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Nieminen P, Finnilä MAJ, Hämäläinen W, Lehtiniemi S, Jämsä T, Tuukkanen J, Kunnasranta M, Henttonen H, Mustonen AM. Osteological profiling of femoral diaphysis and neck in aquatic, semiaquatic, and terrestrial carnivores and rodents: effects of body size and locomotor habits. J Comp Physiol B 2024:10.1007/s00360-024-01551-7. [PMID: 38678156 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-024-01551-7] [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: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/29/2024]
Abstract
The increased limb bone density documented previously for aquatic tetrapods has been proposed to be an adaptation to overcome buoyancy during swimming and diving. It can be achieved by increasing the amount of bone deposition or by reducing the amount of bone resorption, leading to cortical thickening, loss of medullary cavity, and compaction of trabecular bone. The present study examined the effects of locomotor habit, body size, and phylogeny on the densitometric, cross-sectional, and biomechanical traits of femoral diaphysis and neck in terrestrial, semiaquatic, and aquatic carnivores, and in terrestrial and semiaquatic rodents (12 species) by using peripheral quantitative computed tomography, three-point bending, and femoral neck loading tests. Groupwise differences were analyzed with the univariate generalized linear model and the multivariate linear discriminant analysis supplemented with hierarchical clustering. While none of the individual features could separate the lifestyles or species adequately, the combinations of multiple features produced very good or excellent classifications and clusterings. In the phocid seals, the aquatic niche allowed for lower femoral bone mineral densities than expected based on the body mass alone. The semiaquatic mammals mostly had high bone mineral densities compared to the terrestrial species, which could be considered an adaptation to overcome buoyancy during swimming and shallow diving. Generally, it seems that different osteological properties at the levels of mineral density and biomechanics could be compatible with the adaptation to aquatic, semiaquatic, or terrestrial niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petteri Nieminen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
- School of Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Mikko A J Finnilä
- Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
- Biocenter Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | | | - Saara Lehtiniemi
- Department of Computer Science, School of Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Timo Jämsä
- Research Unit of Health Sciences and Technology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Juha Tuukkanen
- Research Unit of Translational Medicine, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Mervi Kunnasranta
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
- Natural Resources Institute Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | | | - Anne-Mari Mustonen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland.
- School of Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
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Myhrvold NP, Baumgart SL, Vidal D, Fish FE, Henderson DM, Saitta ET, Sereno PC. Diving dinosaurs? Caveats on the use of bone compactness and pFDA for inferring lifestyle. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298957. [PMID: 38446841 PMCID: PMC10917332 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298957] [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: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The lifestyle of spinosaurid dinosaurs has been a topic of lively debate ever since the unveiling of important new skeletal parts for Spinosaurus aegyptiacus in 2014 and 2020. Disparate lifestyles for this taxon have been proposed in the literature; some have argued that it was semiaquatic to varying degrees, hunting fish from the margins of water bodies, or perhaps while wading or swimming on the surface; others suggest that it was a fully aquatic underwater pursuit predator. The various proposals are based on equally disparate lines of evidence. A recent study by Fabbri and coworkers sought to resolve this matter by applying the statistical method of phylogenetic flexible discriminant analysis to femur and rib bone diameters and a bone microanatomy metric called global bone compactness. From their statistical analyses of datasets based on a wide range of extant and extinct taxa, they concluded that two spinosaurid dinosaurs (S. aegyptiacus, Baryonyx walkeri) were fully submerged "subaqueous foragers," whereas a third spinosaurid (Suchomimus tenerensis) remained a terrestrial predator. We performed a thorough reexamination of the datasets, analyses, and methodological assumptions on which those conclusions were based, which reveals substantial problems in each of these areas. In the datasets of exemplar taxa, we found unsupported categorization of taxon lifestyle, inconsistent inclusion and exclusion of taxa, and inappropriate choice of taxa and independent variables. We also explored the effects of uncontrolled sources of variation in estimates of bone compactness that arise from biological factors and measurement error. We found that the ability to draw quantitative conclusions is limited when taxa are represented by single data points with potentially large intrinsic variability. The results of our analysis of the statistical method show that it has low accuracy when applied to these datasets and that the data distributions do not meet fundamental assumptions of the method. These findings not only invalidate the conclusions of the particular analysis of Fabbri et al. but also have important implications for future quantitative uses of bone compactness and discriminant analysis in paleontology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephanie L. Baumgart
