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Newar SL, Schneiderová I, Hughes B, Bowman J. Ultrasound and ultraviolet: crypsis in gliding mammals. PeerJ 2024; 12:e17048. [PMID: 38549780 PMCID: PMC10977092 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.17048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Gliding is only present in six extant groups of mammals-interestingly, despite divergent evolutionary histories, all mammalian gliders are strictly nocturnal. Gliding mammals also seem to have relatively high rates of ultrasound use and ultraviolet-induced photoluminescence (UVP) in contrast with their close relatives. Therefore, we hypothesized that, despite diverging lineages, gliding mammals use similar modes of cryptic communication compared to their non-gliding counterparts. We developed two datasets containing the vocal range (minimum-maximum of the dominant harmonic; kHz) and UVP of 73 and 82 species, respectively; we report four novel vocal repertoires and 57 novel observations of the presence or absence of UVP. We complemented these datasets with information about body size, diel activity patterns, habitat openness, and sociality to explore possible covariates related to vocal production and UVP. We found that the maximum of the dominant harmonic was significant higher in gliding mammals when vocalizing than their non-gliding relatives. Additionally, we found that nocturnality was the only significant predictor of UVP, consistent with the previous hypothesis that luminophores primarily drive UVP in mammal fur. In contrast, however, we did not find UVP ubiquitous in nocturnal mammals, suggesting that some unknown process may contribute to variation in this trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sasha L. Newar
- Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
| | | | - Bryan Hughes
- Faculty of Biology, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - Jeff Bowman
- Environmental and Life Sciences, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
- Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Foresty, Peterborough, ON, Canada
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Chaitanya R, McGuire JA, Karanth P, Meiri S. Their fates intertwined: diversification patterns of the Asian gliding vertebrates may have been forged by dipterocarp trees. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231379. [PMID: 37583322 PMCID: PMC10427812 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1379] [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: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The repeated evolution of gliding in diverse Asian vertebrate lineages is hypothesized to have been triggered by the dominance of tall dipterocarp trees in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. These dipterocarp forests have acted as both centres of diversification and climatic refugia for gliding vertebrates, and support most of their extant diversity. We predict similarities in the diversification patterns of dipterocarp trees and gliding vertebrates, and specifically test whether episodic diversification events such as rate shifts and/or mass extinctions were temporally congruent in these groups. We analysed diversification patterns in reconstructed timetrees of Asian dipterocarps, the most speciose gliding vertebrates from different classes (Draco lizards, gliding frogs and Pteromyini squirrels) and compared them with similar-sized clades of non-gliding relatives (Diploderma lizards, Philautus frogs and Callosciurinae squirrels) from Southeast Asia. We found significant declines in net-diversification rates of dipterocarps and the gliding vertebrates during the Pliocene-Pleistocene, but not in the non-gliding groups. We conclude that the homogeneity and temporal coincidence of these rate declines point to a viable ecological correlation between dipterocarps and the gliding vertebrates. Further, we suggest that while the diversification decay in dipterocarps was precipitated by post-Miocene aridification of Asia, the crises in the gliding vertebrates were induced by both events concomitantly.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jimmy A. McGuire
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Praveen Karanth
- Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka 560012, India
| | - Shai Meiri
- School of Zoology, Tel Aviv University 6997801, Tel Aviv, Israel
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3
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Menger FM, Rizvi SAA. Preassembly Theory Invoking Prehistoric DNA Alterations. WORLD FUTURES 2023; 79:635-646. [DOI: 10.1080/02604027.2023.2226594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2023]
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4
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Yuan J, Wang Z, Song Y, Dai Z. Peking geckos (Gekko swinhonis) traversing upward steps: the effect of step height on the transition from horizontal to vertical locomotion. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2022; 208:421-433. [PMID: 35362821 DOI: 10.1007/s00359-022-01548-z] [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: 09/27/2021] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to transition between surfaces (e.g., from the ground to vertical barriers, such as walls, tree trunks, or rock surfaces) is important for the Peking gecko's (Gekko swinhonis Günther 1864) survival. However, quantitative research on gecko's kinematic performance and the effect of obstacle height during transitional locomotion remains scarce. In this study, the transitional locomotion of geckos facing different obstacle heights was assessed. Remarkably, geckos demonstrated a bimodal locomotion ability, as they could climb and jump. Climbing was more common on smaller obstacles and took longer than jumping. The jumping type depended on the obstacle height: when geckos could jump onto the obstacle, the vertical velocity increased with obstacle height; however, geckos jumped from a closer position when the obstacle height exceeded this range and would get attached to the vertical surface. A stability analysis of vertical surface landing using a collision model revealed that geckos can reduce their restraint impulse by increasing the landing angle through limb extension close to the body, consequently dissipating collision energy and reducing their horizontal and vertical velocities. The findings of this study reveal the adaptations evolved by geckos to move in their environments and may have applicability in the robotics field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiwei Yuan
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Yudao Street, Nanjing, 210016, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhouyi Wang
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Yudao Street, Nanjing, 210016, People's Republic of China.
