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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; 194:473-492. [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] [MESH Headings] [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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2
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Shi L, Wang X, Yang X, Lyu T, Wang L, Zhou S, Dong Y, Wu X, Shang Y, Zhang H. Effect of locomotor preference on the evolution of mitochondrial genes in Bovidae. Sci Rep 2024; 14:12944. [PMID: 38839875 PMCID: PMC11153648 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-63937-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Locomotor preferences and habitat types may drive animal evolution. In this study, we speculated that locomotor preference and habitat type may have diverse influences on Bovidae mitochondrial genes. We used selection pressure and statistical analysis to explore the evolution of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) protein-coding genes (PCGs) from diverse locomotor preferences and habitat types. Our study demonstrates that locomotor preference (energy demand) drives the evolution of Bovidae in mtDNA PCGs. The habitat types had no significant effect on the rate of evolution in Bovidae mitochondrial genes. Our study provides deep insight into the adaptation of Bovidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lupeng Shi
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
| | - Xibao Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
| | - Xiufeng Yang
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
| | - Tianshu Lyu
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
| | - Lidong Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
| | - Shengyang Zhou
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
| | - Yuehuan Dong
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
| | - Xiaoyang Wu
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
| | - Yongquan Shang
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
| | - Honghai Zhang
- College of Life Sciences, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China.
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3
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Integrative Approach Uncovers New Patterns of Ecomorphological Convergence in Slow Arboreal Xenarthrans. J MAMM EVOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-021-09590-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIdentifying ecomorphological convergence examples is a central focus in evolutionary biology. In xenarthrans, slow arboreality independently arose at least three times, in the two genera of ‘tree sloths’, Bradypus and Choloepus, and the silky anteater, Cyclopes. This specialized locomotor ecology is expectedly reflected by distinctive morpho-functional convergences. Cyclopes, although sharing several ecological features with ‘tree sloths’, do not fully mirror the latter in their outstandingly similar suspensory slow arboreal locomotion. We hypothesized that the morphology of Cyclopes is closer to ‘tree sloths’ than to anteaters, but yet distinct, entailing that slow arboreal xenarthrans evolved through ‘incomplete’ convergence. In a multivariate trait space, slow arboreal xenarthrans are hence expected to depart from their sister taxa evolving toward the same area, but not showing extensive phenotypical overlap, due to the distinct position of Cyclopes. Conversely, a pattern of ‘complete’ convergence (i.e., widely overlapping morphologies) is hypothesized for ‘tree sloths’. Through phylogenetic comparative methods, we quantified humeral and femoral convergence in slow arboreal xenarthrans, including a sample of extant and extinct non-slow arboreal xenarthrans. Through 3D geometric morphometrics, cross-sectional properties (CSP) and trabecular architecture, we integratively quantified external shape, diaphyseal anatomy and internal epiphyseal structure. Several traits converged in slow arboreal xenarthrans, especially those pertaining to CSP. Phylomorphospaces and quantitative convergence analyses substantiated the expected patterns of ‘incomplete’ and ‘complete’ convergence for slow arboreal xenarthrans and ‘tree sloths’, respectively. This work, highlighting previously unidentified convergence patterns, emphasizes the value of an integrative multi-pronged quantitative approach to cope with complex mechanisms underlying ecomorphological convergence.