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Department of Physiological Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Daniel Vidal
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Física Matemática y de Fluidos, Grupo de Biología Evolutiva, UNED, Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Frank E. Fish
- Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | | | - Evan T. Saitta
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Paul C. Sereno
- Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
- Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
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3
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Gônet J, Bardin J, Girondot M, Hutchinson JR, Laurin M. Locomotor and postural diversity among reptiles viewed through the prism of femoral microanatomy: Palaeobiological implications for some Permian and Mesozoic taxa. J Anat 2023; 242:891-916. [PMID: 36807199 PMCID: PMC10093171 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The water-to-land transition by the first tetrapod vertebrates represents a key stage in their evolution. Selection pressures exerted by this new environment on animals led to the emergence of new locomotor and postural strategies that favoured access to different ecological niches and contributed to their evolutionary success. Today, amniotes show great locomotor and postural diversity, particularly among Reptilia, whose extant representatives include parasagittally locomoting erect and crouched bipeds (birds), sub-parasagittal 'semi-erect' quadrupeds (crocodylians) and sprawling quadrupeds (squamates and turtles). But the different steps leading to such diversity remain enigmatic and the type of locomotion adopted by many extinct species raises questions. This is notably the case of certain Triassic taxa such as Euparkeria and Marasuchus. The exploration of the bone microanatomy in reptiles could help to overcome these uncertainties. Indeed, this locomotor and postural diversity is accompanied by great microanatomical disparity. On land, the bones of the appendicular skeleton support the weight of the body and are subject to multiple constraints that partly shape their external and internal morphology. Here we show how microanatomical parameters measured in cross-section, such as bone compactness or the position of the medullocortical transition, can be related to locomotion. We hypothesised that this could be due to variations in cortical thickness. Using statistical methods that take phylogeny into account (phylogenetic flexible discriminant analyses), we develop different models of locomotion from a sample of femur cross-sections from 51 reptile species. We use these models to infer locomotion and posture in 7 extinct reptile taxa for which they remain debated or not fully clear. Our models produced reliable inferences for taxa that preceded and followed the quadruped/biped and sprawling/erect transitions, notably within the Captorhinidae and Dinosauria. For taxa contemporary with these transitions, such as Terrestrisuchus and Marasuchus, the inferences are more questionable. We use linear models to investigate the effect of body mass and functional ecology on our inference models. We show that body mass seems to significantly impact our model predictions in most cases, unlike the functional ecology. Finally, we illustrate how taphonomic processes can impact certain microanatomical parameters, especially the eccentricity of the section, while addressing some other potential limitations of our methods. Our study provides insight into the evolution of enigmatic locomotion in various early reptiles. Our models and methods could be used by palaeontologists to infer the locomotion and posture in other extinct reptile taxa, especially when considered in combination with other lines of evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Gônet
- Centre de recherche en paléontologie - Paris, UMR 7207, Sorbonne Université, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Jérémie Bardin
- Centre de recherche en paléontologie - Paris, UMR 7207, Sorbonne Université, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Paris, France
| | - Marc Girondot
- Laboratoire écologie, systématique et évolution, UMR 8079, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Orsay, France
| | - John R Hutchinson
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Hatfield, UK
| | - Michel Laurin
- Centre de recherche en paléontologie - Paris, UMR 7207, Sorbonne Université, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Centre national de la recherche scientifique, Paris, France
