [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: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
To study morphological evolution, it is necessary to combine information from multiple intersecting research fields. Here, we report on the structure of the bony and muscular elements of the craniomandibular complex of birds, highlighting its morphological architecture and complexity (or simplification) in the context of anatomical networks of the Band-winged Nightjar Systellura longirostris (Caprimulgiformes, Caprimulgidae). This species has skull osteology and jaw myology that departs from the general structural plan of the craniomandibular complex of Neornithes and is considered morphologically simple. Our goal is to test if its simplification is also reflected in its anatomical network, particularly in those parameters that measure complexity and to explore if the distribution of the networks in a phylomorphospace is conditioned by their evolutionary history or by convergence. Our results show that S. longirostris clusters with other Strisores and momotids and is segregated from the other bird species analyzed when plotted in the phylomorphospace, as a consequence of convergence in the network parameters. Systellura has a craniomandibular complex consisting of fewer muscles connecting more bones than the model species (e.g., the rock pigeon or the guira cuckoo). In this sense, Systellura is actually more complex regarding the number of integrative bony parts, while its craniomandibular complex is simpler. According to its anatomical network, Systellura also can be interpreted as less complex, particularly compared with other Strisores and taxa that reflect the general structure of the craniomandibular complex in Neornithes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo S De Mendoza
- Laboratorio de Histología y Embriología Descriptiva, Experimental y Comparada (LHYEDEC), Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Julieta Carril
- Laboratorio de Histología y Embriología Descriptiva, Experimental y Comparada (LHYEDEC), Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Federico J Degrange
- Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - María M Demmel Ferreira
- Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba, Argentina
| | - Mauro N Nieto
- Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias de la Tierra (CICTERRA), Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Córdoba, 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), Córdoba, Argentina
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38
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Miller CV, Pittman M, Wang X, Zheng X, Bright JA. Diet of Mesozoic toothed birds (Longipterygidae) inferred from quantitative analysis of extant avian diet proxies. BMC Biol 2022; 20:101. [PMID: 35550084 PMCID: PMC9097364 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-022-01294-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Birds are key indicator species in extant ecosystems, and thus we would expect extinct birds to provide insights into the nature of ancient ecosystems. However, many aspects of extinct bird ecology, particularly their diet, remain obscure. One group of particular interest is the bizarre toothed and long-snouted longipterygid birds. Longipterygidae is the most well-understood family of enantiornithine birds, the dominant birds of the Cretaceous period. However, as with most Mesozoic birds, their diet remains entirely speculative. Results To improve our understanding of longipterygids, we investigated four proxies in extant birds to determine diagnostic traits for birds with a given diet: body mass, claw morphometrics, jaw mechanical advantage, and jaw strength via finite element analysis. Body mass of birds tended to correspond to the size of their main food source, with both carnivores and herbivores splitting into two subsets by mass: invertivores or vertivores for carnivores, and granivores + nectarivores or folivores + frugivores for herbivores. Using claw morphometrics, we successfully distinguished ground birds, non-raptorial perching birds, and raptorial birds from one another. We were unable to replicate past results isolating subtypes of raptorial behaviour. Mechanical advantage was able to distinguish herbivorous diets with particularly high values of functional indices, and so is useful for identifying these specific diets in fossil taxa, but overall did a poor job of reflecting diet. Finite element analysis effectively separated birds with hard and/or tough diets from those eating foods which are neither, though could not distinguish hard and tough diets from one another. We reconstructed each of these proxies in longipterygids as well, and after synthesising the four lines of evidence, we find all members of the family but Shengjingornis (whose diet remains inconclusive) most likely to be invertivores or generalist feeders, with raptorial behaviour likely in Longipteryx and Rapaxavis. Conclusions This study provides a 20% increase in quantitatively supported fossil bird diets, triples the number of diets reconstructed in enantiornithine species, and serves as an important first step in quantitatively investigating the origins of the trophic diversity of living birds. These findings are consistent with past hypotheses that Mesozoic birds occupied low trophic levels. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-022-01294-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Case Vincent Miller
- Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Michael Pittman
- School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China. .,Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Xiaoli Wang
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi City, Shandong, 276005, China.,Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature, Pingyi, Shandong, 273300, China
| | - Xiaoting Zheng
- Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Linyi University, Linyi City, Shandong, 276005, China.,Shandong Tianyu Museum of Nature, Pingyi, Shandong, 273300, China
| | - Jen A Bright