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Pelletier M, Niinimäki S, Salmi AK. Influence of captivity and selection on limb long bone cross-sectional morphology of reindeer. J Morphol 2021; 282:1533-1556. [PMID: 34323317 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The emergence of pastoralism and animal husbandry has been a critical point in the history of human evolution. Beyond profound behavioural changes in domesticated animals compared to wild ones, characterising the morphological changes associated with domestication process remains challenging. Because reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) can be considered to still be in the early phases of the domestication process, the study of modern populations provides a unique opportunity to examine the impact of captivity and selective breeding on skeletal changes. In this work, we investigated the morphological changes in long limb bone cross-sections using 137 wild and domestic reindeer individuals bred in free-range, in captivity or used for racing and pulling. The shape and shaft cortical thickness of the six long limb bones (i.e., humerus, radioulna, metacarpal, femur, tibia and metatarsal) were measured using a 2D-geometric morphometrics approach taking into account subspecies, sex, body mass and lifestyle differences. These bones are important to understanding functional morphological changes because they can provide information on feeding and locomotor behaviours, as well as on body propulsion and weight bearing. Apart from the effects of taxonomy, etho-ecology and sex, we have found that captivity and selection induced important variations in the size and body mass of modern reindeer. Our results also showed that patterns of variation in cortical bone thickness of long limb bone cross-sections were strongly impacted by body mass and human-imposed restrictions in roaming. This demonstrates that bone cross-sections can provide information on changes in locomotor, reproductive and feeding behaviours induced by the domestication process. These results are valuable not only for (paleo) biologists studying the impact of captivity and selection in ungulates but also for archaeologists exploring the origins of domestication and early herding strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maxime Pelletier
- Archaeology, History, Culture and Communication Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Sirpa Niinimäki
- Archaeology, History, Culture and Communication Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Anna-Kaisa Salmi
- Archaeology, History, Culture and Communication Studies, Faculty of Humanities, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
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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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6
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Law CJ. Evolutionary and morphological patterns underlying carnivoran body shape diversity. Evolution 2020; 75:365-375. [PMID: 33314085 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
The diversity of body shapes is one of the most prominent features of phenotypic variation in vertebrates. Biologists, however, still lack a full understanding of the underlying morphological components that contribute to its diversity, particularly in endothermic vertebrates such as mammals. In this study, hypotheses pertaining to the evolution of the cranial and axial components that contribute to the diversity of carnivoran body shapes were tested. Three trends were found in the evolution of carnivoran body shapes: (1) carnivorans exhibit diverse body shapes with intrafamilial variation predicted best by family clade age, (2) body shape is driven by strong allometric effects of body size where species become more elongate with decreasing size, and (3) the thoracic and lumbar regions and rib length contribute the most to body shape variation, albeit pathways differ between different families. These results reveal the morphological patterns that led to increased diversity in carnivoran body shapes and elucidate the similarities and dissimilarities that govern body shape diversity across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris J Law
- Department of Mammalogy and Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, 200 Central Park West, New York, NY, 10024.,Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98105
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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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Valenciano A, Govender R. New insights into the giant mustelids (Mammalia, Carnivora, Mustelidae) from Langebaanweg fossil site (West Coast Fossil Park, South Africa, early Pliocene). PeerJ 2020; 8:e9221. [PMID: 32547866 PMCID: PMC7271888 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Giant mustelids are a paraphyletic group of mustelids found in the Neogene of Eurasia, Africa and North America. Most are known largely from dental remains, with their postcranial skeleton mostly unknown. Here, we describe new craniodental and postcranial remains of the large lutrine Sivaonyx hendeyi and the leopard-size gulonine Plesiogulo aff. monspessulanus from the early Pliocene site Langebaanweg, South Africa. The new material of the endemic S. hendeyi, includes upper incisors and premolars, and fragmentary humerus, ulna and a complete astragalus. Its postcrania shares more traits with the living Aonyx capensis than the late Miocene Sivaonyx beyi from Chad. Sivaonyx hendeyi could therefore be tentatively interpreted as a relatively more aquatic taxon than the Chadian species, comparable to A. capensis. The new specimens of Plesiogulo comprise two edentulous maxillae, including one of a juvenile individual with incomplete decidual dentition, and a fragmentary forelimb of an adult individual. The new dental measurements point to this form being amongst the largest specimens of the genus. Both P3-4 differs from the very large species Plesiogulo botori from late Miocene of Kenya and Ethiopia. This confirms the existence of two distinct large species of Plesiogulo in Africa during the Mio/Pliocene, P. botori in the Late Miocene of Eastern Africa (6.1–5.5 Ma) and Plesiogulo aff. monspessulanus at the beginning of the Pliocene in southern Africa (5.2 Ma). Lastly, we report for the first time the presence of both Sivaonyx and Plesiogulo in MPPM and LQSM at Langebaanweg, suggesting that the differences observed from the locality may be produced by sedimentation or sampling biases instead of temporal replacement within the carnivoran guild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Valenciano
- Department of Research and Exhibitions, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa.,Department of Biological Science, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Romala Govender
- Department of Research and Exhibitions, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa.,Department of Biological Science, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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