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4
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Gônet J, Bardin J, Girondot M, Hutchinson JR, Laurin M. Unravelling the postural diversity of mammals: Contribution of humeral cross-sections to palaeobiological inferences. J MAMM EVOL 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-023-09652-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
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Ingle DN, Porter ME. Vertebral trabecular bone mechanical properties vary among functional groups of cetaceans. Integr Org Biol 2022; 4:obab036. [PMID: 35155991 PMCID: PMC8832228 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obab036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Since their appearance in the fossil record 34 million years ago, modern cetaceans (dolphins, whales, and porpoises) have radiated into diverse habitats circumglobally, developing vast phenotypic variations among species. Traits such as skeletal morphology and ecologically linked behaviors denote swimming activity; trade-offs in flexibility and rigidity along the vertebral column determine patterns of caudal oscillation. Here, we categorized 10 species of cetaceans (families Delphinidae and Kogiidae; N = 21 animals) into functional groups based on vertebral centra morphology, swimming speeds, diving behavior, and inferred swimming patterns. We quantified trabecular bone mechanical properties (yield strength, apparent stiffness, and resilience) among functional groups and regions of the vertebral column (thoracic, lumbar, and caudal). We extracted 6 mm3 samples from vertebral bodies and tested them in compression in 3 orientations (rostrocaudal, dorsoventral, and mediolateral) at 2 mm min−1. Overall, bone from the pre-fluke/fluke boundary had the greatest yield strength and resilience, indicating that the greatest forces are translated to the tail during caudal oscillatory swimming. Group 1, composed of 5 shallow-diving delphinid species, had the greatest vertebral trabecular bone yield strength, apparent stiffness, and resilience of all functional groups. Conversely, Group 3, composed of 2 deep-diving kogiid species, had the least strong, stiff, and resilient bone, while Group 2 (3 deep-diving delphinid species) exhibited intermediate values. These data suggest that species that incorporate prolonged glides during deep descents in the water column actively swim less, and place relatively smaller loads on their vertebral columns, compared with species that execute shallower dives. We found that cetacean vertebral trabecular bone properties differed from the properties of terrestrial mammals; for every given bone strength, cetacean bone was less stiff by comparison. This relative lack of material rigidity within vertebral bone may be attributed to the non-weight-bearing locomotor modes of fully aquatic mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- D N Ingle
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas 77554
| | - M E Porter
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431
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Amson E, Bibi F. Differing effects of size and lifestyle on bone structure in mammals. BMC Biol 2021; 19:87. [PMID: 33926429 PMCID: PMC8086358 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-01016-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mammals are a highly diverse group, with body mass ranging from 2 g to 170 t, and encompassing species with terrestrial, aquatic, aerial, and subterranean lifestyles. The skeleton is involved in most aspects of vertebrate life history, but while previous macroevolutionary analyses have shown that structural, phylogenetic, and functional factors influence the gross morphology of skeletal elements, their inner structure has received comparatively little attention. Here we analysed bone structure of the humerus and mid-lumbar vertebrae across mammals and their correlations with different lifestyles and body size. RESULTS We acquired bone structure parameters in appendicular and axial elements (humerus and mid-lumbar vertebra) from 190 species across therian mammals (placentals + marsupials). Our sample captures all transitions to aerial, fully aquatic, and subterranean lifestyles in extant therian clades. We found that mammalian bone structure is highly disparate and we show that the investigated vertebral structure parameters mostly correlate with body size, but not lifestyle, while the opposite is true for humeral parameters. The latter also show a high degree of convergence among the clades that have acquired specialised (non-terrestrial) lifestyles. CONCLUSIONS In light of phylogenetic, size, and functional factors, the distribution of each investigated structural parameter reveals patterns explaining the construction of appendicular and axial skeletal elements in mammalian species spanning most of the extant diversity of the clade in terms of body size and lifestyle. These patterns should be further investigated with analyses focused on specific lifestyle transitions that would ideally include key fossils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli Amson
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Stuttgart, Rosenstein 1, 70191, Stuttgart, Germany.