- Department of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
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Natale R, Slater GJ. The effects of foraging ecology and allometry on avian skull shape vary across levels of phylogeny. Am Nat 2022; 200:E174-E188. [DOI: 10.1086/720745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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40
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Deeming DC, Harrison SL, Sutton GP. Inter‐relationships among body mass, jaw musculature and bite force in birds. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. C. Deeming
- School of Life Sciences University of Lincoln Joseph Banks Laboratories Lincoln LN6 7DL UK
| | - S. L. Harrison
- School of Life Sciences University of Lincoln Joseph Banks Laboratories Lincoln LN6 7DL UK
| | - G. P. Sutton
- School of Life Sciences University of Lincoln Joseph Banks Laboratories Lincoln LN6 7DL UK
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41
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Fasanelli MN, Milla Carmona PS, Soto IM, Tuero DT. Allometry, sexual selection and evolutionary lines of least resistance shaped the evolution of exaggerated sexual traits within the genus Tyrannus. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:669-679. [PMID: 35290678 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 01/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Variational properties hold a fundamental role in shaping biological evolution, exerting control over the magnitude and direction of evolutionary change elicited by microevolutionary processes that sort variation, such as selection or drift. We studied the genus Tyrannus as a model for examining the conditions and drivers that facilitate the repeated evolution of exaggerated, secondary sexual traits in the face of significant functional limitations. In particular, we explore the role of allometry, sexual selection and their interaction, on the diversification of tail morphology in the genus, assessing whether and how they promoted or constrained phenotypic evolution. Non-deep-forked species tend to show reduced sexual dimorphism and moderate allometric variation in tail shape. The exaggerated and functionally constrained long feathers of deep-forked species, T. savana and T. forficatus, which show both marked sexual dimorphism and allometric tail shape variation, independently diverged from the rest of the genus following the same direction of main interspecific variation accrued during the evolution of non-deep-forked species. Moreover, the latter direction is also aligned with axes summarising sexual dimorphism and allometric variation on deep-forked species, a feature lacking in the rest of the species. Thus, exaggerated tail morphologies are interpreted as the result of amplified divergence through reorientation and co-option of allometric variation by sexual selection, repeatedly driving morphology along a historically favoured direction of cladogenetic evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martín Nicolás Fasanelli
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires - IEGEBA (CONICET-UBA), Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución -DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Biología Integral de Sistemas Evolutivos, DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo S Milla Carmona
- Laboratorio de Biología Integral de Sistemas Evolutivos, DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Ecosistemas Marinos Fósiles, Instituto de Estudios Andinos - IDEAN (CONICET-UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ignacio María Soto
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires - IEGEBA (CONICET-UBA), Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución -DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina.,Laboratorio de Biología Integral de Sistemas Evolutivos, DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Diego Tomás Tuero
- Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires - IEGEBA (CONICET-UBA), Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución -DEGE, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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42
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Huang J, Wang C, Ouyang J, Tang H, Zheng S, Xiong Y, Gao Y, Wu Y, Wang L, Yan X, Chen H. Identification of Key Candidate Genes for Beak Length Phenotype by Whole-Genome Resequencing in Geese. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:847481. [PMID: 35372529 PMCID: PMC8964941 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.847481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The domestic goose is an important economic animal in agriculture and its beak, a trait with high heritability, plays an important role in promoting food intake and defending against attacks. In this study, we sequenced 772 420-day-old Xingguo gray geese (XGG) using a low-depth (~1 ×) whole-genome resequencing strategy. We detected 12,490,912 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using the standard GATK and imputed with STITCH. We then performed a genome-wide association study on the beak length trait in XGG. The results indicated that 57 SNPs reached genome-wide significance levels for the beak length trait and were assigned to seven genes, including TAPT1, DHX15, CCDC149, LGI2, SEPSECS, ANAPC4, and Slc34a2. The different genotypes of the most significant SNP (top SNP), which was located upstream of LGI2 and explained 7.24% of the phenotypic variation in beak length, showed significant differences in beak length. Priority-based significance analysis concluded that CCDC149, LGI2, and SEPSECS genes in the most significant quantitative trait locus interval were the most plausible positional and functional candidate genes for beak length development in the XGG population. These findings not only enhance our understanding of the genetic mechanism of the beak length phenotype in geese, but also lay the foundation for further studies to facilitate the genetic selection of traits in geese.