| | - Yi Song
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Yudao Street, Nanjing, 210016, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhendong Dai
- College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Yudao Street, Nanjing, 210016, People's Republic of China
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Makarov VA, Panyutina AA. Running of the feathertail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus) on level ground: Gaits. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ZOOLOGY. PART A, ECOLOGICAL AND INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 337:366-380. [PMID: 34970868 DOI: 10.1002/jez.2573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Revised: 12/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Gliding is a crucial adaptation to arboreal habitats in several groups of mammals. Along with certain advantages it imposes limitations on the quadrupedal running since it affects the locomotor apparatus. To estimate the impact on quadrupedal running in gliders, the feathertail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus) was chosen considering that the small size allows minor morphological modifications for aerial locomotion. The gaits were studied on horizontal flat substrate which made it possible to compare running technique of the glider with that of terrestrial mammals. In all analyzed plots the footfall sequence was found to be asymmetrical; in most cases the bound was used, in contrast, the gallop occurred only occasionally. The half-bound with the fore lead, the most usual asymmetrical gait in quadrupedal marsupials, was much less common in A. pygmaeus than the bound; the rare among mammals half-bound with the hind lead was also found. The bound was not only the most common gait but also the steadiest one; therefore we can conclude that A. pygmaeus uses all other asymmetrical gaits as transitional forms associated with changes in speed, direction, etc. The bound with extended suspension is probably preferred by A. pygmaeus because it most closely resembles gliding by posture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viktor A Makarov
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Aleksandra A Panyutina
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
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6
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Abstract
SignificanceTo adapt to arboreal lifestyles, treefrogs have evolved a suite of complex traits that support vertical movement and gliding, thus presenting a unique case for studying the genetic basis for traits causally linked to vertical niche expansion. Here, based on two de novo-assembled Asian treefrog genomes, we determined that genes involved in limb development and keratin cytoskeleton likely played a role in the evolution of their climbing systems. Behavioral and morphological evaluation and time-ordered gene coexpression network analysis revealed the developmental patterns and regulatory pathways of the webbed feet used for gliding in Rhacophorus kio.
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7
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Waters JM, McCulloch GA. Reinventing the wheel? Reassessing the roles of gene flow, sorting and convergence in repeated evolution. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:4162-4172. [PMID: 34133810 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Biologists have long been intrigued by apparently predictable and repetitive evolutionary trajectories inferred across a variety of lineages and systems. In recent years, high-throughput sequencing analyses have started to transform our understanding of such repetitive shifts. While researchers have traditionally categorized such shifts as either "convergent" or "parallel," based on relatedness of the lineages involved, emerging genomic insights provide an opportunity to better describe the actual evolutionary mechanisms at play. A synthesis of recent genomic analyses confirms that convergence is the predominant driver of repetitive evolution among species, whereas repeated sorting of standing variation is the major driver of repeated shifts within species. However, emerging data reveal numerous notable exceptions to these expectations, with recent examples of de novo mutations underpinning convergent shifts among even very closely related lineages, while repetitive sorting processes have occurred among even deeply divergent taxa, sometimes via introgression. A number of very recent analyses have found evidence for both processes occurring on different scales within taxa. We suggest that the relative importance of convergent versus sorting processes depends on the interplay between gene flow among populations, and phylogenetic relatedness of the lineages involved.