| | - Faysal Bibi
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany
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López‐Aguirre C, Wilson LAB, Koyabu D, Tu VT, Hand SJ. Variation in cross‐sectional shape and biomechanical properties of the bat humerus under Wolff's law. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2021; 304:1937-1952. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Camilo López‐Aguirre
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
| | - Laura A. B. Wilson
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
- School of Archaeology and Anthropology, Australian National University Canberra ACT Australia
| | - Daisuke Koyabu
- Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong Kowloon Hong Kong
- Department of Molecular Craniofacial Embryology Tokyo Medical and Dental University Tokyo Japan
| | - Vuong Tan Tu
- Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
- Graduate University of Science and Technology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology Hanoi Vietnam
| | - Suzanne J. Hand
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales Sydney New South Wales Australia
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8
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Houssaye A, Martin F, Boisserie JR, Lihoreau F. Paleoecological Inferences from Long Bone Microanatomical Specializations in Hippopotamoidea (Mammalia, Artiodactyla). J MAMM EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-021-09536-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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Kilbourne BM. Differing limb functions and their potential influence upon the diversification of the mustelid hindlimb skeleton. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Though form-function relationships of the mammalian locomotor system have been investigated for over a century, recent models of trait evolution have hitherto been seldom used to identify likely evolutionary processes underlying the locomotor system’s morphological diversity. Using mustelids, an ecologically diverse carnivoran lineage, I investigated whether variation in hindlimb skeletal morphology functionally coincides with climbing, digging, swimming and generalized locomotor habits by using 15 linear traits of the femur, tibia, fibula, calcaneum and metatarsal III across 44 species in a principal component analysis. I subsequently fit different models of Brownian motion and adaptive trait diversification individually to each trait. Climbing, digging and swimming mustelids occupy distinct regions of phenotypic space characterized by differences in bone robustness. Models of adaptive and neutral evolution are, respectively, the best fits for long bone lengths and muscle in-levers, suggesting that different kinds of traits may be associated with different evolutionary processes. However, simulations based upon models of best fit reveal low statistical power to rank the models. Though differences in mustelid hindlimb skeletal morphology appear to coincide with locomotor habits, further study, with sampling expanded beyond the Mustelidae, is necessary to better understand to what degree adaptive evolution shapes morphological diversity of the locomotor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon M Kilbourne
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Berlin, Germany
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10
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Amson E. Humeral diaphysis structure across mammals. Evolution 2021; 75:748-755. [PMID: 33433007 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 11/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Long bones comprise articular ends (epiphyses) joined by transitional metaphyses and a diaphysis (shaft). The structure of the latter is often viewed as regularly tubular across tetrapods (limbed vertebrates). However, assessments of the bone structure along the whole diaphysis are rare. Here, I assess whole-diaphysis profiles of global compactness (bone fraction) of 164 species of extant and extinct therian mammals (marsupials + placentals) in a phylogenetically informed context. Generally terrestrial, mammals have acquired multiple times the highly specialized aerial, fully aquatic, and subterranean lifestyles, allowing to potentially associate specific traits with these lifestyles. I show that there is a consistent increase in global compactness along the diaphysis in most mammals. This pattern is modified in a limited number of specialized species: all aerial clades (gliders and bats) have rather uniform and low values, while cetaceans' humeral diaphysis is marked by a slightly more compact mid-diaphyseal region. Among subterranean clades, structure alterations are most obvious in fossorial talpids (true moles) and their highly modified humerus. These results call for the investigation of bone structure in whole skeletal elements of key fossils in order to reconstruct the patterns of evolutionary modifications associated with lifestyle transitions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli Amson
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, Berlin, 10115, Germany
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11
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Harbers H, Zanolli C, Cazenave M, Theil JC, Ortiz K, Blanc B, Locatelli Y, Schafberg R, Lecompte F, Baly I, Laurens F, Callou C, Herrel A, Puymerail L, Cucchi T. Investigating the impact of captivity and domestication on limb bone cortical morphology: an experimental approach using a wild boar model. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19070. [PMID: 33149160 PMCID: PMC7643176 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75496-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The lack of bone morphological markers associated with the human control of wild animals has prevented the documentation of incipient animal domestication in archaeology. Here, we assess whether direct environmental changes (i.e. mobility reduction) could immediately affect ontogenetic changes in long bone structure, providing a skeletal marker of early domestication. We relied on a wild boar experimental model, analysing 24 wild-born specimens raised in captivity from 6 months to 2 years old. The shaft cortical thickness of their humerus was measured using a 3D morphometric mapping approach and compared with 23 free-ranging wild boars and 22 pigs from different breeds, taking into account sex, mass and muscle force differences. In wild boars we found that captivity induced an increase in cortical bone volume and muscle force, and a topographic change of cortical thickness associated with muscular expression along a phenotypic trajectory that differed from the divergence induced by selective breeding. These results provide an experimental proof of concept that changes in locomotor behaviour and selective breeding might be inferred from long bones morphology in the fossil and archaeological record. These trends need to be explored in the archaeological record and further studies are required to explore the developmental changes behind these plastic responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Harbers
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, UMR 7209, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Paris, France.