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43
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Chatterji RM, Hipsley CA, Sherratt E, Hutchinson MN, Jones MEH. Ontogenetic allometry underlies trophic diversity in sea turtles (Chelonioidea). Evol Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10682-022-10162-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
AbstractDespite only comprising seven species, extant sea turtles (Cheloniidae and Dermochelyidae) display great ecological diversity, with most species inhabiting a unique dietary niche as adults. This adult diversity is remarkable given that all species share the same dietary niche as juveniles. These ontogenetic shifts in diet, as well as a dramatic increase in body size, make sea turtles an excellent group to examine how morphological diversity arises by allometric processes and life habit specialisation. Using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics, we characterise ontogenetic allometry in the skulls of all seven species and evaluate variation in the context of phylogenetic history and diet. Among the sample, the olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) has a seemingly average sea turtle skull shape and generalised diet, whereas the green (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata) show different extremes of snout shape associated with their modes of food gathering (grazing vs. grasping, respectively). Our ontogenetic findings corroborate previous suggestions that the skull of the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) is paedomorphic, having similar skull proportions to hatchlings of other sea turtle species and retaining a hatchling-like diet of relatively soft bodied organisms. The flatback sea turtle (Natator depressus) shows a similar but less extreme pattern. By contrast, the loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) shows a peramorphic signal associated with increased jaw muscle volumes that allow predation on hard shelled prey. The Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) has a peramorphic skull shape compared to its sister species the olive ridley, and a diet that includes harder prey items such as crabs. We suggest that diet may be a significant factor in driving skull shape differences among species. Although the small number of species limits statistical power, differences among skull shape, size, and diet are consistent with the hypothesis that shifts in allometric trajectory facilitated diversification in skull shape as observed in an increasing number of vertebrate groups.
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44
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Hughes EC, Edwards DP, Bright JA, Capp EJR, Cooney CR, Varley ZK, Thomas GH. Global biogeographic patterns of avian morphological diversity. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:598-610. [PMID: 35199925 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the biogeographical patterns, and evolutionary and environmental drivers, underpinning morphological diversity are key for determining its origins and conservation. Using a comprehensive set of continuous morphological traits extracted from museum collections of 8353 bird species, including geometric morphometric beak shape data, we find that avian morphological diversity is unevenly distributed globally, even after controlling for species richness, with exceptionally dense packing of species in hyper-diverse tropical hotspots. At the regional level, these areas also have high morphological variance, with species exhibiting high phenotypic diversity. Evolutionary history likely plays a key role in shaping these patterns, with evolutionarily old species contributing to niche expansion, and young species contributing to niche packing. Taken together, these results imply that the tropics are both 'cradles' and 'museums' of phenotypic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma C Hughes
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - David P Edwards
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jen A Bright
- Department of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, UK
| | - Elliot J R Capp
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Zoë K Varley
- Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Tring, UK
| | - Gavin H Thomas
- School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.,Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Tring, UK
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45
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Tobias JA, Sheard C, Pigot AL, Devenish AJM, Yang J, Sayol F, Neate-Clegg MHC, Alioravainen N, Weeks TL, Barber RA, Walkden PA, MacGregor HEA, Jones SEI, Vincent C, Phillips AG, Marples NM, Montaño-Centellas FA, Leandro-Silva V, Claramunt S, Darski B, Freeman BG, Bregman TP, Cooney CR, Hughes EC, Capp EJR, Varley ZK, Friedman NR, Korntheuer H, Corrales-Vargas A, Trisos CH, Weeks BC, Hanz DM, Töpfer T, Bravo GA, Remeš V, Nowak L, Carneiro LS, Moncada R AJ, Matysioková B, Baldassarre DT, Martínez-Salinas A, Wolfe JD, Chapman PM, Daly BG, Sorensen MC, Neu A, Ford MA, Mayhew RJ, Fabio Silveira L, Kelly DJ, Annorbah NND, Pollock HS, Grabowska-Zhang AM, McEntee JP, Carlos T Gonzalez J, Meneses CG, Muñoz MC, Powell LL, Jamie GA, Matthews TJ, Johnson O, Brito GRR, Zyskowski K, Crates R, Harvey MG, Jurado Zevallos M, Hosner PA, Bradfer-Lawrence T, Maley JM, Stiles FG, Lima HS, Provost KL, Chibesa M, Mashao M, Howard JT, Mlamba E, Chua MAH, Li B, Gómez MI, García NC, Päckert M, Fuchs J, Ali JR, Derryberry EP, Carlson ML, Urriza RC, Brzeski KE, Prawiradilaga DM, Rayner MJ, Miller ET, Bowie RCK, Lafontaine RM, Scofield RP, Lou Y, Somarathna L, Lepage D, Illif M, Neuschulz EL, Templin M, Dehling DM, Cooper JC, Pauwels OSG, Analuddin K, Fjeldså J, Seddon N, Sweet PR, DeClerck FAJ, Naka LN, Brawn JD, Aleixo A, Böhning-Gaese K, Rahbek C, Fritz SA, Thomas GH, Schleuning M. AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:581-597. [PMID: 35199922 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13898] [Citation(s) in RCA: 154] [Impact Index Per Article: 77.