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Analysis of longevity in Chordata identifies species with exceptional longevity among taxa and points to the evolution of longer lifespans. Biogerontology 2021; 22:329-343. [PMID: 33818680 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-021-09919-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Animals have a considerable variation in their longevity. This fundamental life-history trait is shaped by both intrinsic and extrinsic mortality pressures, influenced by multiple parameters including ecological variables and mode-of-life traits. Here, we examined the distribution of maximum age at multiple taxonomic ranks (class, order and family) in Chordata, and identified species with exceptional longevity within various taxa. We used a curated dataset of maximum longevity of animals from AnAge database, containing a total of 2542 chordates following our filtering criteria. We determined shapes of maximum age distributions at class, order and family taxonomic ranks, and calculated skewness values for each distribution, in R programming environment. We identified species with exceptional longevity compared to other species belonging to the same taxa, based on our definition of outliers. We collected data on ecological variables and mode-of-life traits which might possibly contribute, at least in part, to the exceptional lifespans of certain chordates. We found that 23, 12 and 4 species have exceptional longevity when we grouped chordates by their class, order and family, respectively. Almost all distributions of maximum age among taxa were positively skewed (towards increased longevity), possibly showing the emergence of longer lifespans in contrast to shorter lifespans, through the course of evolution. However, potential biases in the collection of data should be taken into account. Most of the identified species in the current study have not been previously studied in the context of animal longevity. Our analyses point that certain chordates may have evolved to have longer lifespans compared to other species belonging to the same taxa, and that among taxa, outliers in terms of maximum age have always longer lifespans, not shorter. Future research is required to understand how and why increased longevity have arose in certain species.
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Quinn BL. Digest: Incomplete convergence drives form–function relationship in gliders*. Evolution 2020; 74:2746-2747. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.14115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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10
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Grossnickle DM, Chen M, Wauer JGA, Pevsner SK, Weaver LN, Meng Q, Liu D, Zhang Y, Luo Z. Incomplete convergence of gliding mammal skeletons*. Evolution 2020; 74:2662-2680. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.14094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Revised: 08/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Meng Chen
- School of Earth Sciences and Engineering Nanjing University Nanjing 210023 China
- State Key Laboratory of Palaeobiology and Stratigraphy Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology Chinese Academy of Sciences Nanjing 100864 China
| | - James G. A. Wauer
- Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy University of Chicago Chicago Illinois 60637
| | - Spencer K. Pevsner
- Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy University of Chicago Chicago Illinois 60637
- School of Earth Sciences University of Bristol Bristol BS8 1TH United Kingdom
| | - Lucas N. Weaver
- Department of Biology University of Washington Seattle Washington 98195
| | - Qing‐Jin Meng
- Beijing Museum of Natural History Beijing 100050 China
| | - Di Liu
- Beijing Museum of Natural History Beijing 100050 China
| | | | - Zhe‐Xi Luo
- Department of Organismal Biology & Anatomy University of Chicago Chicago Illinois 60637
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11
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Liu PY, Cheng AC, Huang SW, Lu HP, Oshida T, Liu W, Yu HT. Body-size Scaling is Related to Gut Microbial Diversity, Metabolism and Dietary Niche of Arboreal Folivorous Flying Squirrels. Sci Rep 2020; 10:7809. [PMID: 32385374 PMCID: PMC7210948 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-64801-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Thermal homeostasis of mammals is constrained by body-size scaling. Consequently, small mammals require considerable energy to maintain a high mass-specific metabolic rate (MSMR) and sustain target body temperature. In association with gut microbiota, mammalian hosts acquire absorbable molecules and fulfill their metabolic requirements. Our objective was to characterize gut microbes in wild mammals and relate those findings to host body-size scaling. Two large (Petaurista philippensis grandis and P. alborufus lena), one medium (Trogopterus xanthipes) and one small (Pteromys volans orii) species of flying squirrels (FS) were studied. Using 16S rRNA genes, 1,104 OTUs were detected from four FS, with 1.99% of OTUs shared among all FS. Although all FS gut microbiota were dominated by Firmicutes, they were constituted by different bacterial families. Moreover, Bacteroidetes accounted for up to 19% of gut microbiota in small FS, but was absent in large FS. Finally, based on metagenome predictions, carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism genes were enriched in small body-size FS. In conclusion, gut microbiota compositions and predictive metabolic functions were characteristic of body-size in FS, consistent with their adaptations to folivorous dietary niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Po-Yu Liu