| | - Clement Zanolli
- Laboratoire PACEA, UMR 5199, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Marine Cazenave
- School of Anthropology and Conservation, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, University of Kent, Marlowe Building, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, UK
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, School of Medicine, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Jean-Christophe Theil
- Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution, UMR 7109, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Katia Ortiz
- Réserve Zoologique de la Haute Touche, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Obterre, France
| | - Barbara Blanc
- Réserve Zoologique de la Haute Touche, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Obterre, France
| | - Yann Locatelli
- Réserve Zoologique de la Haute Touche, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Obterre, France
- Physiologie de la Reproduction et des Comportements, UMR 7247, National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), CNRS Université de Tours IFCE, Nouzilly, France
| | - Renate Schafberg
- Central Natural Science Collections, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Francois Lecompte
- Plateforme CIRE, National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), Nouzilly, France
| | - Isabelle Baly
- Unité Bases de Données sur la Biodiversité, Écologie, Environnement et Sociétés, UMS 3468, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Flavie Laurens
- Unité Bases de Données sur la Biodiversité, Écologie, Environnement et Sociétés, UMS 3468, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Cécile Callou
- Unité Bases de Données sur la Biodiversité, Écologie, Environnement et Sociétés, UMS 3468, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Anthony Herrel
- Mécanismes Adaptatifs et Evolution, UMR 7109, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle CNRS, Paris, France
| | - Laurent Puymerail
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, UMR 7209, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Paris, France
- Anthropologie bio-culturelle, droit, éthique et santé (ADES), UMR 7268, Faculté de Médecine Site Nord, Marseille, France
| | - Thomas Cucchi
- Archéozoologie, Archéobotanique: Sociétés, Pratiques et Environnements, UMR 7209, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Paris, France.
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12
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Parsi-Pour P, Kilbourne BM. Functional Morphology and Morphological Diversification of Hind Limb Cross-Sectional Traits in Mustelid Mammals. Integr Org Biol 2020; 2:obz032. [PMID: 33791583 PMCID: PMC7671153 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obz032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Locomotor habits in mammals are strongly tied to limb bones’ lengths, diameters, and proportions. By comparison, fewer studies have examined how limb bone cross-sectional traits relate to locomotor habit. Here, we tested whether climbing, digging, and swimming locomotor habits reflect biomechanically meaningful differences in three cross-sectional traits rendered dimensionless— cross-sectional area (CSA), second moments of area (SMA), and section modulus (MOD)—using femora, tibiae, and fibulae of 28 species of mustelid. CSA and SMA represent resistance to axial compression and bending, respectively, whereas MOD represents structural strength. Given the need to counteract buoyancy in aquatic environments and soil’s high density, we predicted that natatorial and fossorial mustelids have higher values of cross-sectional traits. For all three traits, we found that natatorial mustelids have the highest values, followed by fossorial mustelids, with both of these groups significantly differing from scansorial mustelids. However, phylogenetic relatedness strongly influences diversity in cross-sectional morphology, as locomotor habit strongly correlates with phylogeny. Testing whether hind limb bone cross-sectional traits have evolved adaptively, we fit Ornstein–Uhlenbeck (OU) and Brownian motion (BM) models of trait diversification to cross-sectional traits. The cross-sectional traits of the femur, tibia, and fibula appear to have, respectively, diversified under a multi-rate BM model, a single rate BM model, and a multi-optima OU model. In light of recent studies on mustelid body size and elongation, our findings suggest that the mustelid body plan—and perhaps that of other mammals—is likely the sum of a suite of traits evolving under different models of trait diversification.