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Functional traits offer a rich quantitative framework for developing and testing theories in evolutionary biology, ecology and ecosystem science. However, the potential of functional traits to drive theoretical advances and refine models of global change can only be fully realised when species-level information is complete. Here we present the AVONET dataset containing comprehensive functional trait data for all birds, including six ecological variables, 11 continuous morphological traits, and information on range size and location. Raw morphological measurements are presented from 90,020 individuals of 11,009 extant bird species sampled from 181 countries. These data are also summarised as species averages in three taxonomic formats, allowing integration with a global phylogeny, geographical range maps, IUCN Red List data and the eBird citizen science database. The AVONET dataset provides the most detailed picture of continuous trait variation for any major radiation of organisms, offering a global template for testing hypotheses and exploring the evolutionary origins, structure and functioning of biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph A Tobias
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK.,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Catherine Sheard
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Alex L Pigot
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Jingyi Yang
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Ferran Sayol
- Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Montague H C Neate-Clegg
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Nico Alioravainen
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Natural Resources Institute Finland, Natural resources - Migratory fish and regulated rivers, Oulu, Finland
| | - Thomas L Weeks
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Robert A Barber
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
| | - Patrick A Walkden
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Hannah E A MacGregor
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Samuel E I Jones
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,School of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Claire Vincent
- UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Cambridge, UK
| | - Anna G Phillips
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Nicola M Marples
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Flavia A Montaño-Centellas
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Mayor de San Andres, La Paz, Bolivia.,Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Victor Leandro-Silva
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Evolução de Aves, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
| | - Santiago Claramunt
- Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Bianca Darski
- Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - Benjamin G Freeman
- Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Tom P Bregman
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Future-Fit Foundation, Spitalfields, London, UK
| | | | - Emma C Hughes
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Elliot J R Capp
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Zoë K Varley
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.,Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Tring, UK
| | - Nicholas R Friedman
- Biodiversity and Biocomplexity Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, Kunigami-gun, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Heiko Korntheuer
- Department of Ecology, Institute of Zoology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Andrea Corrales-Vargas
- Central American Institute for Studies on Toxic Substances (IRET), Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Heredia, Costa Rica
| | - Christopher H Trisos
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,African Climate and Development Initiative, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.,Centre for Statistics in Ecology, the Environment and Conservation, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Brian C Weeks
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
| | - Dagmar M Hanz
- Biogeography and Biodiversity Lab, Institute of Physical Geography, Goethe University Frankfurt, , Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Till Töpfer
- Ornithology Section, Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gustavo A Bravo
- Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Vladimír Remeš
- Department of Zoology, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.,Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Praha, Czech Republic
| | - Larissa Nowak
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Lincoln S Carneiro
- Coordenação de Zoologia, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, Pará, Brazil
| | - Amilkar J Moncada R
- CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza), Cartago, Turrialba, Costa Rica
| | | | | | | | - Jared D Wolfe
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, USA
| | | | | | - Marjorie C Sorensen
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alexander Neu
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Michael A Ford
- South African Ringing Unit, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Rebekah J Mayhew
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Luis Fabio Silveira
- Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de Sao Paulo (MZUSP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - David J Kelly
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Nathaniel N D Annorbah
- Department of Biological, Physical and Mathematical Sciences, University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Somanya, Ghana
| | - Henry S Pollock
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Jay P McEntee
- Department of Biology, Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri, USA
| | - Juan Carlos T Gonzalez
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Museum of Natural History, University of the Philippines Los, Baños, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines.,Animal Biology Division, Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los, Baños, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