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.,Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.,Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - An-Chi Cheng
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Shiao-Wei Huang
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Hsiao-Pei Lu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.,Department of Biotechnology and Bioindustry Sciences, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Tatsuo Oshida
- Laboratory of Wildlife Biology, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Japan
| | - Wenhua Liu
- Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi'an, China
| | - Hon-Tsen Yu
- Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University and Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. .,Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
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12
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Ashwell KW. Quantitative analysis of cerebellar morphology in monotreme, metatherian and eutherian mammals. ZOOLOGY 2020; 139:125753. [DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2020.125753] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2019] [Revised: 01/24/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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13
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Ord TJ, Garcia-Porta J, Querejeta M, Collar DC. Gliding Dragons and Flying Squirrels: Diversifying versus Stabilizing Selection on Morphology following the Evolution of an Innovation. Am Nat 2020; 195:E51-E66. [DOI: 10.1086/706305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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14
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Gaschk JL, Frère CH, Clemente CJ. Quantifying koala locomotion strategies: implications for the evolution of arborealism in marsupials. J Exp Biol 2019; 222:222/24/jeb207506. [PMID: 31848216 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.207506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The morphology and locomotor performance of a species can determine their inherent fitness within a habitat type. Koalas have an unusual morphology for marsupials, with several key adaptations suggested to increase stability in arboreal environments. We quantified the kinematics of their movement over ground and along narrow arboreal trackways to determine the extent to which their locomotion resembled that of primates, occupying similar niches, or basal marsupials from which they evolved. On the ground, the locomotion of koalas resembled a combination of marsupial behaviours and primate-like mechanics. For example, their fastest strides were bounding type gaits with a top speed of 2.78 m s-1 (mean 1.20 m s-1), resembling marsupials, while the relatively longer stride length was reflective of primate locomotion. Speed was increased using equal modification of stride length and frequency. On narrow substrates, koalas took longer but slower strides (mean 0.42 m s-1), adopting diagonally coupled gaits including both lateral and diagonal sequence gaits, the latter being a strategy distinctive among arboreal primates. The use of diagonally coupled gaits in the arboreal environment is likely only possible because of the unique gripping hand morphology of both the fore and hind feet of koalas. These results suggest that during ground locomotion, they use marsupial-like strategies but alternate to primate-like strategies when moving amongst branches, maximising stability in these environments. The locomotion strategies of koalas provide key insights into an independent evolutionary branch for an arboreal specialist, highlighting how locomotor strategies can convergently evolve between distant lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua L Gaschk
- School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia
| | - Celine H Frère
- School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia
| | - Christofer J Clemente
- School of Science and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD 4556, Australia
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15
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McKnight DT, Nordine J, Jerrett B, Murray M, Murray P, Moss R, Northey M, Simard N, Alford RA, Schwarzkopf L. Do morphological adaptations for gliding in frogs influence clinging and jumping? J Zool (1987) 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. T. McKnight
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Townsville QLD Australia
| | - J. Nordine
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Townsville QLD Australia
| | - B. Jerrett
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Townsville QLD Australia
| | - M. Murray
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Townsville QLD Australia
| | - P. Murray
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Townsville QLD Australia
| | - R. Moss
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Townsville QLD Australia
| | - M. Northey
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Townsville QLD Australia
| | - N. Simard
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Townsville QLD Australia
| | - R. A. Alford
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Townsville QLD Australia
| | - L. Schwarzkopf
- College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Townsville QLD Australia
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Stark G, Tamar K, Itescu Y, Feldman A, Meiri S. Cold and isolated ectotherms: drivers of reptilian longevity. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gavin Stark
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Karin Tamar
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC – Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Anat Feldman
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shai Meiri