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Affiliation(s)
- P Parsi-Pour
- Institut für Biologie, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstraße 13, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - B M Kilbourne
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
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13
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Houssaye A, Prévoteau J. What about limb long bone nutrient canal(s)? - a 3D investigation in mammals. J Anat 2019; 236:510-521. [PMID: 31820454 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The nutrient arteries, located in the long bone diaphysis, are the major blood supply to long bones, especially during the early phases of growth and ossification. Their intersection with the central axis of the medullary area corresponds to the ossification center, and their opening on the outer bone surface to the nutrient foramen. Nutrient arteries/foramen have essentially been analyzed in humans, and only to a much lesser extent in a few mammals. Some studies have taken measurements of the nutrient foramen; others have investigated the shape and orientation of the nutrient canals, although only partially. No studies have analyzed the nutrient canal in three dimensions inside the bone and the relationships between nutrient foramen, nutrient canal, growth, and physiology require further investigation. The current study proposes to investigate in three dimensions the shape of the nutrient canal in stylopod bones of various mammals. Qualitative and quantitative parameters are defined to discuss the diversity in, for example, morphology, orientation, and diameter encountered, resorting to two different datasets to maximize differences within mammals and then analyze variation within morphologically and phylogenetically closer taxa. This study highlights a strong intraspecific variation for various parameters, with limited biological signal, but also shows trends. It notably provides evidence that canals are generally more numerous and relatively thinner in less elongated bones. Moreover, it shows that the growth center is located distally in the humerus and proximally in the femur, and that the canals are essentially oriented towards the faster growing end, so that the nutrient foramen does not indicate the location of the growth center. This result seems general in mammals but cannot be generalized outside of Mammalia. Further analyses of the features of nutrient arteries in reptiles are required to make comparisons with the trends observed in mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Houssaye
- Département Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
| | - Jocerand Prévoteau
- Département Adaptations du Vivant, UMR 7179 CNRS/Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
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Beichman AC, Koepfli KP, Li G, Murphy W, Dobrynin P, Kliver S, Tinker MT, Murray MJ, Johnson J, Lindblad-Toh K, Karlsson EK, Lohmueller KE, Wayne RK. Aquatic Adaptation and Depleted Diversity: A Deep Dive into the Genomes of the Sea Otter and Giant Otter. Mol Biol Evol 2019; 36:2631-2655. [PMID: 31212313 PMCID: PMC7967881 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite its recent invasion into the marine realm, the sea otter (Enhydra lutris) has evolved a suite of adaptations for life in cold coastal waters, including limb modifications and dense insulating fur. This uniquely dense coat led to the near-extinction of sea otters during the 18th-20th century fur trade and an extreme population bottleneck. We used the de novo genome of the southern sea otter (E. l. nereis) to reconstruct its evolutionary history, identify genes influencing aquatic adaptation, and detect signals of population bottlenecks. We compared the genome of the southern sea otter with the tropical freshwater-living giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) to assess common and divergent genomic trends between otter species, and with the closely related northern sea otter (E. l. kenyoni) to uncover population-level trends. We found signals of positive selection in genes related to aquatic adaptations, particularly limb development and polygenic selection on genes related to hair follicle development. We found extensive pseudogenization of olfactory receptor genes in both the sea otter and giant otter lineages, consistent with patterns of sensory gene loss in other aquatic mammals. At the population level, the southern sea otter and the northern sea otter showed extremely low genomic diversity, signals of recent inbreeding, and demographic histories marked by population declines. These declines may predate the fur trade and appear to have resulted in an increase in putatively deleterious variants that could impact the future recovery of the sea otter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabel C Beichman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Klaus-Peter Koepfli
- Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
| | - Gang Li
- College of Life Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - William Murphy
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
| | - Pasha Dobrynin
- Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
| | - Sergei Kliver
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation
| | - Martin T Tinker
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA
| | | | - Jeremy Johnson
- Vertebrate Genome Biology, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
| | - Kerstin Lindblad-Toh
- Vertebrate Genome Biology, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Elinor K Karlsson
- Vertebrate Genome Biology, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA
- Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA
| | - Kirk E Lohmueller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
- Interdepartmental Program in Bioinformatics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Robert K Wayne
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
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15
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Abstract
Abstract
Quantifying the inner structure of bones is central to various analyses dealing with the phenotypic evolution of animals with an ossified skeleton. Computed tomography allows to assess the repartition of bone tissue within an entire skeletal element. Two parameters of importance for such analyses are the global compactness (Cg) and total cross-sectional area (Tt.Ar). However, no open-source, time-efficient methods are available to acquire these parameters for whole bones. A methodology to assess the variation of these parameters along a profile following one of the studied bone’s anatomical axes is also wanting. Here I present an ImageJ macro and associated R script to automatically acquire Cg and Tt.Ar along an axis of the skeletal element of interest using a slice-by-slice approach. No manual segmentation is required and several bones can be present on the analysed scan, as long as the bone of interest is isolated and the largest element on each slice. While some bias might be involved by the automatic acquisition, semi-automatic slice exclusion and correction procedures can be used to efficiently account for it. As a test case, µCT-data was gathered for the mid-lumbar vertebra of over 70 mammals. The two evaluated correction procedures proved to perform equally well, with a slight advantage for the one relying on the exclusion of local outliers. The presented macro allows to efficiently build a dataset concerned with the quantification of bone inner structure. The code being readily available, further improvement of the methodology and adjustment to particular needs can be easily performed.