| | - Camila G Meneses
- Museum of Natural History, University of the Philippines Los, Baños, Los Baños, Laguna, Philippines
| | - Marcia C Muñoz
- Programa de Biología, Universidad de la Salle, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Luke L Powell
- Institute of Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.,Biodiversity Initiative, Houghton, Michigan, USA.,CIBIO-InBIO, Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, University of Porto, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Gabriel A Jamie
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Thomas J Matthews
- GEES (School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences) and Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.,CE3C (Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes/Azorean Biodiversity Group and Universidade, dos Açores), Depto de Ciências Agráriase Engenharia do Ambiente, Angra do Heroísmo, Açores, Portugal
| | - Oscar Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences and Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisina, USA
| | - Guilherme R R Brito
- Depto. de Ecologia e Zoologia, Centro de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
| | - Kristof Zyskowski
- Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Ross Crates
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | - Michael G Harvey
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biodiversity Collections, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, USA
| | | | - Peter A Hosner
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - James M Maley
- Moore Laboratory of Zoology, Occidental College, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - F Gary Stiles
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Hevana S Lima
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Kaiya L Provost
- Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA.,Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Moses Chibesa
- Department of Zoology and Aquatic Sciences, Copperbelt University, Kitwe, Zambia
| | | | - Jeffrey T Howard
- Department of Biological Sciences and Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisina, USA.,Louisiana State University, Health Sciences Center Shreveport, Shreveport, Louisina, USA
| | - Edson Mlamba
- Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Marcus A H Chua
- Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
| | - Bicheng Li
- Natural History Research Center, Shanghai Natural History Museum, Shanghai, China
| | - M Isabel Gómez
- Colección Boliviana de Fauna - Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente y Agua, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Natalia C García
- División Ornitología, Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia", CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martin Päckert
- Senckenberg Natural History Collections, Museum of Zoology, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jérôme Fuchs
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, SU, EPHE, UA, Paris, France
| | - Jarome R Ali
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Elizabeth P Derryberry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Monica L Carlson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Rolly C Urriza
- Ornithology Section, Zoology Division, Philippine National Museum, Rizal Park, Manila, Philippines
| | - Kristin E Brzeski
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, USA
| | - Dewi M Prawiradilaga
- Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, Research Centre for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Matt J Rayner
- Auckland Museum, Auckland, New Zealand.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Rauri C K Bowie
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - René-Marie Lafontaine
- Operational Directorate Natural Environment, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Yingqiang Lou
- Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lankani Somarathna
- Natural History Section, Department of National Museum, Colombo, Sri Lanka
| | | | | | - Eike Lena Neuschulz
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Mathias Templin
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - D Matthias Dehling
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | | | - Olivier S G Pauwels
- Department of Recent Vertebrates, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kangkuso Analuddin
- Department of Biotechnology, Halu Oleo University, Kendari, Sulawesi Tenggara, Indonesia
| | - Jon Fjeldså
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nathalie Seddon
- Nature-based Solutions Initiative, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Paul R Sweet
- Department of Ornithology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
| | - Fabrice A J DeClerck
- Bioversity International, CGIAR, Parc Scientifique Agropolis II, Montpellier, France
| | - Luciano N Naka
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Evolução de Aves, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
| | - Jeffrey D Brawn
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Alexandre Aleixo
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katrin Böhning-Gaese
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Carsten Rahbek
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Danish Institute for Advanced Study, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Institute of Ecology, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Susanne A Fritz
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,Institut für Geowissenschaften, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Gavin H Thomas
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.,Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Tring, UK
| | - Matthias Schleuning
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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46