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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17
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Locomotion, postures, substrate use, and foot grasping in the marsupial feathertail glider Acrobates pygmaeus (Diprotodontia: Acrobatidae): Insights into early euprimate evolution. J Hum Evol 2018; 123:148-159. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2018.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2017] [Revised: 07/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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18
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Meng QJ, Grossnickle DM, Liu D, Zhang YG, Neander AI, Ji Q, Luo ZX. New gliding mammaliaforms from the Jurassic. Nature 2017; 548:291-296. [DOI: 10.1038/nature23476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2016] [Accepted: 07/12/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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19
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Roderick WRT, Cutkosky MR, Lentink D. Touchdown to take-off: at the interface of flight and surface locomotion. Interface Focus 2017; 7:20160094. [PMID: 28163884 DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2016.0094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Small aerial robots are limited to short mission times because aerodynamic and energy conversion efficiency diminish with scale. One way to extend mission times is to perch, as biological flyers do. Beyond perching, small robot flyers benefit from manoeuvring on surfaces for a diverse set of tasks, including exploration, inspection and collection of samples. These opportunities have prompted an interest in bimodal aerial and surface locomotion on both engineered and natural surfaces. To accomplish such novel robot behaviours, recent efforts have included advancing our understanding of the aerodynamics of surface approach and take-off, the contact dynamics of perching and attachment and making surface locomotion more efficient and robust. While current aerial robots show promise, flying animals, including insects, bats and birds, far surpass them in versatility, reliability and robustness. The maximal size of both perching animals and robots is limited by scaling laws for both adhesion and claw-based surface attachment. Biomechanists can use the current variety of specialized robots as inspiration for probing unknown aspects of bimodal animal locomotion. Similarly, the pitch-up landing manoeuvres and surface attachment techniques of animals can offer an evolutionary design guide for developing robots that perch on more diverse and complex surfaces.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark R Cutkosky
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , Stanford University , Stanford, CA , USA
| | - David Lentink
- Department of Mechanical Engineering , Stanford University , Stanford, CA , USA
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20
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Rocha RG, Leite YLR, Costa LP, Rojas D. Independent reversals to terrestriality in squirrels (Rodentia: Sciuridae) support ecologically mediated modes of adaptation. J Evol Biol 2016; 29:2471-2479. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12975] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- R. G. Rocha
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Centro de Ciências Humanas e Naturais Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo Vitória Espirito Santo Brazil
| | - Y. L. R. Leite
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Centro de Ciências Humanas e Naturais Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo Vitória Espirito Santo Brazil
| | - L. P. Costa
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas Centro de Ciências Humanas e Naturais Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo Vitória Espirito Santo Brazil
| | - D. Rojas
- Departamento de Biologia Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar Universidade de Aveiro Campus Universitário de Santiago Aveiro Portugal
- Department of Ecology and Evolution Stony Brook University Stony Brook NY USA
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21
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Krishna MC, Kumar A, Tripathi OP. Gliding performance of the red giant gliding squirrelPetaurista petauristain the tropical rainforest of Indian eastern Himalaya. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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22
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Abstract
Animals that glide produce aerodynamic forces that enable transit through the air in both arboreal and aquatic environments. The relative ease of gliding compared with flapping flight has led to a large diversity of taxa that have evolved some degree of flight capability. Glide paths are curved, reflecting the changing forces on the animal as it progresses through its aerial trajectory. These changing forces can be under control of the glider, which uses specific aspects of anatomy to modulate lift, drag, and rotational moments on the body. However, gliders share no single anatomical or behavioral feature, and some species are unspecialized for gliding, producing aerodynamic forces using posture and orientation alone. Animals use gliding in a broad range of ecological roles, suggesting that multiple performance metrics are relevant for consideration, but we are only beginning to understand how gliders produce and control their flight from takeoff to landing. In this review, we focus on the physical aspects of how glide trajectories are produced, and additionally discuss the range of morphologies and postures that are used to control aerial movements across the broad diversity of animal gliders.