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16
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Amson E, Kilbourne BM. Trabecular bone architecture in the stylopod epiphyses of mustelids (Mammalia, Carnivora). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:190938. [PMID: 31824706 PMCID: PMC6837213 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.190938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 09/20/2019] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Mustelidae, a carnivoran clade that includes for instance weasels, badgers, otters and martens, has undergone several evolutionary transitions of lifestyle, resulting in specializations for fossorial, natatorial and scansorial locomotion, in addition to more generalized species. The family is therefore regarded as offering an adequate framework for morpho-functional analyses. However, the architecture of the epiphyseal trabecular bone, which is argued to be particularly responsive to the biomechanical environment, has never been studied. Here, we quantify trabecular bone parameters of the proximal and distal epiphyses of the humerus and femur in 29 species of mustelids and assess the differences of these parameters among groups defined a priori based on the aforementioned locomotor types. The parameters are assessed in a phylogenetic framework, taking into account the potential effect on an individual's body mass. The range of variation described by the acquired parameters is relatively restricted when compared to that of other clades. Generalists, however, are featuring a wider range of variation than the other types. While clear discrimination of locomotor types is difficult, some differences were highlighted by our analysis, such as a greater bone fraction associated with the natatorial taxa, which we discuss in a functional context.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. Amson
- Author for correspondence: E. Amson e-mail:
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17
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The Hind Limbs of Sobrarbesiren cardieli (Eocene, Northeastern Spain) and New Insights into the Locomotion Capabilities of the Quadrupedal Sirenians. J MAMM EVOL 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-019-09482-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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18
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Kilbourne BM, Hutchinson JR. Morphological diversification of biomechanical traits: mustelid locomotor specializations and the macroevolution of long bone cross-sectional morphology. BMC Evol Biol 2019; 19:37. [PMID: 30700269 PMCID: PMC6354431 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-019-1349-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2018] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Morphological diversity of limb bone lengths, diameters, and proportions in mammals is known to vary strongly with locomotor habit. It remains less well known how different locomotor habits are correlated with cross-sectional traits of the limb skeleton, such as cross-sectional area (CSA), second moments of area (SMA), and section modulus (MOD) and whether these traits have evolved adaptively. CSA and SMA represent the bone's resistance to axial compression and bending, respectively, whereas MOD represents bone structural strength related to shape. Sampling 28 species of mustelids, a carnivoran lineage with diverse locomotor habits, we tested for differences in humeral, radial, and ulnar cross-sectional traits among specialists for climbing, digging, and swimming, in addition to generalists. Given that the limbs of digging specialists function in the dense substance of soil, and that swimming specialists need to counteract buoyancy, we predicted that these mustelids with these specializations should have the greatest values of cross-sectional traits. RESULTS We analyzed cross-sectional traits (calculated via μCT scanning and rendered dimensionless) in 5% increments along a bone's length and found significant differences among locomotor habits, though differences in ulnar cross-sectional traits were fewer than those for the humerus and radius. Swimming specialists had the greatest values of cross-sectional traits, followed by digging specialists. Climbing specialists had the lowest values of cross-sectional traits. However, phylogenetic affinity underlies these results. Fitting models of trait evolution to CSA and SMA revealed that a multi-rate Brownian motion model and a multi-optima Ornstein-Uhlenbeck model are the best-fitting models of evolution for these traits. However, inspection of α-values uncovered that many of the OU models did not differ from a Brownian motion model. CONCLUSIONS Within Mustelidae, differences in limb function and locomotor habit influence cross-sectional traits in ways that produce patterns that may diverge from adaptive patterns exhibited by external traits (e.g., bone lengths) of the mammalian limb skeleton. These results suggest that not all the traits of a single organ evolve under a single evolutionary process and that models of trait evolution should be fit to a range of traits for a better understanding of the evolution of the mammalian locomotor system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon M Kilbourne
- Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
| | - John R Hutchinson
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, AL9 7TA, UK
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