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Marugán‐Lobón J, Nebreda SM, Navalón G, Benson R. Beyond the beak: Brain size and allometry in avian craniofacial evolution. J Anat 2022; 240:197-209. [PMID: 34558058 PMCID: PMC8742972 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Birds exhibit an enormous variety of beak shapes. Such remarkable variation, however, has distracted research from other important aspects of their skull evolution, the nature of which has been little explored. Key aspects of avian skull variation appear to be qualitatively similar to those of mammals, encompassing variation in the degree of cranial vaulting, cranial base flexure, and the proportions and orientations of the occipital and facial regions. The evolution of these traits has been studied intensively in mammals under the Spatial Packing Hypothesis (SPH), an architectural constraint so-called because the general anatomical organization and development of such skull parts makes them evolve predictably in response to changes in relative brain size. Such SPH predictions account for the different appearances of skull configurations across species, either in having longer or shorter faces, and caudally or ventrally oriented occiputs, respectively. This pattern has been morphometrically and experimentally proven in mammals but has not been examined in birds or other tetrapods, and so its generality remains unknown. We explored the SPH in an interspecific sample of birds using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics. Our results show that the dominant trend of evolutionary variation in the skull of crown-group birds can be predicted by the SPH, involving concomitant changes in the face, the cranial vault and the basicranium, and with striking similarities to craniofacial variation among mammals. Although craniofacial variation is significantly affected by allometry, these allometric effects are independent of the influence of the SPH on skull morphology, as are any effects of volumetric encephalization. Our results, therefore, validate the hypothesis that a general architectural constraint underlies skull homoplasy evolution of cranial morphology among avian clades, and possibly between birds and mammals, but they downplay encephalization and allometry as the only factors involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Marugán‐Lobón
- Unidad de PaleontologíaDpto. BiologíaUniversidad Autónoma de MadridMadridSpain
- Dinosaur InstituteNatural History Museum of Los Angeles CountyLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Sergio M. Nebreda
- Unidad de PaleontologíaDpto. BiologíaUniversidad Autónoma de MadridMadridSpain
| | - Guillermo Navalón
- Unidad de PaleontologíaDpto. BiologíaUniversidad Autónoma de MadridMadridSpain
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
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47
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Holmes J, Sustaita D, Hertel F. Geometric Morphometric Analysis of the Humerus in New and Old World Vultures. J Morphol 2022; 283:379-394. [PMID: 35038183 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21449] [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: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The vulture guild is composed of two distinct groups, Old and New World, that provide a unique insight into how morphology varies among convergent species. All vultures are considered to be large birds of prey that utilize a style of flight called thermal soaring to search and feed primarily on carrion. Even though this flight style is exhibited among all 23 species, slight variations in their skeletal morphology may relate to their differences in ecology. We hypothesized that vulture humeral morphology varies in relation to these organisms' habitat, average body mass, courtship displays, and migratory behavior. To address this hypothesis, we used three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to measure the overall shape differences of vulture humeri. Humeral morphology was found to vary most by habitat association and migratory tendency. The humeri of vultures that inhabit forested areas exhibit features that suggest increased flapping flight compared to those in open and mountainous regions. Migratory species were found to possess more robust features near the glenohumeral joint. We found these (and other features) have some utility for predicting ecology and behavior, but we suggest that further investigation into skeletal and muscular wing elements may reveal greater understanding of the habits of extinct vulture species. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Holmes
- Department of Biology, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California
| | - Diego Sustaita
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, San Marcos, San Marcos, California
| | - Fritz Hertel
- Department of Biology, California State University, Northridge, Northridge, California
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48
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Bill Variation of Captive and Wild Chukar Partridge Populations: Shape or Size. DIVERSITY 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/d14010048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Traditionally, morphological characters are widely used to distinguish between interspecies and intraspecies. In addition to the size of morphological characters, shape has also been used as an indicator in the last decades. We evaluated the geometric morphometry and morphometric of the bill of Chukar Partridge, Alectoris chukar from captive and wild populations to determine the bill variation and population relationships. Although there was a size difference between the sexes, no shape difference was found. However, captive populations differed from wild populations in both size and shape. Although there was no difference in shape among wild populations, some differences were found in size. Moreover, bill sizes of captive populations were statistically longer than western, centre, and eastern wild populations. It was also shown that the western populations had the most significant variation among the wild populations. The results revealed that using the size and shape together was more effective in comparing populations.