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Affiliation(s)
- John J. Socha
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Farid Jafari
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Yonatan Munk
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Greg Byrnes
- Department of Biology, Siena College, Loudonville, NY 12211, USA
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23
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Healy K, Guillerme T, Finlay S, Kane A, Kelly SBA, McClean D, Kelly DJ, Donohue I, Jackson AL, Cooper N. Ecology and mode-of-life explain lifespan variation in birds and mammals. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20140298. [PMID: 24741018 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 167] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Maximum lifespan in birds and mammals varies strongly with body mass such that large species tend to live longer than smaller species. However, many species live far longer than expected given their body mass. This may reflect interspecific variation in extrinsic mortality, as life-history theory predicts investment in long-term survival is under positive selection when extrinsic mortality is reduced. Here, we investigate how multiple ecological and mode-of-life traits that should reduce extrinsic mortality (including volancy (flight capability), activity period, foraging environment and fossoriality), simultaneously influence lifespan across endotherms. Using novel phylogenetic comparative analyses and to our knowledge, the most species analysed to date (n = 1368), we show that, over and above the effect of body mass, the most important factor enabling longer lifespan is the ability to fly. Within volant species, lifespan depended upon when (day, night, dusk or dawn), but not where (in the air, in trees or on the ground), species are active. However, the opposite was true for non-volant species, where lifespan correlated positively with both arboreality and fossoriality. Our results highlight that when studying the molecular basis behind cellular processes such as those underlying lifespan, it is important to consider the ecological selection pressures that shaped them over evolutionary time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Healy
- School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, , Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland, Trinity Centre for Biodiversity Research, Trinity College Dublin, , Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland
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24
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Evangelista D, Cardona G, Guenther-Gleason E, Huynh T, Kwong A, Marks D, Ray N, Tisbe A, Tse K, Koehl M. Aerodynamic characteristics of a feathered dinosaur measured using physical models. Effects of form on static stability and control effectiveness. PLoS One 2014; 9:e85203. [PMID: 24454820 PMCID: PMC3893193 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0085203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2013] [Accepted: 11/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We report the effects of posture and morphology on the static aerodynamic stability and control effectiveness of physical models based on the feathered dinosaur, [Formula: see text]Microraptor gui, from the Cretaceous of China. Postures had similar lift and drag coefficients and were broadly similar when simplified metrics of gliding were considered, but they exhibited different stability characteristics depending on the position of the legs and the presence of feathers on the legs and the tail. Both stability and the function of appendages in generating maneuvering forces and torques changed as the glide angle or angle of attack were changed. These are significant because they represent an aerial environment that may have shifted during the evolution of directed aerial descent and other aerial behaviors. Certain movements were particularly effective (symmetric movements of the wings and tail in pitch, asymmetric wing movements, some tail movements). Other appendages altered their function from creating yaws at high angle of attack to rolls at low angle of attack, or reversed their function entirely. While [Formula: see text]M. gui lived after [Formula: see text]Archaeopteryx and likely represents a side experiment with feathered morphology, the general patterns of stability and control effectiveness suggested from the manipulations of forelimb, hindlimb and tail morphology here may help understand the evolution of flight control aerodynamics in vertebrates. Though these results rest on a single specimen, as further fossils with different morphologies are tested, the findings here could be applied in a phylogenetic context to reveal biomechanical constraints on extinct flyers arising from the need to maneuver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Evangelista
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Griselda Cardona
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Eric Guenther-Gleason
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Tony Huynh
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Austin Kwong
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Dylan Marks
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Neil Ray
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Adrian Tisbe
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Kyle Tse
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Mimi Koehl
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California, United States of America
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25
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Curet OM, Swartz SM, Breuer KS. An aeroelastic instability provides a possible basis for the transition from gliding to flapping flight. J R Soc Interface 2013; 10:20120940. [PMID: 23303221 PMCID: PMC3565744 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2012.0940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2012] [Accepted: 12/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The morphology, kinematics and stiffness properties of lifting surfaces play a key role in the aerodynamic performance of vertebrate flight. These surfaces, as a result of their flexible nature, may move both actively, owing to muscle contraction, and passively, in reaction to fluid forces. However, the nature and implications of this fluid-structure interaction are not well understood. Here, we study passive flight (flight with no active wing actuation) and explore a physical mechanism that leads to the emergence of a natural flapping motion. We model a vertebrate wing with a compliant shoulder and the ability to camber with an idealized physical model consisting of a cantilevered flat plate with a hinged trailing flap. We find that at low wind speed the wing is stationary, but at a critical speed the wing spontaneously flaps. The lift coefficient is significantly enhanced once the wing starts to oscillate, although this increase in lift generation is accompanied by an increase in drag. Flow visualization suggests that a strong leading edge vortex attached to the wing during downstroke is the primary mechanism responsible for the enhanced lift. The flapping instability we observe suggests a possible scenario for an evolutionary transition from gliding to powered flapping flight in animals that possess compliant wings capable of passive camber. Although the flapping state is accompanied by a lower lift-to-drag ratio, the increased lifting capability it confers might have enabled increased body mass, improved foraging performance and/or flight at lower speeds, any of which might have been selectively advantageous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar M Curet
- School of Engineering, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
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