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49
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Rombaut LMK, Capp EJR, Cooney CR, Hughes EC, Varley ZK, Thomas GH. Allometric conservatism in the evolution of bird beaks. Evol Lett 2021; 6:83-91. [PMID: 35127139 PMCID: PMC8802239 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolution can involve periods of rapid divergent adaptation and expansion in the range of diversity, but evolution can also be relatively conservative over certain timescales due to functional, genetic‐developmental, and ecological constraints. One way in which evolution may be conservative is in terms of allometry, the scaling relationship between the traits of organisms and body size. Here, we investigate patterns of allometric conservatism in the evolution of bird beaks with beak size and body size data for a representative sample of over 5000 extant bird species within a phylogenetic framework. We identify clades in which the allometric relationship between beak size and body size has remained relatively conserved across species over millions to tens of millions of years. We find that allometric conservatism is nonetheless punctuated by occasional shifts in the slopes and intercepts of allometric relationships. A steady accumulation of such shifts through time has given rise to the tremendous diversity of beak size relative to body size across birds today. Our findings are consistent with the Simpsonian vision of macroevolution, with evolutionary conservatism being the rule but with occasional shifts to new adaptive zones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louie M. K. Rombaut
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield S10 2TN United Kingdom
| | - Elliot J. R. Capp
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield S10 2TN United Kingdom
| | - Christopher R. Cooney
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield S10 2TN United Kingdom
| | - Emma C. Hughes
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield S10 2TN United Kingdom
| | - Zoë K. Varley
- Department of Life Sciences Natural History Museum London London SW7 5BD United Kingdom
| | - Gavin H. Thomas
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield S10 2TN United Kingdom
- Bird Group Department of Life Sciences The Natural History Museum Tring HP23 6AP United Kingdom
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50
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Boer EF, Maclary ET, Shapiro MD. Complex genetic architecture of three-dimensional craniofacial shape variation in domestic pigeons. Evol Dev 2021; 23:477-495. [PMID: 34914861 PMCID: PMC9119316 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12395] [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: 03/20/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Deciphering the genetic basis of vertebrate craniofacial variation is a longstanding biological problem with broad implications in evolution, development, and human pathology. One of the most stunning examples of craniofacial diversification is the adaptive radiation of birds, in which the beak serves essential roles in virtually every aspect of their life histories. The domestic pigeon (Columba livia) provides an exceptional opportunity to study the genetic underpinnings of craniofacial variation because of its unique balance of experimental accessibility and extraordinary phenotypic diversity within a single species. We used traditional and geometric morphometrics to quantify craniofacial variation in an F2 laboratory cross derived from the straight-beaked Pomeranian Pouter and curved-beak Scandaroon pigeon breeds. Using a combination of genome-wide quantitative trait locus scans and multi-locus modeling, we identified a set of genetic loci associated with complex shape variation in the craniofacial skeleton, including beak shape, braincase shape, and mandible shape. Some of these loci control coordinated changes between different structures, while others explain variation in the size and shape of specific skull and jaw regions. We find that in domestic pigeons, a complex blend of both independent and coupled genetic effects underlie three-dimensional craniofacial morphology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena F Boer
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Emily T Maclary
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Michael D Shapiro
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
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